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Institution
Medizinische
Hochschule Hannover
Host
Institution(s)
University
of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Muscle Institute
Mentor: Yale Goldman, MD
Fluorescence Polarization Measurements on Labeled Myosin Light Chains in Single Skinned Fibers.
›» Abstract
I love being here! Philadelphia definitely is the perfect city to live in: it's big enough to offer a whole lot of different activities for any interest (e.g. the Academy of Music, plenty of museums, independent movie-theaters and -festivals, Fairmount Park with hiking trails in the middle of the city and a very diverse nightlife) while being small enough to get around the downtown-area by bike or public transportation (which is surprisingly good).
I was quite scared and rather ambivalent about my stay here before I left Germany.The dorms were already completely occupied when I first applied for a room in April, so that I only knew where I was going to sleep for the first month.
Philadelphia seemed to be a big and scary city, and I was going to be the only BMEP-participant here. All this in addition to the obvious doubts concerning the expectations of my host laboratory about my skills.
The lab proved to be great. I benefit a lot from the wonderful "American" attitude towards education. Everything else came out nicely as well: I live in West Philly, close to campus and quite inexpensive, and by enrolling in a few of the university's clubs I found good ways to spend my spare time as well as to meet new people.
My advice to future BMEP-students: Participate in events sponsored by the university or the neighborhood to get in touch with "real" Americans. The general attitude towards foreigners is interest rather than exclusion as far as my experience goes.