We started at TU-Graz on Monday. Shannon and I are both in the same working group, doing different reactions with polymers. I have pretty limited previous lab experience, and of course EMU's labs are much different than those here (mostly just smaller and older, actually...), but luckily we're starting off with pretty basic stuff. It's nice not to have homework, but we tend to come home pretty tired in the evenings. On Friday we got out of work early, which was quite nice, and then in the evening we got a taste of the nightlife.
This morning I went to a nearby farmers' market, which was probably my favorite part of Graz so far. It was huge and bustling and delicious and not too expensive and just all-around great! I managed to get the things I wanted using my limited vocabulary plus some hand gestures, but it feels strange to me that no one knows I can't speak German until I open my mouth and/or stare blankly. In Guatemala, where I could actually speak the language, I was easily distinguishable and people would approach me in English anyway, but of course here it's much different. Graz is also much more diverse than I expected, so even skin color is not necessarily a giveaway. After that, I walked around the main campus of the University of Graz (which is somehow affiliated with TU-Graz, but the "technical" building where we work is in a separate location). It was absolutely lovely, but unfortunately I forgot to take my camera with me today. Checked out a large botanical garden on the way back home, and now I still have the whole afternoon ahead of me.
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