Gabe's Blog

 When most people think of Iceland, it's only natural for images of Vikings and harsh winter weather to come to mind. These preconceived notions could not be farther from the truth than even I had imagined, as Iceland has become a multicultural center.  Over 20% of the 350,000 permanent residents on the island are immigrants from foreign backgrounds, with the majority being Polish or Eastern European. On top of this, the nation hosts over 3 million tourists annually, meaning that there's no shortage of unknown languages being spoken around every corner. During my time in Iceland, I became friends with residents hailing from Germany, Austria, Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, France, Portugal, Egypt, and more. Hell, I even met up with an Iranian man to attempt to sell my car. I found this to be a fascinating experience, coming from a country that is regarded as the "melting pot of the world". I am convinced that it is there, not here. As we became acquainted, I began to realiz...

Three months ago I started a journey that many of my classmates and peers undertook at the same time, heading out to take on internships within our respective fields. I was fortunate to have completed an internship the previous summer in Washington DC, working for a medical company called Kerecis. They aim to provide a fish skin graft as an alternative to traditional methods such as porcine or amnion grafts. This alone is a major step forward in medical technology, but the product was also entirely sustainable as the graft material was otherwise a waste product from local fisheries. With almost a year of experience at the time, I convinced my supervisor to transfer me to their headquarters on the edge of the habitable world; Iceland.  As I rushed home from my junior year of university I was itching to get to Boston a week later to fly to my biggest adventure yet, and could feel the anticipation building as I packed and said my goodbyes to family and friends. After a day's trip to B...