Baggage

I'm not sure I packed enough...

Preparing for a trip can be pretty exhausting. Endless lists. Masses of paperwork and the constant worry that you're going to forget something very important. Unless you are an avid and regular traveller, very much unlike me, all this fuss can feel slightly disorientating. Luckily I am surrounded by peers who regularly have to pack their lives up at the end of every year to move somewhere new to gain tips from.

A large part of the preparation for my trip is knowing what I'll be doing day in and out. This preparation involves a lot of reading around for my project. So far I've been looking into some of the theory behind Stochastic Differential Equations. Stochastic means random, meaning I've been brushing up on my probability skills. Having revised some familiar material I have been able to look at parts of probability theory I know quite well in a more rigorous light, while formally defining new things such as what a stochastic process is. Eventually, I believe I will be combining the probability theory with some of the differential equations theory I have learnt during my course this year, but I'll keep you posted.

Alongside research preparation, a good way to prepare for a trip is to think about what your aims for the trip are. This led me to a long think about what I hope to gain from the project. At the top of my list, an aim is to have a concrete report, covering things that I learnt. Alongside this, I would love to have a sort of presentation ready to share to the department or anyone who is interested (or not!), when I return to college in September.  I hope to gain a sense of direction as to how I want the remaining few years of my degree to look like. Maybe I discover that research appeals to me, strongly influencing how I network and choose my modules. Most importantly I want to get to know a vibrant new city and hopefully meet a lot of interesting people on the way.

It would be good to document how I feel before heading out on a large trip like this but the truth is I can't pinpoint how I feel. I imagine upon boarding the plane I'll feel some anxiety. Upon landing, I'll feel some excitement and upon officially meeting my supervisors I will be overwhelmed with confusion. Some homesickness, I assume, will also eventually kick in. On the whole, however, I can say that I am feeling positive. I am looking forward to using all the new skills and mathematics I have learnt this year to help me produce a rewarding research project.

Hoping to write again soon,

Jasmin