Away We Go

After a long hiatus from the blogosphere, I'm reemerging, not with much more to say, but simply with updates on my life. My summer internship has been going well, better than I could have imagined. My mentors have given me a good amount of responsibilities, and I've had a great time doing onsite recruiting so I can experience both sides of the research world.

I've done some cool things, hung out with some good people. Overall, it's been a wonderful summer. I really couldn't have asked for much more.

Most importantly, I'm preparing myself for my semester abroad. I found out where I'll be staying and who my host family (or host mom, perhaps) is. Although I'm further from the "heart" of East Berlin than I had hoped, I'm glad to still be in the city. Heck, I'm glad to be going abroad at all! These are just minor details, but of course I would stress over them.

This is where I will be from Late August to right before Christmas. Don't stalk me, now. But send me mail if you'd like!
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Internship @ APLA, update 1

I have officially started my summer internship at AIDS Project Los Angeles, the largest AIDS organization in the greater LA area. I work in the Community-Based Research (CBR) department, which is a program under the general umbrella of public health education. I work with Bryce and Tara, who are the study coordinators. Some of the studies that we are currently working on deal with the efficacy of treatment advocacy programs, perceptions of "sex drugs" (drugs that are highly correlated with sex, such as alcohol and meth), and social networks of men who have sex with men (msm) and its relationship to HIV risk.

Thus far, I would consider myself a pretty productive intern. I've done mostly database work, coding surveys and interviews, updated the references library extensively, and conducted some literature searches. Tomorrow, I will be learning proper protocol to contact physicians and interview etiquette. On Thursday, I will be attending an important meeting that will determine the fate of the treatment advocacy program at APLA. Due to (surprise) funding cuts, some aspects of the organization are getting nixed, and Bryce thought it would be nice for me to sit in (and possibly hold signs!). This is a full-forced rally (in my mind it is, at least). Not sure what to expect, but excited.