The Engineering of...living like the French.

Whew! What a whirlwind weekend!

Arrived in Paris Friday and took the metro into the city. Decided to walk off the jetlag by trekking to the Eiffel Tower and the Luxembourg Gardens.

Just worked a ten hour work day, despite the typical 35 hour/week schedule. Have some great mentors from England and France. Tuning my ear to the language is becoming easier. Love how they pronounce my name like "Shelsee Samso."

The lifestyle is truly more relaxed. The work day doesn't start until 9:30, lunch is over an hour long, and people (really) stop and smell the roses. Want to look like a French person? Walk slowly and carry a reusable shopping bag. The lab doesn't look like your typical lab- there are gardens surrounding the stone buildings and a museum dedicated to Louis Pasteur. Life is mostly outside, walking or biking from place to place, eating on the patios. The pigeons and dogs run the streets. My quarters are pretty tiny, including my Jetson's/airplane-style capsule bathroom, so I don't blame 'em for wanting some fresh air. Especially since it is light out until 10:30.

Learning lots of new techniques and how to use some cutting-edge bioluminescence equipment...and it's only the premier jour!