The Life of a Grad Student...
...freaking rocks. They stroll in at 9 or 10, go out to lunch a few hours later (sometimes paid by the department), come back and do a little work, take a little rest, have a little leisure, and do it all over again the next day.
But I digress.
Today was the best day here so far hands down. After intensely studying the reading material relevant to the research I will be doing/helping with, I felt slightly more prepared. That, in turn, helped me understand the two grad students better. On top of that, I spent last night and this morning translating all the scientific terminology I could. My dictionary was only moderately helpful in this respect as who would ever have the need to say 'pipet' in Chinese? Guairen (nerds) like me, that's who. I never got 'pipet,' but through dictionary use and disussion with Zhuo, I got 'cell,' 'counting,' 'virus,' 'bacteria,' and 'DNA sequence.' Impressed? Good, you should be. And so am I.
After arriving at the lab around 10 or so, Miss Wu and I paid a visit to administration and now I have my own ID card, hurrah! This means I can get access to the building after hours but more importantly, I can now use the gym, which in all likelihood will be paid a visit by myself tomorrow. (Ewww, look at the last clause of that sentence. This is what immersion in other languages does to you. You're at the top of your game in your native language, try to learn another, and in addition to sucking in the new one you also manage to butcher the grammar of your original dialect. Swell.)
The lab students and I all went out for lunch (I think they do this everyday, and it's a pattern I am looking forward to), but I still had no idea what the menu said (damn you, fan ti zi) so I had someone else order for me. It's quite a sensation having no idea what you are going to eat--every meal is a surprise! During lunch I spoke mostly in Chinese and for the most part could hold a conversation, as could Zhuo. I felt like we got a million times better since yesterday, during which I was an active participant in the epitome of dysfunction. There were a few gaps in phrases and words here and there, but among all the Chinese students someone eventually came up with the English, and if I couldn't figure out the Chinese, well, I just gave up. They asked what I liked to do in my free time and told me what I should see in Taiwan. Most of the lab is going to Toronto later this week for an ethics and stem cell conference, but a few will stay here. They said they would help me with transportation, show me around, and take me on the buses. Yay, I don't have to learn through trial-and-error. Now if I can just order food, I'll be set. I'm not kidding, if I've even bothered eating dinner in the last week, it has consisted ENTIRELY of peanut butter sandwiches. Actually I don't even have a knife, so it's more like dragging pieces of bread through Skippy in the jar. Sad? Yes. Pathetic? I know. But what are you supposed to do if you can't order?!?! My intake of carbohydrates has been absolutely obscene the last few days, and my vegetables are sorely lacking. Of course I know better and am craving the veggies, but it's going to take me a few days to attain the ability to ask people for food.
After returning from lunch, I was still waiting around until 6 when the tissue culture medium would be changed, so I got back to studying the principles, theories, and specifics of what I would be doing. This stuff is relatively new to me (pretty much in its entirety, actually), so I was wikipedia-ing myself to death all afternoon, highlighting articles, and making notes. I think I have a better grasp on it now, but Dr. Yu said I would be making a presentation on the paper, so by next week I have no choice but to have a grasp on it. I really don't know if he has any standards for me or not, but anyone who knows me in the slightest knows I naturally want to go above and beyond the call of duty and most definitely not disappoint.
The best part of the day was the end. At about 7:00 pm after everyone finished up their work for the day (and about my bedtime since I've arrived!), a group of us went to the gymnasium to play badminton, or da3 yu3 mao2 qiu2. I don't think I've actually ever played, so I was really scared, and I was randomly paired via rock paper scissors (although they say it differently, it cracks me up) with a girl I didn't know. I had my moments of suckiness, but in our game we actually won! (It's a fun game, although I swear the birdie sometimes defies gravity and just hangs there, only to comes down and smack you in face.) I left after the first round (I don't know really if there was a second round, because some people trickled out), but only because I was so ridiculously exhausted.
