To Austin?

As you may know, I am on the board of a national organization. Yes, I do like starting like that so as to inflate myself. I am on the board of J Street U, a campus-based organization that seeks to bring about middle-east peace. We believe in a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine issue, wherein the future state of Palestine has full sovereignty and coexists peacefully with Israel. We often do campaigns on all of our different campuses to try to achieve these ends. We are a daughter organization of J Street, which is based in Washington DC. They seek a resolution to the conflict from a diplomatic approach; despite the arguments of hegemony, the US is in a unique position to create foreign policy that will create real change and possibly peace in the middle-east.

The executive director found out about an opportunity for a board member to go to a conference in Texas. This conference is sponsored by the Student Peace Alliance, which so far as I can tell is seeking to get all of the campus peace groups together for ally-stuff. OK, it sounds a lot better than I let on, but I really know nothing about it.

I am on a plane to Austin right now. I had nothing better to do! I have an indefinite start date for my internship. I called DM and told him that unless he had more info, I was going to this conference. He was fine with it. They (Student Peace Alliance) is paying for everything. Parking. Plane. Hotel. Really, it is a pretty sweet deal.

I like BWI, the Baltimore Airport. It was very manageable, not overwhelming at all. I flew Delta out of BWI to Atlanta. A less manageable airport. There are seven (?) concourses. They are separated by train. I came in at one concourse and had to take a train to my connecting flight. It's a cool concept, but not exactly useful or user-friendly. What I did really like about ATL was there trash system. They have these special trash cans. They compact the trash every few hours, and apparently send a signal to staff when they need to be emptied. The trash is transported of site to a sorting facility. It is then sorted for recycling. Sometimes, it is plainly apparent that we live in the future. Of note, BWI and ATL have the same bathroom system. Exactly the same hardware for stalls, toilets, and automated faucets with automated soap dispensers. Kind of weird, like going to a mall in a different state and realizing it has the same architecture as the mall at home.

It turns out that I was lucky on this flight. I am next to the single empty seat on the flight! It seams that the seat is lacking a latch for the seat belt, so it can't be booked. Hooray for spreading out.

On a related note! Delta has started to charge $25 per check-in bag. This, by itself, is not that odd. They have however made the frame for the carry-on smaller! This means that the bag you thought would be fine because you have used it as a carry-on before (mine) was subject to a $25 charge. It seems as though I was prepared though. I had a daypack in my bag; I shifted my luggage around, and had a perfectly good carry-on. But, Delta, you have done something really stupid! By charging a ridiculous fee for checked luggage, you then encourage people to over-pack their carry-ons. What does this mean? There is no space in the cabin for luggage. Every overhead bin is packed, most people with something at their feet. Somehow, I don't think this is particularly good for business...

I know that by stating this, I might jinx it. There have been no crying babies. Really a much more pleasant experience that way.

So, I am going to this conference. I am supposed to table (advertise to represent my organization) for a few hours, participate in a discussion with all the other peace groups, but otherwise enjoy the conference. It is a goal of mine to at least once be considered important enough that someone pays for my transportation first-class. But this is cool too.

UPDATE: I wrote both of these posts on the plane. On Thursday. Delta naturally lost my bag. I just got it. And it had my compy's power cord in it. And I have so much to add about the conference, but I think sleep is probably the best option at the moment. Hopefully I will have a moment (or seventeen) to write about the conference tomorrow, else I certainly will on the plane coming back.

And so it begins...

It was surprisingly easy to unpack my car. Aside from the futon, it was only four trips of bringing things inside. I started to sort things in my room, allotting corners for this or that. Eventually, JK came up and asked if it was yet futon time (I had told him previously that I would need his help for that). I said that I had unpacked everything else, and that if he was available then now was a good time.

It took at least 20 minutes for AK and I to stuff the queen-size futon into my tiny sedan. And then, of course, it fills the space it occupies. I thought it would be quite awful trying to remove it. JK came along. He gave two tugs, and it was totally out. Wow. We brought it up to my room (second floor). He told me that he actually had a spare futon frame (and futon) that might go well underneath it. He fetched them, and again I was wowed at the ease with which he moved them. We discussed placement, and he help me hoist my futon (queen-size) atop his futon (full) atop the frame (somewhere between full and queen-size). He then disappeared into the wild unknown and I was left to make up my room.

