Trip to Munich - Part 2

While I am in Europe, I am establishing as many connections with people as I can.  I would like to work in Europe for a couple years after graduating.  It is something I have always wanted to do and now, being a cheap source of labor again, I have an opportunity to fulfill that dream.  I am visiting different labs in different cities to get the feel for the areas, people in the labs, professors, and general environments. I treat these as pre-interviews where both sides get to evaluate the possibility of collaborating on a project.  It is very important to me to feel a part of the lab and that there is good chemistry between the people.

Monday I made a presentation to the bioinformatics group of Professor Raul Zimmer at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet-Muenchen (LMU).   I was a bit nervous because this was the first time I have presented to a computational group. I was not sure how much detail or background to give.  I  assumed that they would ask questions if there was not enough detail.  It was a bit surprising when at the end they all started rapping their knuckles on the table.  Evidently it is used in Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland instead of clapping at the end of an academic presentation. 


I noticed that everyone in the group seemed to have fun and enjoyed being with the each other.  There seems to be a mutual respect that flows from the top down.  I have to admit that I had a much more intellectually stimulating time in Munich than in all my time so far in France.  I certainly was much more comfortable speaking a little German and I can read more German than French.  There is also a lot of English everywhere in the city, from signs to the announcements in the trains and trams.  It is a much more friendly city in general than Lyon.  People can look you in the eye and even smile at you while they are sitting at the restaurants and cafes.  This is something I rarely see in Lyon.  I think that the German philosophy of work and play fit better with what I am accustomed to in Boulder.


I spent the next day walking around the city and visited a museum for a few hours.  Looked at some of the masters and other paintings.  Looked at the styles and methods they used to create their art.  It was interesting to see all the kids listening to the explanations of these works of art.

If and when I graduate, I will talk again to Professor Zimmer about project possibilities, and it may including teaching.  There are many international students and courses can be taught in either language (German or English).  I think with a little intense study, my German may make a stay here easy and fun.

The day I was returning to Lyon, there was a major storm that closed the Frankfurt airport, but it was only raining in Munich and we were not delayed taking off.  We arrived in Lyon at 11:00 pm and I headed for the train.  I watched it pulling out while walking out to the station and had to wait another half hour.  By the time I got into the city it was midnight and I caught the last subway train of the night to my apartment.  At least I didn't have to walk that three miles.