Hello everybody and Welcome to Day 9 of LIYSF! Today was very interesting and started off with a weather plot twist. I woke up on time (yay!) but as soon as I peeked outside, I realized it was raining and not a light drizzle but typical London style heavy rain!
Well, that’s not it, guess what? We had to walk the usual 25 minute stretch from our hotel to Imperial. If you’ve been following along, you know this walk is already a bit of a morning mission, now imagine doing it soaked. Now, due to my eternal optimism (and let’s be honest, poor decision making), I thought I could totally survive with just a rain jacket (don’t ask me why). No umbrella. My roommate had one but decided to not bring it either (so I guess I wasn’t the only one). So there we are, completely soaked with wet bags and clothes. Now that’s a grumpy start and of course I couldn’t even skip today because I was headed to one of the most highly awaited scientific visits of the forum to NHS Biomedical Research Centre & Cancer Centre at Cambridge!
Naturally, with everyone battling the rain, coaches were delayed, everything was a little chaotic and we ended up arriving a bit late. Things were a bit rushed, but oh wow, it was still a great experience.
The lectures were mind blowing. We got to visit actual working labs, got a close up look at the equipment, and walked through how gene sequencing is done step by step. It was officially one of my favorite parts of LIYSF so far. Being right there, seeing the machines in action, asking tons of questions, it felt like the science I’ve always wanted to know more about!
And the super amazing LIYSF staff agreed to allow us about three hours to explore the beautiful city of Cambridge. Somehow, the city gifted us with sunshine while London kept raining. I wandered solo through the streets (got separated from my friends because we were in different groups) but honestly, that made it even more special. I strolled, shopped for souvenirs, took endless pictures and enjoyed my time there. It was one of those moments I’d never forget!
We made it back to London in time for dinner and the evening buzzed with auditions for the International Cabaret, one of the most exciting events of LIYSF. I wasn’t participating, so I finally had a chance to rest and explore. I decided to spend the evening in Hyde Park. Soon after, I got hungry because I haven’t been eating enough, partly because I am honestly tired of the food, so I convinced my friend to accompany me to a very popular Mexican restaurant. Only a few days left now and… not to be dramatic but… I’m not ready to leave!
