Welcome back Dear Reader!
I am just now realizing that it has almost been a year since I wrote a proper blog post. This is partially due to the fact that the end of senior year, the summer, and the beginning of the fall were rather hectic. In the spring of 2023, we visited Iowa City, I graduated, my mom came to visit me in North Carolina, we went on an unbelievable road trip, and then chaos started.
So let’s put things in chronology. In March I was still waiting to hear back from graduate schools and master programs. Knowing that most Ph.D. programs let their students know their decisions by then, it became clear to me that I may have to look for alternate plans for the fall. I started looking for job opportunities, and Chris and I went to Iowa City for some interviews. At first, I was really unsure but the people seemed nice, and I almost immediately got a verbal job offer. Meanwhile, I also got into a few programs, including a Ph.D. in Neurobiology. The happiness of these offers inevitably came with the fact that I had to make a decision. I was really questioning whether I was ready (mentally and financially) to spend 5 years in a Neurobiology Ph.D. program, and I eventually came to the conclusion that I needed more time to decide. Therefore, I deferred.
Soon after that decision, I graduated, my mom visited me, and we traveled from Chapel Hill to Ocean City and Washington DC. We explored the Blue Ridge Parkway, and she adapted to driving in the USA. The trip was unforgettable with exciting adventures, loud hotel rooms, and long drives. It was something I cannot put in words, but I am planning to include a link to a video I made about this trip.
However, the sweet worriless times came to an end when we moved home and I still had to decide about some master's programs. 2 years of commitment did not seem that much, and I had some scholarships available, making the financial aspect simple. The problem was that I was still unsure about Neuroscience. I didn’t feel ready to work with animals, and I slowly discovered my passion for Clinical Psychology. I wanted to re-apply to Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Programs. I knew that would be a lot of work and stress but I thought I would regret not trying. After several lengthy conversations and re-evaluations, I decided to take a year to work and try to get more research experience. I accepted the job offer in Iowa City, and I was waiting for my work authorization request to be processed. This took much longer than I anticipated, and I had to find something to do while I was waiting.
Therefore, I started to volunteer at the Vadaskert Foundation for Children’s Mental Health Child Psychiatry in Budapest. I spent about 4 months helping in the hospital. This experience has taught me so much about mental health and psychological conditions. My dedication to becoming a Clinical Psychologist strengthened significantly. I grew my knowledge way beyond the textbooks, and I became part of a team that worked extremely hard day by day to make life easier for children. I enjoyed my time at Vadaskert and I am excited to continue volunteering when I go back to Hungary.
Weeks (even months) passed by while I worked in the hospital, organized and co-led an orientation camp for UWC, showed Chris some parts of Hungary, and then (in the middle of October) within a 2-day period I got on a plane and flew to Iowa City. Now, I would like to mention that travel can ALWAYS get more exciting. This time I was pulled aside by some authorities and my passport was taken from me. I was convinced that I was going to miss my flight. If you have ever seen a documentary of people trying to enter the USA and potentially being denied admission, that was me. I still made it. I had to cut some immigration lines and ran through Chicago’s airport in a pair of socks, but I made it to the gate just in time. No need to explain it was stressful.
Now I am here in Iowa City. I have worked for the Development, Experience, and Neurocognition (DEN) Lab for almost 2 months. I learned to administer fNIRS (a neuroimaging method), I submitted a poster presentation for the Midwestern Psychological Association Conference (I am still waiting to hear back from them), and I also applied to multiple Clinical Psychology Programs. I became part of the lab and the current lab coordinator has been teaching me everything about how to run this lab. Unfortunately, she will be leaving for South Korea. This makes me really sad because she is not only an expert on everything in DEN, but she has also been becoming my friend. At the same time, I know she has a new exciting journey in front of her and leaving is the right thing to do. I know that others (undergraduate research assistants) are staying, and I will be excited to be a mentor for them.
What else? I have been cooking. That is an interesting experience. I really started to understand how difficult it is to plan a menu. I am beyond grateful for my family for always giving me advice, and suggestions on cooking. So far I have not burnt down the apartment. Instead, I have been working hard to make this place feel a bit like home. Got some plants, and decorations, and a lot of blankets.
Being in Iowa has been a joyful experience so far. During the Thanksgiving break, we (Chris and I) even got a chance to go to South Dakota. We got to see Badlands National Park and Mt. Rushmore. It was beautiful to see deer, prairie dogs, and rabbits, while also experiencing a snowstorm. We drove around on Thanksgiving night looking for some food and finally, we found a pizza place. It was fun to continue our last year’s tradition of eating pizza. We also got an opportunity to explore downtown Rapid City, some tea and spice shops, a big cartoon dinosaur statue on a mountain, and a scenic drive in the mountains. I have to emphasize that finding mountains (even if we had to drive 10 hours) was incredible since Iowa is quite flat. Lastly, we culminated our trip by visiting Nebraska. I try to stop by in as many states as I can and on the drive back to Iowa City I may have taken a short nap. I woke up to the surprise that Chris took me to Nebraska. I know there is a lot more exploring to do there, but it was amazing to cross state boundaries one more time before we arrived back at our “now home apartment” at the University of Iowa. So if you ever wondered what I have been up to, I hope this narrative gave you an idea.