It is done. First semester. First time I ever saw a SWAT team. And spent painful four hours trapped in a hotel. And I thought lightning never strikes twice in the same place. The scars of May 16th are still too fresh and first thoughts people had were seriously "not again" when alert systems announced shots being fired.... It is kind of sad how well the whole school was prepared to face this. Even the students had a memorial fund for the killed police officers family up and running the same day. Exams were okay even if conveniently there was that shooting incident just day before they started.
Americans are very fond of multiple choice questions in exams. And do not be fooled. They are darn hard. With four to six choices for each question and each of them very detail oriented. I miss essays a bit. But the exams went well. And to my knowledge also the writing assignments were not a total disaster either. All in all, now I have a better understanding of how Virginia Tech gets its academic reputation. The amount of truly passionate researchers on all levels of the totem pole is just amazing. This is now my academic home.
On a lighter note....I am visiting Alaska for the holidays. Me and my stack of research articles and immunology reading material.... Now this I would call mountainous area. Eagles flying around and all that fresh air would make anyone want to move here. But few days in constant rain and that nonsense is gone out of your mind. At least until the next sunny day. Darn the fish is good and fresh here. And no need to sell your soul for a decent piece of salmon.
Hoping this restful holiday will lead to a very productive semester on the research front!
