Mia Salas Weeks 1-6 Final Recap



I am very grateful to be able to have the opportunity to do EXP.  I came across so many people along the way, such as other people in my lab, strangers on the train, and people I met while shopping or eating lunch that truly made me realize how great EXP is.  Everybody was always so shocked that I was in high school, commuting every day to Penn and interning at a lab.  Their first response was either “wait, you’re in high school?” or “wow you must be really smart”.  At Peddie, EXP is just so normal to apply to and look forward to for junior year, but once you really go out in the real world, meet people, and tell them about your experience, it opens your eyes to the real opportunity that we have.  I will forever be grateful for EXP.  Sure, there were some challenges, such as my PI being absent a lot and always getting lost in the building and delays on the train (Septa was such a struggle sometimes), but overall these difficulties were not nearly as important as how much I gained.  Aside from all that I learned, I found such a sense of independence, navigating a city completely on my own and trying out new transportation, such as buses, connection trains, and the Lucy Line.  I must have gotten good at too, or at least looked like I knew what I was doing, because so many people would ask me questions about how to get here and there. Before this, I barely knew how to successfully take a train to New York and back: an easy route with no connections.  My sense of direction drastically improved, because it was incredibly awful before.  Ultimately, I believe that EXP has been a real period of personal growth, and I will forever be appreciative for this increased sense of independence and knowledge.  
Best Moment in Lab: Meeting the dog Meatball in the colony 
Worst Moment: Traveling all the way to Penn only to find out Dr. V sent out an email saying he won't be in that day and we didn't have to go...great  
Funniest Moment: Navigating the building with Kate on the daily because we would always get lost 
Best Moment Outside of Lab: Hanging out in the city with Lizzy, Trung, and Derek and then sleeping over on a day I didn't have lab 
Crazy Moment: I bought a one way thinking it would be cheaper because that was what the train attendant told me, only to get to 30th st and the line for buying tickets was soooo long and there was 5 min to my train. I must have looked frantic, because a nice couple in the very FRONT of the line asked me where I was going and let me cut the whole entire line. Literally got so many annoyed looks, but I didn't care because I made it to my train ! 

Thank you!!!
-Mia
 

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