This week I’ve been listening to one of my favorite Italian singers, Raffaella Carrà, while working in the lab. I started listening to her when I lived in Bologna and her songs always put me in a good mood. You might know one of them, "Pedro", which became trendy again last year even though it was released in 1980. Her music is fun and upbeat, and makes long hours in the lab feel a little lighter.
This week, as part of the Fulbright Program, I had the opportunity to meet Tibor Kapu, a Hungarian astronaut who has just returned from the Axiom Mission 4, where he went to the International Space Station. We also met with the Ministerial Commissioner for Space Research and toured their new exhibition.
These types of things, while not common, are part of the reason it is so fun to be a part of the Fulbright program. They are organizing events and trips for the grantees in order to see more of the country that is hosting us and are also giving us great opportunities to meet researchers in all different fields!
I have been reading many academic articles for work lately, with not so much free time to read for pleasure. I am currently reading Life is Elsewhere by Milan Kundera when I have time, though!
This week I have been going for walks in the beautiful parks here, mainly in Margit Island, which is a large park in the middle of the Danube River. There are lots of festivals happening right now, and with the changing leaves, it's beautiful. Last week, though, our entire lab went to play laser tag!