I'm probably still seen as a foreigner and a visitor by the lab students, but in my view, I finally have some semblance of Taiwan pengyous.
But I digress.
Today was the best day here so far hands down. After intensely studying the reading material relevant to the research I will be doing/helping with, I felt slightly more prepared. That, in turn, helped me understand the two grad students better. On top of that, I spent last night and this morning translating all the scientific terminology I could. My dictionary was only moderately helpful in this respect as who would ever have the need to say 'pipet' in Chinese? Guairen (nerds) like me, that's who. I never got 'pipet,' but through dictionary use and disussion with Zhuo, I got 'cell,' 'counting,' 'virus,' 'bacteria,' and 'DNA sequence.' Impressed? Good, you should be. And so am I.
After arriving at the lab around 10 or so, Miss Wu and I paid a visit to administration and now I have my own ID card, hurrah! This means I can get access to the building after hours but more importantly, I can now use the gym, which in all likelihood will be paid a visit by myself tomorrow. (Ewww, look at the last clause of that sentence. This is what immersion in other languages does to you. You're at the top of your game in your native language, try to learn another, and in addition to sucking in the new one you also manage to butcher the grammar of your original dialect. Swell.)
The lab students and I all went out for lunch (I think they do this everyday, and it's a pattern I am looking forward to), but I still had no idea what the menu said (damn you, fan ti zi) so I had someone else order for me. It's quite a sensation having no idea what you are going to eat--every meal is a surprise! During lunch I spoke mostly in Chinese and for the most part could hold a conversation, as could Zhuo. I felt like we got a million times better since yesterday, during which I was an active participant in the epitome of dysfunction. There were a few gaps in phrases and words here and there, but among all the Chinese students someone eventually came up with the English, and if I couldn't figure out the Chinese, well, I just gave up. They asked what I liked to do in my free time and told me what I should see in Taiwan. Most of the lab is going to Toronto later this week for an ethics and stem cell conference, but a few will stay here. They said they would help me with transportation, show me around, and take me on the buses. Yay, I don't have to learn through trial-and-error. Now if I can just order food, I'll be set. I'm not kidding, if I've even bothered eating dinner in the last week, it has consisted ENTIRELY of peanut butter sandwiches. Actually I don't even have a knife, so it's more like dragging pieces of bread through Skippy in the jar. Sad? Yes. Pathetic? I know. But what are you supposed to do if you can't order?!?! My intake of carbohydrates has been absolutely obscene the last few days, and my vegetables are sorely lacking. Of course I know better and am craving the veggies, but it's going to take me a few days to attain the ability to ask people for food.
After returning from lunch, I was still waiting around until 6 when the tissue culture medium would be changed, so I got back to studying the principles, theories, and specifics of what I would be doing. This stuff is relatively new to me (pretty much in its entirety, actually), so I was wikipedia-ing myself to death all afternoon, highlighting articles, and making notes. I think I have a better grasp on it now, but Dr. Yu said I would be making a presentation on the paper, so by next week I have no choice but to have a grasp on it. I really don't know if he has any standards for me or not, but anyone who knows me in the slightest knows I naturally want to go above and beyond the call of duty and most definitely not disappoint.
The best part of the day was the end. At about 7:00 pm after everyone finished up their work for the day (and about my bedtime since I've arrived!), a group of us went to the gymnasium to play badminton, or da3 yu3 mao2 qiu2. I don't think I've actually ever played, so I was really scared, and I was randomly paired via rock paper scissors (although they say it differently, it cracks me up) with a girl I didn't know. I had my moments of suckiness, but in our game we actually won! (It's a fun game, although I swear the birdie sometimes defies gravity and just hangs there, only to comes down and smack you in face.) I left after the first round (I don't know really if there was a second round, because some people trickled out), but only because I was so ridiculously exhausted.
I'm probably still seen as a foreigner and a visitor by the lab students, but in my view, I finally have some semblance of Taiwan pengyous.
posted by Shannon @ 8:44 PM
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