Onwards and Upwards

I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve written, but I’ve got a good excuse for being away. Last Friday, I was knee-deep in the exhausting process that is moving. Not only did I switch apartments, but I also

switched labs. I honestly can’t tell you which I’m more excited about…

Switching labs is a big deal for me. A little context – when most PhD students say they’ve “switched labs”, they often mean that they’ve switched to a new supervisor and, consequently, a new project. When I say I “switched labs”, I mean I literally moved to a lab two floors up in our building. My project on cell-free protein synthesis (see Engineering for more detail!) is a bit of an anomaly. The lab managers weren’t really sure where to put me. I was initially placed in a lab with a bunch of other students whose projects are advised by the same supervisor. Unfortunately, this lab didn’t have the right equipment I needed to do my experiments. Every day, I would pack up a box with whatever chemicals and glassware essential for that day’s work and I would lug them to the lab with the equipment I needed – two floors above my designated lab. I would have to scour around for empty bench space and borrow a friend’s pipettes. Now I’ve got a bench of my own in that lab!!! It’s small and I have to share my shelf space with another student, but it’s mine. Though it’s only been a few days, I can confidently say that I’ve been much more productive. It’s definitely easier to finish an experiment when you don’t have to run down two flights of stairs to get a bottle or a box or a tube that you’ve forgotten. I know it sounds trivial, but man, it is the nicest feeling to just relax and be in the space you’re meant to be in. 

I feel the same way about my new apartment. I was originally living in student accommodation close to my university. Sounds nice, right? Yes and no. It was at the top of my price range – I was barely making rent each month. On top of that, I shared the apartment with eight very elusive people. I still don’t know some of their names. The apartment was on a busy street and I was always keeping tabs on where my wallet was and how long that guy had been behind me and dear goodness, where did that bus come from?! It was exhausting to have my guard up all of the time and then to finally make it home only to sit in isolation and wait for the next day to begin. I constantly felt out of place. 

My new apartment is much further away from my university and not as easily accessible by public transport. But it’s half the price of my old place, I know all of my roommates’ names, and it’s probably the safest neighborhood I’ve ever lived in. It may not be the perfect place – I’m still trying to get rid of the weird smell in the bathroom – but it’s a place where I feel like I belong. Finally, after spending the first year of my PhD uncomfortably shuffling around in lab and at home, I have two spaces that truly feel like they are mine. I’m so grateful to be just a little bit more at home.