pre-departure expectations

Author: Duncan Peabody

It's 1:30 am and I haven't started to pack yet. I did make a list though so that's half the battle, right? I'll be joining the group in Newark tomorrow afternoon so I have a bit of extra time for that. I've done enough traveling to where the actual travel doesn't make me too nervous anymore. I don't think the nerves will kick in until I have to start work in the lab. I'm not sure what to expect as far as research goes. Obviously I know that my area of research will be the competitive sorption of arsenic onto iron oxide, but as far as my specific duties in the lab are concerned, I'm in the dark. My science background is not in environmental engineering and, being the last student to sign on to the trip, I didn't have much time to get up to speed on arsenic research. I'm hoping that I will be given a fair amount of guidance in the beginning so that I can get my bearings set. Nonetheless, I've been reading as many papers on arsenic removal as I can find and I'm confident that I'll be able to add to the research they are already doing at IHE.

Other than that I'm just excited to see the Netherlands. I've heard amazing things about the people and the scenery. Granted, Delft is most famous for a dead painter and blue and white pottery. But it's a university city so I imagine that it will be a pretty fun place to be. I'm looking forward to meeting other students from all around the world, drinking some good european beers, and playing soccer. The Dutch may know more about arsenic removal than I do but I think I can give them a run for their money (even with the exchange rate) on the soccer field. Terrible joke. That's my cue to leave. Until next time.