Well, I'm back at writing again after a long week of reading. I don't think I've ever been quite so dedicated to a single class, but neuroscience is absolutely fascinating. I've also joined a Nation and made some new friends. Most importantly, I have a bike!!! I've cut my travel time to the Biomedical Center in half, which saves me a half hour of sleep in the morning and lets me get home before the sun is all the way down most days. But let me take everything in turn instead of jumping around.
As I hinted above, a goodly portion of my time has been dedicated to my neuroscience course. This week we covered the development of the nervous system, the classes and subclasses of receptors, the electrical and chemical basis of signalling, and we've started on learning and memory. I now know how IcyHot works, which might be the most random interesting factoid I've learned yet. (It has to do with receptors that send a temperature sensory signal no matter what triggers them.)
It's incredible that every single thing I've ever learned in biology comes back to neuroscience if that's the focus you have. The class is a whirlwind of information, and sometimes I feel like there is no way I can keep up. Then I remember that this is the only class I have at the moment, which makes it much easier to focus.
As part of the class we also do a research project about an assigned topic that includes a paper and presentation at the end of the class with a partner. My partner's name is Christine, from Singapore, and we're studying the effects of music on the brain and the genetics of musical ability. We both play the piano, so we found the subject very interesting. I've also made some friends in the class who can study with me; Oliver and Lisa, from Germany, are pretty quiet but really funny, and Susannah (Dutch) and Diana (Aussie) love to party together and then regale us with their tales the next day. Chen, from India, comes up to my shoulder but acts like the perfect gentleman, and Matilda, who is actually from Sweden, likes to check up on all of us exchangers every once in a while. We like to compare our universities (and in Susannah's case, party habits) from home and share stories of trying to figure out a new country.
I've started the habit of having "reading parties" with Henri, my friend from Paris. We make tea and settle in for a solid few hours. His stack of physics readings is even bigger than mine, but he only has class a few hours a week. We usually manage to read about half the time before we degenerate into sharing stories and asking questions. This week I tried to explain exactly why prom is such a big deal in high school, and learned about the metro system of Paris (which I hope I never have to navigate myself).
But I promise I haven't been studying the entire time I've been here! I joined Kalmar Nation last Friday, which means I received my official student ID and that I now have a second home in the center of town. Kalmar is a mid-sized nation with a ton of activities going on. Wednesday nights are usually open mic nights, and I've heard the talent is incredible. Saturday nights are clubs, with an ever-changing music scene. Kalmar is also known for its good food in the pub downstairs. I haven't participated in anything much yet, but I have already checked out their library.
My other excitement this week was having a dinner with my corridor-mates. Mia, Charlotte, Farkonda, and Emelie are the four girls I share my corridor with, and they're all Swedish. Sometimes it can be a little intimidating to be in the kitchen with them when the Swedish is going full-force, but they've been very welcoming to me. (Mia told everyone I bought roast garnish instead of jam, and now they all want to take me shopping so I do it properly.) This evening we all contributed to a pasta salad dinner and ate together. Emelie, unfortunately, couldn't be there.
Not only was the dinner really tasty, I loved getting a chance to know the other girls. Mia is studing agriculure, and Charlotte and Farkonda are studying law. They're all a bit older than I am, late twenties, and they love telling me stories about their "prime-time" when they were my age. Of course, being girls, we started sharing stories about the various boys in our lives, and they were thrilled I was single so they could give me all their advice. I didn't mention that being in love is, neurologically, closer to having OCD than any other neurological state; it didn't quite fit the romantic mood.
And of course, the other big news of the weeks is the red hunk of metal currently locked to a rack outside. I finally have a bike! It took a little love before I was satisfied with it (the handlebars were crooked, the back break squeaked horribly and had a pretty loose cable, and it was ornery about shifting down) but it wasn't anything too tricky and it's got good winter tires, fenders, and a solid chain. I've changed my path through downtown Uppsala slightly to avoid the steepest hill, which also allows me to ride right in front of the cathedral every morning. In the predawn light when I ride to class, it looks like someone painted there it against the sky. I hope I never get used to it.
And before you ask, Mom, I did take pictures this morning (and was on time to class!) I have a couple of more I want to collect tomorrow when the sun is out, and then I plan on posting a special update just for pictures this weekend. That is, if I move that thought from my working memory to the to-do list that is resting in a diffuse but localized manner in my long-term memory. And yes, that sentence is supposed to make sense. The rest of the memory lecture is tomorrow, so I'll work on it.
Until next time, keep your receptors open! (Or closed, whichever they're supposed to be. Open can be bad too.)
Hej då!
No comments:
Post a Comment