Friday, April 14, 2017

Summary of my Leave, as a list of lists

Scientific Progress

  • One article submitted (project started during leave)
  • One article in preparation (project started last summer)
  • One article in preparation (project started during leave)
  • Data collected for new simulation project
  • Experiments planned for (another) new simulation project
  • I've mastered an aspect of Geant4 I haven't used before
  • I've read a lot of papers about two different topics, tangentially related to my past work and central to the current/future papers.  Basically, I've gone from knowing nothing to 'a lot' on two new topics.
  • I've read a number of papers related to my past work/ongoing projects and gotten caught up on the literature of my specialty.
Cities/Towns I've visited
  • Milan
  • Lecco
  • Genova
  • Oxford, England
  • Bologna
  • Bergamo
  • Prague, Czech Republic
  • Varenna
  • Bellagio
  • Venice
(I should make a list about museums, churches, and art exhibits I've seen - but that will be too hard to do quickly off the top of my head!)

Cheeses I've eaten
  • Valtellina Casera
  • Piattone - Delebrio
  • Rosa Camuno
  • Bitto (I really liked this one)
  • Robiola Bosina - Caseificio Dell'Alta Langa (my favorite)
  • Toma
  • Taleggio
  • Some sort of goat cheese from a street market, but I didn't get its name
  • A variety of unknown cheeses at restaurants and in the dining hall
Major Achievements, other than science
  • Acquired a level of Italian that could be called 'conversational', in that I have had many conversations in Italian (a few lasting an hour or longer).
  • Tried a variety of different regional foods and learned many aspects of Italian culture
  • Learned to make two different pasta recipes
  • Visited Eastern Europe
  • Learned some history.  I think I actually understand why the churches in Milan look different than the churches in Venice, for instance!
  • I am going home at the same level of debt (credit cards, student loans) that I started the trip with.

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