Last night closed out the best week I've spent in Paris. My nine-day-long summer school on Single Cell Physiology hosted by EMBO, the European Molecular Biology Organization was just wonderful. The speakers came from across the globe and had loads to teach me about proteins, fluorescence, imaging, and different biological systems.
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| My morning view this past week: A peek into the Cour des Ernests, the main courtyard at the Ecole Normale Supérieure where my summer school was hosted |
The talks were engaging, the catered lunches were both beautiful and delicious, and I couldn't complain when I was given an afternoon off to follow a tour guide around the city nor could I gripe when we boarded our boat for a dinner cruise along the Seine. When we disembarked at the evening's end, we each even got special chocolates with our course initials written on them!
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| Picnickers enjoying the long-awaited summer weather in the Luxembourg Gardens as we wandered through on our guided tour of Paris. |
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| The view from the glass ceiling of our summer school's dinner cruise boat as we floated down the Seine |
Despite all these perks, the highlight of the week was unquestionably the participants. Hailing from countries including France, Germany, Ireland, Argentina, Italy, Sweden, India, Israel, Niger, and the US, the group was vibrant, intelligent, and eager to be out on the town. The company coupled with the first city's week of summer weather was magical. The laughter and energy of young, enthusiastic scientists looking to enjoy life reminded me so very much of my time at MIT. From cooking dinner chez moi to shopping the summer sales to drinks on restaurant terraces to picnicking along the Canal Saint Martin to dancing our last night away to salsa music along the banks of the Seine in the Fifth, we unquestionably made the most of the European summer sun that playfully keeps the city sunny past ten in the evening and awake until comfortably later. I can't imagine a more precious slice of life in Paris.
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| A quintessentially Parisian café on whose terrace we sipped drinks one evening after dinner |
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| A perfect evening picnicking on a lock of the Canal Saint Martin: fresh hand-made pizza, red wine, beautiful weather, and lovely (science-nerdy) company. What more could a student hope for in Paris? |
With my PhD course hours requirement complete as of the end of this school, I am yet one step closer to tying together the pieces of this degree and the crazy ride that's been my time in Paris.
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