Bon jour : )

Bon jour everyone!!

Sorry for keeping you in dark about what's going on in Bordeaux. So I have been here now about 10 days.

When I got here on... June 1st, Dr. Oda came to pick me up at the airport. We first went to my dorm room to drop my stuff. Compare to american college dorm, it was rather simple..... and small. a desk. a bed. a chair and well the nice part the sink in the room. So although there is no air conditioning and the internet in the room (which is a very hard part to get use to), it is a comfortible place. Afterward, we went to IECB, I met a lot of people, which I didn't remember half of their name afterward, I met Sabine, who is the phD student I am working with, as well as other people in the lab. We briefely went over things I'll be doing and then I went to supermarket with Sabine, had a small dinner and fell a sleep right a way.

In the lab, I have my own desk space, in between Sabine and Keku (who is a student from Amherst, doing the summer research program). Keku is actually from Ghana (whose football team <--- well everywhere else in the world but u.s calls it football. so i'll be using this term for the rest of my blog this summer, is playing against ITALIA!!!!! tonight) majoring in chemistry and french. so his french is actually really good. Anyway. and since I brought my laptop with me, I can use internet using my laptop. I can also print things out from my laptop since it is connected to the lab printer through the network.

I also have my work space where I keep my samples. So far, I learned how to look at sample and look for different types of aggregation using a optical microscope and a computer program, and learned how to measure surface tension with Langmuire machine.

Sabine's project is looking at systemps of different surfactant and its interaction with different couter ions. So my part in her research is to use optical microscope and Langmuire technique to observe the change in aggregation behavior due to the different counter ion used, and due to different concentration. It is quite new to me since in Emory, I did fluoresence microscopy but I'm learning new things which is always fun.

I'll be posting more things shortly but mean while, I have been posting more... fun, personal stories on my personal blog
http://kypinbordeaux.blogspot.com so for detailed account of my stay in europe, you can check my blog!!! I hope everything is going well in.... well..... all over the worlds wherever you are!!! Bonne nuit!! A bientot!