Pretty sure by now, you have realized how much time we spend traveling, right? I remember that some time ago, some people used to tell me that the life of a researcher might be boring, locked inside a lab, no sunlight and basically no social life, well, the last part might be real… just kidding of course.
In any case, I consider this assumption far from reality, my life as an Early Stage Researcher has taken me to amazing places, and this opportunity given to me by the PROTECTED project would not be the exception of course.
It has been a couple of weeks since I finished my second secondment (sounds a bit funny when you say it, it feels like you are stuttering). This time I would like to tell you a bit about my experience in the third most populated Scandinavian capital, also considered as one of the most expensive places on Earth (it is indeed!).
Formerly known as Kristiania, Oslo is, according to several sources (on line and personal) the 5th most expensive city to live. It is also one of the most alternative places that I have ever been to.
But what brought me here in the first place? In few words, part of my research requires information about behaviour of the zebra-fish, thus, I came to the NMBU (Norwegian University of Life Sciences, for its acronym in English) to perform some behavioral tests using my compounds of interest. Here I trained under the supervision of Maria Christou, she taught me everything I needed to fulfill my purpose. Luckily, and thanks to the proper guidance and advices, I manage to get the info that I wanted to obtain (hurray!). I am still working on it though, but the results at the moment seem nice.
The ViewPoint machine that I was using to measure the behavior of my zebrafish larvae. This thing is magical, you just need to set up the parameters, then click and let it do its work.
Now, a bit of the city. You can find many interesting things to do and see around, like the Munch Museum, the Viking Ship museum, and one of my personal favorites, the Kon-Tiki museum. But Oslo is not only good art and interesting history. As I stated before, this might be one of the most alternatives places that I ever been to. The “alternative” vibe that Oslo gives you is stronger in the Grünerløkka district, full of many colorful and great places. Perfect to chill after a long day at work, listening to the music of a local band and a pint of an expensive beer.
Thinking of socializing after work, one of my fondest memories in Oslo is playing with Maria her favorite thing there, the shuffleboard, I do like it, though I suck at it!
It is true what people says, when you are having fun, time passes quickly. I am leaving this place happy for several reasons, but at the same time I am going to miss the eerie feeling of coming back home at 2am with the sunset still on. But I must admit that I have been missing my life back in Belgium.
This is a picture I have taken in the backyard of my temporary house, believe it or not, this was taken at 03h30. The extra-light conditions can mess up your brain a little bit if you are not used to it.
Until the next time!
Yours,
#Gustavo
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