I decided for that for the sake of the space I had, I would put fiction books by the bed, and non-fiction by the closet (Don't worry, I will post pictures). I also tried to decide what furniture was useful/important to try to fill the space.

I went to the nearby Walmart (Dad would love this: It is less than five minutes away!). It is huge. I told AK later that it could easily eat the Walmart by Hampshire. Twice. There is a full grocery section among other things. They also have cheaper furniture options than what I could find used (craigslist) or rented (yes, somehow Walmart's prices were about the same as renting furniture for just one month!). I decided that the best options for me would be a cheap "student" desk (with bookshelves!), a "bookcase" to be used for clothing, and various modular boxes for miscellany. I also bought a trash-can and a CO detector as my room was lacking. I returned the next day to purchase a space-heater. My room was lacking in much heat as well.

I went to the local grocery store, called "Bloom." It is seriously less than a minute from my apartment. I only drove becuase it was on the way back from Walmart. It is very nice. And big. It seems they like big down here. They have these touchscreens where you are able to search for products and it gives you an interactive map and is altogether very cool. I bought some staples, you know, like a six-pack of mac and cheese.

The people are so kind. It is like the sales associates actually want me to have a nice day. Very different from the Northeast. There is a touch of hick-ness too. But is so far more endearing than upsetting or anything else. And I love the accent. It really seems as though even a stranger genuinely cares. So different from what I am used to.

It is February 23, and still DM says that he thinks that I will probably start on March 1. Nothing more. Oh! I never mentioned the interesting turn! Towards the beginning of February, I called DM (as it seems that I always need to be the one to initiate, he only returns calls or emails, and is much better with calls), to try and get more details and he said, "Yea, my secretary reminded me of a way where you could have the same start data [March 1 at this point] and get paid for the work you do for us. You just have to go online and fill out this application. It is for the Summer Internship Program, but it doesn't have to be in summer." As it turns out, I had already applied for this! I quickly told him that I had submitted an application, and his secretary supposedly checked to make sure everything is in order. Apparently, he had to ask for special permission for me to start near immediately, blah blah blah. If it works, I will be paid at a rate of $2200 a month. No complaints here. But, it would be nice to actually have a firm start date!

The story so far

A while ago (probably over the summer), I decided that I would not be on
campus for the Spring semester. This could mean study abroad, exchange,
or field study. I had been considering Semester at Sea, but decided it
was not for me. I looked at a number of study abroad sites, and none of
them really clicked. I started investigating internship opportunities
domestically (that's the field study option).

I asked CJ and CR if they knew of any labs or related that would not
mind a student intern. I was basically offering myself as free labor
(OK, so they had to pay me in experience/knowledge, but otherwise free)
in the hopes that I could find some sort of experiential learning
opportunity. CJ asked me to continue to pester him, to make sure he
would give me some information. He gave me three names of friends of
his with labs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). I sent them
all cover letters and resumes, and the one whom CJ had thought least
likely emailed back to say, "Yes, I think we can arrange an internship.
I will get back to you next week. Give my best to CJ." This of course
is DM. My request was on 10/9/2010 (non-European dating, as in
October). The response was on 10/30. This should have set a precedent
in my mind. 20 days to respond.

Now, I was particularly excited about the prospect of working in a lab.
I had other choices of things to do for the Spring, but I decided that
working at the National Cancer Institute under DM would be really cool.
As I have said since the start of my Division II (major), "How can one
learn to communicate science, without knowing the science." I was going
to get a chance to know the science first-hand.

I paid attention to all of the deadlines for school. I filled out all
of my paperwork. I had to get JM's signature as he is my chair. He
basically thinks that I am off and doing things and learning, etc. so he
does not much care what he is signing for me. He is very happy to help
out in a bureaucratic way, but he also does not think we have to meet so
often if I am just going to ask him to sign things.

Hampshire has a January term. You take one class for three weeks in
January, meeting everyday. It is about equivalent to taking a class
over a semester (except that it is physically impossible to do the same
amount of reading in one month as a person might in four). I decided
that if I do not get this internship with DM, I would take "Gene
Cloning" over January term. I would get extensive "wet" lab experience
doing interesting molecular things. I asked CR if he thought that I
should take Gene Cloning (he teaches it) even if I end up with this
internship. He tried his best to talk me out of it without explicitly
saying, "Don't do it." Fine. I taught myself Cell Biology instead
(Alright, I am still continuing to teach myself Cell Biology almost two
months later).

