Project Update 1!

Some of you, especially those who supported me through the application process, might be wondering how my project is actually going. I haven't talked much about it for a couple of reasons. 1. Information security in my lab - like all other forms of security in Finland - is rather tight, so I can't speak in depth about the subject matter. 2. The progress has been slow.

The autism group here is currently in sort of a state of flux. Half of the Peltonen lab is situated at the Sanger Institute in Cambridge. My immediate adviser is about to transfer to Sanger, and another PhD student is already there. That leaves a graduate student, an undergraduate, and myself. It's a little scary, but perhaps exciting, too, as an opportunity to do some independent thinking.

As for the project itself, the preliminary data, which was supposed to have been complete before my arrival, is still being collected. I've been trying to be productive, though, by learning UNIX for linkage analysis and working on a couple of small projects. Whether or not the linkage analysis produces anything good, I'm glad to be learning it, since genetics is becoming so bioinformatics based and really over my head. :) I hope that soon, I will get to work on my originally intended project, but overall, I'm just going to push myself to learn as much as I can this year.

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On another note, the days are getting shorter now, and the nights longer. The change really accelerages during the end of September and the beginning of October, and now it seems to have settled into a more constant pace.

I had thought before that Finns would be hardered to this drastic change of seasons, but they're actually quite sensitive to it, perhaps because the change is so drastic... from all day to almost all night, every year. I can sense it in my lab. The coffee breaks are just a little heavier. People in general are becoming a little more moody and irritable. Terhi tells me that you learn to appreciate the dark, and I think that this is true. I personally prefer loads of sunshine, but the grayer days are sort of gentle, when not windy, and really not very cold. The ruska of the autumn is also settling in and slowly fleeing, in turns depending on the type of tree, so that bright yellow leaves are swirling around all the time. And it's really neat the rare moments when the sun decides to appear and tints all the buildings with gold. This sounds cheesy, but it's a fitting time to start drawing on those inner sources of joy: listen to good music, read good books, and appreciate good company.


Last week was a rough week for many of us with the Fulbright, personally and professionally. Asked by Karoliina about the progress of our projects, many of us have found ourselves facing new challenges and finding new directions. On the personal side, we're all really glad and grateful to be here, but the realities of living in a foreign country for a year are beginning to sink in.

I think that the overall tone of our grants will be like a wave. Giddy excitement, followed by the harder face of reality, until things equilibrate into a steadier, calmer sort of content enjoyment and productivity.