06/06

It has been a while since I have written and I have missed it! The past week and a half has been so packed and eventful that there have multiple points when I have thought - 'Oh, I must write about this!'. It is my hope that I will be able to convey to you, in a truthful manner, the experiences that I have been going through. 

The last week had only two working days. This was because Tuesday and Wednesday marked the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. This is celebrated, marking the revelation of the Torah to Jewish people, with consuming cheese and wine. On Tuesday, I went to work for a couple of hours even though it was a not working day. I went because a PhD student in my lab was going to the Animal House to work on the mice that are used to test cancer treatments. On this day, I sacrificed and cut open my first mouse. On the outside, while I have to admit I appeared a little nervous, I was mostly collected. However, thoughts have been raging in my head on how I feel about cutting open a lifeless mouse that I had saw moving around just a minute ago. These mice were injected with breast cancer cells and the tumor had been allowed to grow. Then they were treated with drugs created in our lab and the efficacy was determined. After the period of treatment or if the tumor had grown over a certain size, the mice were sacrificed. This involved performing a tumor resection and collection of samples from important organs. This work is extremely important and the using the mice model treatments get closer to being used to treat patients. I want to save lives. Is that worth the cost of other lives? I don't know and I don't think I will for a while.

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One of many palms in Haifa

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I have found a pace in my work and I feel like a part of a team. I have learnt a ton not just about science but about Israel, it's culture, and personality just from going to work. I have got to know most people in the lab personally and I feel comfortable and supported. There are also 3 other summer research student like myself and we form a small team. Our Professor has given us the task of preparing a guidebook for all future incoming research students. It will compile all important information that we feel will be useful to know before starting work at the lab. This is a project that I am excited to have received. I will able to leave behind a piece of me in the lab that I hope will stay and be improved. 

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Road sign in Hebrew, Arabic, and English

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The past weekend I was able to visit the Baha'i Gardens, a major attraction at Haifa. It is an absolutely breathtaking monument that spans the entire face of Carmel mountain. It is a sacred place for the followers of the Baha'i religion with a shrine of the prophet who began spreading the religion. There is a free tour in English every day of week except Wednesday at noon. The tour starts at the very top of the gardens and goes down about a thousand steps, half-way down the mountain with various stops along the way to fill visitors with stories and history of the gardens and the Baha'i religion. It is quite a fascinating religion being one of the youngest religions (only 170+ years old). Something that I found interesting was the no child of a Baha'i is Baha'i by birth. They are given the choice of which religion they want to follow at the age of 15 and they are accepted by their community, no matter what the decision. I hope the pictures tell a story and provide a representation of the its beauty. 

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Our tour guide Staz giving an impassioned speech 


A view from slightly high up in the gardens 


A statue of an eagle with the shrine in the background 


At the top of the gardens 


A view of the gardens with the Haifa bay in the background 

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