A Fest in Oktober. And Göttingen.

I have finally experienced Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany and it is DEFINITELY an experience. I wish I could have spent more time there but I was only able to drop by in Munich for a few days to visit some friends on my way to Göttingen.

Firstly, I'd like to say that it is crowded. And it is huge! There are 7 million people who attend Oktoberfest in exactly 16 days. Luckily we went at night and it was raining so it was a lot less crowded. But Oktoberfest starts at 9am until 11pm. It's a full day of beer, pretzels, sausages, potatoes, not to mention amazing carnival rides and beer halls. I swear, I don't think I blinked once. I'm not even a huge beer fan but once you're there, it's all you can see.

And now, I'd like to also share a bit of the news on my status in Göttingen. I arrived about two weeks ago and I've been doing an internship trial session until now at the Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine in Göttingen, Germany. It was a time for me to get to know the people who work here, as well as become familiar with some of the experiments and tasks that would be involved in my project if I were to stay here. It was a lot to get used to, especially with the mice. The lab is cool because they cross molecular biology with clinical research and behavioural studies in mice. I've never seen such an integration in a lab before! Just last week, I learned how to surgically remove the brain from a mouse, and remove some of the sections for mRNA analysis! I thought it was super cool... although I won't be doing too much of the surgical work. Instead, I would be doing more behavioural experiments, which brings me to my main point: I have accepted the internship position here until the end of May! I have been assigned a project which involves studying mice behaviour, focusing on a drug tolerance and addiction. It's going to be a lot of work. I can see that in the solid group of the MPI team here, but I am motivated and eager to learn. But to be honest, it still hasn't hit me properly and it will probably take some time. I will most likely not be able to make it home for Christmas but would love to stay in contact with you all!

Thank you all for being so supportive throughout this whole process, especially this summer. It was a lot of work and preparation but in the end, it all worked out, even when it was really out of my hands. I have faith...

I hope that this update finds you all well, and keep checking back for more posts! :)

erin.