Week 10:
Frenzied Byes

August 4, 2021

This is my last week here in South Carolina. The workweek was mostly the same, but with the added stress of packing and doing an online class. It has been a great experience being here. I got to do things that I never had the opportunity to do before, like working in the lab and putting together a sensor from scratch. It is a bit disappointing that I will not help ‘til the end, but overall, I would not trade this summer for anything else.

Tuesday, my roommates and I went to Charleston for the day. I had never been, so I was very excited, and Charleston did not disappoint. I had a great time exploring the downtown area and trying the food there. It was scorching and exhausting, but luckily, I found a café that sells my favorite summer treat, the affogato. Affogatos are gelato with espresso poured over the best treat for a hot and exhausting day.

Wednesday was a more relaxed day. I worked on the covid lab with Sam and did classwork during my free time; we only did processing for three samples, so it was a more relaxed workday. This was also the day that I did the most packing. I always forget how much energy it takes to pack. On Thursday, my best friend is coming to visit, and she is very good at cleaning and packing, so I am definitely going to utilize that when I am busy.

My best friend, N’dea, arrived on a late flight, so I spent most of Thursday preparing for her arrival along with packing. She is a bit of a clean freak, so I tried to make sure that everything was tidy for her arrival. During the lab, though, we ran out of centrifuge filter tubes. This led to only two of the samples being processed. It was a bit of a disappointing way to end my last day in the lab. Saying bye to everyone was awkward and bittersweet. I appreciate everyone I got to meet and know during my short stay.

Friday and Saturday were my last two days. I spent those at the beach and doing very last-minute packing. While I would love to say my stay here ended on a good note, it did not. I had the very unfortunate privilege of being stung by a stingray late Saturday afternoon while at Hilton Head. Luckily the sting was in my foot, so I wasn’t in any life-threatening danger, but it was definitely excruciating. I ended up driving an hour back to Beaufort during the height of the pain. I still cannot believe I could do that and go to a hospital to ensure that no barb was left. To say the least, it was a very hectic way to end my stay in South Carolina.

Thank you, Professor Tye, for allowing me to work in your lab, and thank you to all the great friends I made during my stay.