- Departure Date:
- Jun. 15 2013
- Return Date:
- Aug. 01 2013
- Local Institution:
- University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
- Local Advisor:
- Xavier Siemens
- Foreign Institution:
- Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari
- Foreign Advisor:
- Student Status:
- Undergraduate
- Q. What country were you staying in?
Italy and Thailand
- Q. What university were you attending/doing research at?
The Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari (visit to Thailand was for
a conference)
- Q. How long were you there?
weeks in Italy and 2 weeks in Thailand
- Q. What sort of research were you doing?
Astronomical research on pulsars
- Q. Did being abroad influence the kind of research you’re doing?
Not significantly
- Q. What’s the coolest thing about being abroad?
There is no single coolest thing. Being immersed in another
culture, enjoying the different food, seeing new sights are
all incredible.
- Q. What’s your favorite new phrase from the language?
Bo - Sardinian for “I don’t know”.
- Q. What’s the hardest thing about being abroad?
Adjusting expectations from one culture to another is difficult.
- Q. What did you do in your free time?
Swimming at the various, beautiful beaches in the area.
- Q. What’s the coolest thing you’ve seen or done while abroad?
Riding an elephant in the jungle in Thailand.
- Q. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen or done while abroad?
Eating durian fruit in Thailand
- Q. What advice would you offer others going abroad?
Keep an open mind. Do not expect people to act like Americans, and
try to change your ways to conform to theirs.
- Q. What skills have you learned abroad?
What skills have you learned abroad? I learned to make a fool of
myself, trying to speak a language that I knew nothing about and
getting as much help in it as possible.
- Q. Is there anything you’d do differently or anything you wish you’d
have known?
wish I had been more adventurous, exploring more of Thailand and
Italy away from the conference site and Observatory.
