my father visited me

My father was visiting me for a week, about three weeks ago.


I took some days off work and lead him to Paris and Rotterdam. In Paris, we visited Champs-Elyse Street and museums, and took a dinner cruise. At museums, we saw paintings for a long time, seated on benches. We went to see a group of windmills near Rotterdam. The one in operation was open for tourists. When I went under its wings, it was frightening!! They were going around more vigorously than I had imagined.


After that, we came back to the city where I live. During the day, I worked and he visited a city each day. He said he liked Brugge above all, so I will visit the city in near future. His last night in Belgium, we had dinner at a restaurant called "Chez Leon," where we had blue mussels, one of specialties of Belgium. He seemed to have fully enjoyed the trip overall, with which I am content. 


His visit, or his attitude during the trip, reminded me of the fact that traveling abroad by ourselves is something challenging for the ordinary Japanese. I and other Vulcanus program participants are more used to traveling overseas alone. For this, I had forgotten the fact, but the majority of them travel in groups, guided by Japanese attendants. For example, he seemed nervous to buy a train ticket by himself. 


I believe he is less worried about my stay in Belgium, after his trip. This is because he saw me speaking French and English throughout the trip, and also because he saw my everyday life at the very place. They must have shown that I don't have much difficulty in living alone abroad. I'm content with that, too. 


That's all for today.
At work, a reagent we ordered takes long to arrive, and many machines for characterization are to get repaired. What can I do..?

a rough description of my internship

It has passed a month since my internship at a research center began. Perhaps the biggest task I dealt with the past month was to get accustomed to this new environment. That means I have done nothing as output. C'est la vie. = The life is like that.

mug cup with Chinese characters on my desk 

First, what is surprising, even to myself, is that I speak only French at work. Because I had just 4 month to learn French, I expected I would use English to compensate for my poor French. However, I don't need help of English except for the technical terms. 


My internship really resembles a research at university. The motif is on "a new manufacturing process of substance A, utilising a machine B with a conventional process C." A, B, and C are for things that I had better hide for confidentiality.


I spend the month in studying about the motif, to learn the basis of the research and understand its objective. This was largely comprised of:
---application and usage of the substance A
---usage of machine B in combination with process C
---other manufacturing processes of substance A


I also started few experiments. But very few. I'm looking forward to more of them in the comming month,


My supervisor is a Ph.D. researcher. We have discussions on my study a few times a week. It is kind of him to offer me occasions of discussion, without my asking. Additionally, I ask him to discuss summaries of what I have learned about once a week.


The other colleagues are also kind and I appreciate some of them talk to me so friendly. Especially the technicians there are real funny guys! They LOVE jokes. I'm often make fun of. For example, they teach me a nasty word and make me say that to a female technician... This is something universal, isn't it?? :)


That's it.
This is rather a translation of original essay I wrote in Japanese , so I didn't have to think what or how I write. But, even if that's the case, it took much time... I hope it will take less and less time in future.