研究所大学生夏令营暑期训练心得体会总结(Vanderbilt University)的相关参考范文，研究所大学生夏令营暑期训练心得体会总结(VanderbiltUniversity)WhenIfirstarrivedattheBeijingtrainstation,Iwasquitehonestlyatired,sweatymes.Ihadforgotten......
研究所大学生夏令营暑期训练心得体会总结(Vanderbilt University)
When I first arrived at the Beijing train station, I was quite honestly a tired, sweaty mess. I had forgotten how brutal the summer sun was in China. And yet, in the midst of my struggle against the overwhelming heat, I was still incredibly excited to have the opportunity to do research abroad. It’s been 3 years since I have traveled to China, and it’s been 10 years since I have traveled to Beijing. Walking to the car, I looked at the gigantic skyscrapers, endless crowds of people, and dozens of brightly lit shops with the same childlike wonder that my eleven-year-old self had.
Along with my friend Kathy, we were the only two Americans in the 研究所 summer research program. While I was grateful to have her as a roommate, I felt very nervous after meeting my other three roommates because I truly had a hard time remembering their names. I thought to myself, “Well if I can’t remember even just 3 Chinese names how the heck am I supposed to make it here??” I was scared my Chinese wouldn’t be good enough to communicate with my lab mentors (and as such was fully prepared to take on the title of the dumb American girl). As I thought a little more about this concern, a freight train of other worries popped into my head and eclipsed the initial excitement that I had upon my arrival: 1) What if my AC breaks…I won’t be able to tolerate the heat… 2) What if I fall on my butt trying to use a squat toilet instead of the sit-down ones we have in the US?? 3) What if I can’t get used to eating Chinese food every day and people think I’m “too American”? 4) What if none of the other summer interns like me?? Clutching my pillow, I cried myself to sleep the first night at 研究所 feeling absolutely paranoid about all these what-ifs and feeling more homesick than I have ever felt in my entire life.
Little did I know that my time here at 研究所 would actually comprise the happiest and most memorable summer of my life. Every fear that I had ended up not being a problem whatsoever, and surprisingly, I’ve even received compliments for my Chinese language abilities that I still to this day will label as mediocre. The people here are so warm, and I truly feel like I am part of a family within my lab. Seeing the bright smile of my patient mentor 殷畅师姐every morning is one of the highlights of my day. She along with the other PhD students will always offer to eat lunch and dinner with all of us summer interns. No one ever feels left out, and I love how my 师姐made the effort to get to know me personally. Not a day goes by in which we don’t laugh together or joke with the other PhD students. I never would have imagined achieving this level of comfort and belonging with people who were strangers to me just a few weeks ago.
Each week, my lab meets so that the PhD students can discuss their current projects, and I have enjoyed watching my PI thoughtfully offer his feedback for all of his students. Every day has served as an enriching opportunity for me to learn not only new research skills but also new Chinese phrases and cultural tidbits. While I didn’t contribute to a big paper, I believe that every little technique that I learned here be it pulling female fly intestines or genotyping flies contributes to building a more holistic research background for me.
I’ve also noticed that in such a short span of time, my vocabulary bank of Chinese words has grown quite a lot. Speaking and using WeChat with my lab partners and roommates on a daily basis has also allowed me to read and understand much more. I love being able to learn wherever I go, from the subway station to the supermarket. Most importantly, I think my biggest takeaway from this program is all the friendships that I was lucky enough to build with the talented summer interns. On Day 1, I was so sure that I wouldn’t fit in with the other interns here, but now on Day 31, I’ve reached the point where I’m always ready to tackle my friends from behind to say hi. I find it hilarious how I cried the first day due to homesickness and am tearing up now just thinking about leaving my friends. The contrast between the two could not be greater, and for that I am eternally grateful for this program.
I would like to thank my PI, Dr. Rongwen Xi (z导师), for taking me on as a summer intern knowing the additional help that I would need given a few language and cultural obstacles. I would also like to thank my mentor (z师姐) for patiently teaching me and allowing me to work with her for all her experiments. Thank you to all the other 研究所 staff and program directors who keep this program running. This summer will remain near and dear to my heart for many years to come.