My first week at MIT in Boston is already over. I’ve crossed the Atlantic – in a plane; not in a sailboat as Greta Thunberg a few weeks ago – to spend approximately 5 months at MIT doing research in Mick Follows’ group. Even if my journey to the United States of America is not remotely as interesting and important as Greta’s, I’m taking the opportunity to revive my blog and share random pieces of my daily life in Cambridge and Boston.
So, what did bring me to Boston and MIT in the first place?
Within the framework of my Master’s degree program at ETH Zurich (Environmental Science, major in Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics), I get to spend some time outside ETH and gain work experience with an internship. I chose to do this internship in an academic environment at a university abroad. My idea behind this is to experience research away from my home university, to broaden my horizon, to improve my scientific expertise and to prepare for a potential PhD position (preferably back at ETH). Hence, in parallel to writing my Master’s thesis, I started looking for positions as a visiting student abroad and was lucky enough to get the opportunity to join Mick and his people at MIT in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. And, here I am.
My first 10 days in Boston
I’ve been welcomed very warmly by the people at MIT and settling in has been a smooth ride so far. Apart from a few missing pieces of paperwork covering some administrative points at MIT, I’ve already been diving into research. Outside of MIT, I took advantage of the nice fall weather and explored the city. One of the most pleasant things in Boston is the fact that cycling is a great means of transport around the city. There are bike paths all over and distances are short compared to other US cities. Apart from cruising through Cambridge and Boston, I feel like I’ve already seen a few iconic spots and done a couple of cool things:
- I’ve taken a sightseeing harbor cruise around the Boston Harbor and Harbor Islands.
- I went to the New England aquarium and fell in love with the Rockhopper Penguins.
- I enjoyed the views over Boston from the Prudential Tower.
- I had a lobster roll at Saltie girl.
- I went to the movie theatre and relaxed in the huge, comfy seats – already twice.
- I had an IPA from one of the many local breweries.
- I saw the Head of the Charles Regatta.
- I went sailing on Charles River on the first afternoon at work.
- I had hot wings with a side of mac’n’cheese at a pub.
- I walked through the South End and went to the SoWa open market to mingle with young designers and local makers.
- I wandered around the Boston Common, Boston Public Garden, Back Bay, Beacon Hills and Cambridge.
- I had a „small“ ice cream from J.P. Licks.
- I went running around the Fresh Pond.
- I went to Yoga and CrossFit classes.
- I attended the annual pumpkin drop from the top of the Green Building at MIT.
- I went grocery shopping at Whole Foods – on a Sunday.
- I prepare my oatmeal in the microwave.
- I marked all the specialty cafes I want to visit on Google Maps.
- I’ve had coffee at 5 different cafes already. Broadsheet coffee in Cambridge is my favorite so far.
- I’m writing this blog post at a cafe. Among all the other people hiding behind laptop screens.
That’s it for now. Happy Halloween 🎃!