Every few weeks, I would email DM and ask for more details. It was as
though he was enjoying tantalizing me; releasing just the tiniest morsel
of information at a time. He would say things like, "I have a meeting
on Thursday to work out details. I'll let you know." And then, he
wouldn't. Also, he never responded in less than five business days. It
became the end of the Fall semester (beginning of December), and I still
did not know if he wanted me there at the beginning of January. I had
already told school that they could have my room for the Spring, but I
did not yet know whether I would be there for January. I asked CJ what
chapters I should try to learn for Cell Biology. He told me to do most
of the non-molecular stuff. I wrote down which chapters he suggested.

DM said that I would start on Feb 1, but that he is still trying to work
it out. That's a relief. Parents can stop bugging me. I can look for
an apartment. I can even commit to scheduling things for January!

January was awesome. In addition to Cell Bio, I tried to learn some
linguistics as well, but that will have to be a whole different blog. I
really enjoyed the
learning-at-your-own-pace-with-no-external-responsibilities things. It
was pretty pleasant. I did have a job for Fall and theoretically
January (teaching Religious School at a local synagogue). But the
kids/parents could not get their acts together. So really I made my own
schedule and did what I wanted when I wanted. I even learned some Cell Bio.

I used roommates.com and craigslist to try and find potential
roommates/landlords. I found a few options, and in the middle of
January I went down to meet them, tour apartments, etc. I liked JK the
most, and I liked his condo the most. Not difficult. I also met with
DM for the first time to get to know him, ask questions in person
(rather than waiting for five days for a response), and actually hear
what the project was about. I barely understood what he was saying (if
I had not been studying Cell Bio, I really would not have understood).
Basically, all that molecular stuff that CJ said I would not need, I
needed. Badly.

I debriefed with CJ. He told me stories from the old days about DM. In
grad school, apparently DM had two girlfriends. One who knew about
both, one who didn't. It was a really nice conversation. I also had a
really nice chat with CR. It was the first time that I was really
chatting with him outside the bounds of the teacher-student setup. I
know that at Hampshire students are supposed to be like peers with the
faculty. That's why we call everyone by first name. Blah, blah, blah.
It is really hard to do that in practice. I am sorry to my faculty
members that may have felt otherwise. For me however, it is only now
(speaking for the end of January, beginning of February) that I am able
to appreciate faculty as peers. My bad. Sorry.

Somewhere in there, DM said that it would be the middle of February.
Then somewhere in there, he said the end of February or beginning of
March. Grr.

I took things into my own hands. I told JK that I would be moving in on
2/22. It worked. I did that.

Thanks for bearing with me. I should really write as it happens.
Unfortunately this blog was a late idea in the whole process. I promise
shorter posts in the future.

An introduction

I am taking the semester off from school to do science! Really, it's not as bad as it may sound. I get credit with Hampshire as a "learning activity," and I get to go off and have real experience in the lab. Some rules: I will not post names, but initials will do just fine. I do like punctuation, but hate capitalization. If I fall in to my habit of not capitalizing, please do not sue.

The cast of characters at the beginning:

JM- my committee chair. At other schools, would be called an adviser. He works in journalism and cultural studies -ish.

CJ- my committee member. He does immunology and zymurgy (beer-making). Would also be called an adviser at other schools.

CR- a professor I like. While he would not be called an adviser at other schools, I use him as such. He does evolution, molecular ecology, and some other things.

DM- works at SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation) through the NCI (National Cancer Institute). He knows CJ from grad school. He is the big man in charge of my internship. Seems the absent-minded professor type.

Mom- you know. A little naggy at times, but means well. Also means for me to actually do something for the semester instead of just sitting at home waiting for an internship to start.

Dad- agrees with Mom generally (at least regarding this internship).

JK- landlord. I am renting a room in his lovely condominium. He has a dog named Hershey.

AK- beautiful, loving, understanding girlfriend. She misses me a lot. But it's mutual.

AS- my brother. Goes to school in Cambridge (US version).

Then, there is me. I'm Tal. I go to school at Hampshire College, and I am studying Science Communication. Theoretically, this means that I will be able to explain things for a lay audience. Really, though, it is practice for me. If I was not clear about something, please let me know!