is the word to describe my state of mind now. Today is my last night here at NBRC. People can be so kind to you. The moments when they go that extra mile to help you out, the moment they smile an extra inch to show their genuine happiness towards you, well, i have indeed been lucky. Thank you God! And this comes at a time, when i was telling myself 'unexpect the expected' coz friends i expected to do some things out of some sheer basic courtesy never did it and I felt badly disappointed at that. Life is an irony! Frankly speaking i never thought I would have such a weird feeling when I leave this place. It was not like i can't live without it, initially, like the feeling i had got in ICPO. Initially, the only thing that came to my mind was the isolation. But I could get over it very easily once I ventured out. The whole thing of going out on weekends became a compulsion and I am indeed a proud soul to say that I have not missed even one day of outing on the weekends. All the eight weekends i went out, had the best of fun, and geared myself up for a good week of work ahead like a good girl :)
On the professional front, when i look back, things didnt look so bright in the beginning. The day i reported to work happened to be my mentor's farewell party! Life is an irony! How true!! "Unexpect the expected!! " With all the formalities around of getting the signature from your guide, getting used to the lab routine, i was indeed lost. I had some good friends in the hostel and they guided me throughout the initiation process. Then the lab was a total surprise to me. No wet work at all. My work place was similar to a software company. I didn't touch a pipette during my entire stay here. It was all mental work, and trust me, it was more taxing and definitely gave me a more rewarding experience...
My mentor was really kind, he introduced me to the people in the lab, i would probably say the best lot at NBRC in every sense. These two months have been a time of realisation, a time for myself, to see and to observe, then to probably wish how i wanna be, sometimes how i don't wanna be. Both on the work front and the other more important front called life....
My whole opinion about a career in research has changed for the better, I should say for the second time after my last year's stint at ICPO. It has shown me that research is not just about eccentric scientists sacrificing their sleep, sacrificing their social life, accept only science and get drawn into it so much that it swallows all other passions of yours..... NO! Research is exciting, it keeps you on your foot always,and true, its demanding. But after all, scientists do have a life and that can be a lot of fun. They are indeed social, becoming a researcher doesn't mean becoming a loner.... If you sacrifice sleep, its coz you are driven to a sleepless state by the excitement of work and not just because of stupid deadlines.
And I shall probably take this opportunity to thank the people especially the ones in my lab who have inspired me. I know for a fact that they are not going to read this. None of them even know i blog. So no buttering intended. First, Atul and Pooja.They were the ones who were with me throughout, bore the brunt of my bugging, more so coz i was totally ignorant about neuroscience. They were the ones who helped me through the most difficult part of my project. They were the ones who even told me that i can indeed design an experiment of my own and test it. Something unheard for a summer trainee working for two months. Thank you and wish you nothing but the very best. And it would be a mistake if i dont mention their photography passion. You both simply rock!!!!!!!!
Then Arjun and Sharika. Oh my god! I am sure I am gonna run out of words. The couple we (all the summer trainees) reaaaaaaaaaaly admire, made for each other kinds. well to be frank you have influenced atleast a couple of people among the summer trainees to marry a person in the same field. Okie, now for the more important part, what keeps us wondering is how two people of soooooo much (for want of a good adjective, english has very little adjectives, rather, my vocab is bad!) intelligence can just gel together. People will probably start flying if they had so much of brains. Marie and Pierre Curie are the only couple to hav got a Nobel and here is another potential couple! The task i did for arjun was the most challenging one and really made me think really hard. Happy that it was successful. Sharika, she showed me the easiest and the funnest way to earn in the planet.. And then, Neha, the brainy cute one... The one who taught me the most exciting monkey work. Buddism rocks! lol... Nice time!
Well, it would be wrong if i painted a totally rosy picture. Research can be really frustrating and depressing, in enormous proportions. I could have ended up doing nothing but crying out of frustration every single night. I could waft through all those, just because of one factor - my gang of friends at hostel II. I easily had the best time of my life. Not to mention, one of my biggest achievements so far - waking up until dawn, watching shane west movies. The endlesss talks at the lawn, the walk the talk sessions with gagan, the ultimate goal of combing subhankar's hair, the yummmmmmy midnight snacking (omg I put on a lot of weight that way), time with my stupid roomie ankita. The inspiringly studious purabi, the tamil-gossiping duo me and vaishnavi, the pretty cutiepie of a friend neharika and not to forget, what-a-revelation vishala. Miss you too much guys, the only benefactor from our separation being vodafone! I still wish i had spent some more time with gaurav, divayanshu, ali, anand, sheetal and anupama. But that's how its meant to be. I shall for sure publish in Nature one day, the glycogen cycle that me and ali formulated on a lazy saturday afternoon :)
It has indeed been a great experience after all. My guide, the super cool one, probably the coolest i have ever seen. He always looks at the broader perspective and I believe that is the only way to move forward in research. I realised that the respect you tend to command out of sheer knowledge and intelligence is far better and greater than the ones that any post would confer on u. He has been a true inspiration in every sense....
All said and done, I have not still made up my mind on research. Its a commitment for a lifetime, not like switching between political parties. I don't still know if i have it in me to do it. Badly in need of help on that front. Nevertheless, the balance has tilted a lot in favor of research and added to the existing confusion in choice. Well, did someone say, the more the merrier ?
P.S: I am publishing the draft almost ten days after i wrote it. Also, I would like to reiterate : this post is not to thank all those who helped me or to mention all those who inspired me. I know for sure, these wouldn't be read by the people i have thanked. Obviously, they would benefit better by devoting this time to reading a paper in sciene or nature. All I wanted to do was to capture the moment for future, freeze the feelings in time. There are people who influenced me to a great extent and dont find a mention in this post. And there have been moments of fun, so many that i can't probably sit and type down in one post. And this post, is just the tip of the iceberg!
