Sunday, June 1, 2014
By:
After my first week, the only thing I can complain about was my flight. I was expecting it to be short and easy, but it quickly turned into a 5-hour ordeal at the airport. The pilots caused the first delay when they forgot they had to fly a plane across the nation and were still lounging at the hotel when the flight was suppose to take off. The weather caused the second delay by hitting Washington with a little bit of rain and lightning that some may describe as monsoon-like. Anyways, I arrived safely in D.C. and was ready to meet the interns.
The first person I meet was Kirsten. I felt a little bad when I first meet her because the previous day I asked her if she wanted to ride to JBKO (our residence) together, but due to my delays I was two hours late to our previous rendezvous time. Even with the delay, she still greeted me with a smile and we both laughed about the situation. As we drove into the city I was in awe of the monuments that we passed. The buildings that I had only seen in pictures came to life in front of my eyes. I think it is amazing that I am surrounded by so much history and the significance each monument means in American culture. I can't wait to explore more of the city and all D.C. has to offer.
Finally, the past couple days we have been at orientation, learning about the summer program and our individual jobs. We have met many people from the SPS organization along with many from others from various AIP umbrella organizations as well. The people at SPS make everyone feel welcome and glad you are here as an intern.
This Friday, Kelby and I went to NIST to meet our supervisor John Suehle. He was very energetic about his work and all the research that goes on in his labs. He talked a little bit about the project we will being doing this summer and introduced us to employees who he works with. I cannot wait to start the research come Monday and learn more about nanopore technology. This summer is off to a good start, and I hope the last nine weeks will be as good as the first one.
Benjamin Perez