January: I went to the annual conference of my fellowship - Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF) in Shreveport, Louisiana. Here I helped organize a fun event called the VEF Fellow Idol, which turned out to be a great success. As we were in Louisiana, my friends and I decided to ride the bus down to New Orleans and tour around that city. New Orleans was an interesting city that reminded me a lot about Hanoi.
February to March: I actively participated into my research project while taking good classes. The project focused on a protein called MSI4 and how it functions in chromatin remodeling complexes. I learned a great deal about biochemistry, molecular biology, and bioinformatics.
April: The Red Dream project that we started in Ta Phin, Sa Pa, Viet Nam met our fundraising goal: US$32,000. The project is to help develop the community via responsible tourism network, educational training programs, and sustainable conservation of cultural and natural resources.
May: The Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG) at University of Missouri had an annual symposium by the end of May, we brought in great plant scientists from all over the country. I had a wonderful time to learn from and interact with them.
June: I went to Colorado Springs with my boyfriend, Adam Johnson, to visit his family and to attend his brother’s wedding. Colorado Springs was a very beautiful town with Pikes Peak (a part of the Rocky Mountains), Garden of the Gods, artificial lakes, and the spread-out city. We also went to Boulder and Denver briefly and hope to see them more properly next time we have the chance to go there. Adam’s family was very nice and I felt very much like home.
July: Adam and I went to San Antonio, Texas for his friend’s wedding. We enjoyed seeing his friends and touring the city together. We walked the River Walk and saw the Alamo and the Missions. In the same month, I went to New Hampshire for a Gordon research conference of plant molecular biology. The conference was very informative, very rich in good science. I then took the chance to see a neighboring city: Boston. Boston and Cambridge were extraordinary both in history and nature. I toured around Harvard and MIT campuses, went to the gorgeous islands, and saw the amazing museums there. I could easily understand spending weeks or months there.
August to December: It was a challenging, yet very rewarding semester for me. I took two demanding classes, mentored an undergraduate in the lab, organized the IPG weekly seminars, and made some progress in my own project. My adviser gave me a great opportunity to join him writing an invited review for Natural Product Reports. The review was about using modern ‘-omics’ tools in studying medicinal plants and advancing natural product research. This was one of the most important learning experiences that I have had: I learned to read effectively, to write logically, and to manage references efficiently. We got helpful comments from famous plant botanists, Mike Balick and Jim Miller, who are world experts in medicinal plants. We submitted the manuscript afterward and are now looking forward to its publication.
Though it was a busy semester and I stressed out many times, I was able to make a few trips out of it. We spent a weekend at Lake of the Ozarks, MO for the IPG retreat, and had a great science plus fun get-away there. We went to Phoenix for Adam’s family reunion in November, which was the best time to see Phoenix. We drove up north to see the Grand Canyon, and needless to say, it was fascinating! In December, when the semester was over, we made a quick trip to Chicago, saw Lake Michigan, and enjoyed having neck-ache while looking up at the sky-rise buildings.
Now when we are wrapping up and the New Year is coming, I would like to send you all the best wishes. You have always provided me with great support that I really appreciate. I believe 2012 was a memorable year for us, and may the New Year be filled with delight.
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PS: Somehow I forgot that I got my glasses this year. It was just GREAT!
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