Last day in Oklahoma

How fast times flies! It's already my last day of my research visit to Stillwater, Oklahoma. My flight is at 11am tomorrow morning, which means being ready at 8am, and as usual, I haven't packed my bags yet or sent a postcard to any of my friends or my lab (that will happen tomorrow at the airport). I HAVE remembered to get sweets and biscuits for morning coffee in our department tea-room on Monday (Oreos, naturally), and chocolates for my friends. Not American chocolate, because I do still want them to be my friends for a little longer! I did toy with the idea of buying some of the sugar-free chocolates and toffee that you can get here for a laugh- how can you get sugar-free TOFFEE?! On second thoughts, I don't want to know, though I did take a look at the ingredient list and various kinds of oils feature heavily. That's why the confectionary does come with a disclaimer - it is NOT low-calorie. In fact, the sugar-free chocolate contains much more fat and calories than the non-low-sugar Hershey's peanut butter cups (which, incidentally, also come in a sugar-free form. I dread to think what goes into that). I've missed several of my friends' birthdays in the two weeks that I've been away, but I think I'll do my present shopping at the airport instead, where they might have some nice European or Mexican chocolate.

I'm really very glad that I came on this visit. I've learnt a lot, and gained so much in confidence both in my work and in myself. I have the bad habit of burying myself in lots of experimental work when I'm not sure of what to do next, and wasting a lot of time and effort in the process when actually, I need to step back and consider what my aims are. Being here has forced me to step back, take a look at what I've got already, and what I need to do next. Of course, having someone who's willing to go through data analysis methods and experimental design, step-by-step, is a major help! My supervisor in Cambridge is a really great guy, and really knows his stuff, but on statistics and confocal microscopes, he's not so confident. Which is precisely why he's sent me here! Over the last few months my self-confidence, regarding both my work and my own character and sense of self-worth, has taken a lot of buffeting. But right this moment, there's a flow of enthusiasm and energy that seems to be lifting my spirits up and making me eager to face the challenges facing me back in Cambridge - let's hang onto this feeling and make the most of it. I know you will all be happy for me! ^_^