Journeys for Knowledge

In July I was given a rare chance to combine work with personal leave, attending conferences on magnetism close to home. The first of these conferences was at UC Davis, and was attended by a lot of students from the theoretical unit I work with. This put me in an interesting position, as both traveler and guide, with both home and work environments. Having my colleagues here also provided a fresh perspective on how life in the US is, and how much I have taken for granted.

One such thing was the price and availability of produce, which compared to Okinawa is dirt cheap. This combined with a gas grill at our guest house resulted in numerous BBQs, enjoying these fresh foods cooked simply. Outside of work and food, we also had the opportunity to drive close to the Sierras, giving my colleagues a taste of the natural wonder of California. Sly Lake wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but it was a nice quick step into the mountains where I had spent much of my childhood, and the last time I will see those forests some quite some time.