Anyway I desperately need to do a little reflecting on the recent activity in my life and lucky you, since you are reading this, you will herein be privy to the secret little thoughts floating around and bobbing up and down in the messy liquid in my head.
Well, I moved in to the dormitory here at the University of Iowa on Sunday, just four days after I returned from Denmark. Those four days at home with my family were wonderful and relaxing and sentimental with over way too quickly. You would think that after moving 6 times within the last year I would be a really awesome packer. But I'm not. Or at least I am not when all I really have to do is transport enough clothes and blankets to last until I make a trip back to Newton for visiting and laundry purposes. I basically threw the things that I figured I would need into a few boxes, bags and piles and off I went, across I-80, to where my summer adventures awaited. It didn't take long to move my stuff into the oddly shaped dorm room (I'll have to take some photos so I can post them. Trust me, it's weird) and then Monday was my first day "on the job". I am thrilled to be doing research this summer and, as my mentor says, "trying on Iowa as a grad school". Who knows, maybe after graduating Knox next year I will end up back here to pursue even greater academic goals. So far this week has been a lot of me sitting in front of a computer, finding articles on our specific research topic and then reading, re-reading, highlighting and scribbling all over them. I had a meeting with my mentor and another researcher to discuss the experiment I will be helping with and I kind of expected to sit quietly, listening in awe to them intelligently discuss the project. Those expectations were exactly why my "fight-or-flight" response kicked in to high gear when we sat down and they said to me "Ok, you have been reading these articles. Tell us what you know." And thus panic ensued, coursing through my veins, causing me to sweat a little and making me feel my rapid heartbeat all the way in my toes. Turns out I survived and even did well enough that we were able to come up with a decent plan to get started on the project. I lived through a moment that I found even scarier than all those times I traveled by myself in foreign countries where I couldn't speak the language and didn't understand the customs. Phew.
I made a short trip home to Newton today for my mom's retirement party. I am so proud of her and although Newton High School will miss her a lot...our family is pumped to have more of her for ourselves. Job well done, Karen Clark...job very well done. While I was home, I was struck by how much I miss it already. 4 months and I did a pretty good job of not getting homesick. Then I am gone for four days and suddenly all I want to do is sit at the kitchen table with my mom and pet my kitty and swing in my hammock on a slightly breezy night as the sun goes down. I was so excited to come to Iowa City this summer that I kind of forgot about all the wonderfulness of summer that I will be missing. The times they are a-changing. And although I will continue to go with the flow, that doesn't mean I can't take a minute to just miss the good times of years past. Newton never looked so beautiful as it did tonight as I stood in my driveway and stared at the sunlight that streamed on to all the front lawns on our street. No matter how far away I go and how many places I go to (10 countries in the span of 5 months, for example), Newton will always be home and home always as that special feel that you simply can't get from anywhere else.
Onto the next topic, now that I am an official "student researcher" at U of I, I have an adorable little badge with my photo and my name and my id number. It has a handy clip so every morning I clip it onto one of my pockets and walk around like I am really hot stuff. It's funny how a simple little ID badge can make me feel way more grown up. I was walking into the hospital the other day to go to the Neurology department and one of the very nice ladies asked if I needed help finding anything. She suddenly saw my badge and said "Oh! You work here."
I was pretty pleased with myself with that, feeling like a fancy big-shot hospital employee...until I realized I had to admit "Well, yes I do but it's only my second day so can you help me find the Neurology clinic?" (big smile from her) "Yes, of course. It's right through these doors."
Me, the suddenly blushing, not so big-shot little undergrad student said "Thank you" and walked to Neurology. I may have had a slightly shaken confidence but at least I still had my ID badge : )
I have officially surpassed my normal bedtime. My extended jet lag has been wiping me out by 10:30 each night and it is currently 11:56 pm. It has been over a week since I have been back in the states so I really should be normalized to the time here but for some reason my internal clock has insisted on staying just a little off, as if it knows I am back in America but it doesn't want to actually admit it.
Ok ok internal clock, you win. I'm off to bed. Godnat!
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