Summer of Midnight Sun - Chapter 1

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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 Boston, I said goodbye to my parents and turned towards the unknown with a great sense of joy and optimism. 

After touching down in Keflavik in the wee hours of the morning, I hopped on a bus towards Reykjavík under sunny skies. I spent the entirety of the ride into the city glued to the window like a child as we raced past fields of lava rocks covered by bright green moss. As we entered Reykjavik, I sent a quick text to a teammate, coworker, and good friend to thank him for the opportunity that he had given me almost a year before to get my original internship. 

Once we disembarked, I made a two-kilometer journey to my final stop for the night, my new home. When I arrived it was silent, so I simply did a bit of unpacking and headed to bed. I had made the jump and lived, but what was next?

Almost immediately I fell in love with the culture, traditions, people, and natural beauty of the country; and I plan to share some of my perspectives with you over the next few weeks. Having a number of memorable and unique experiences, I'd like to also answer some of your questions. I plan to do a Q and A style post in the coming weeks, feel free to drop any questions you have in the comments and I'll compile them.

Kærar kveðjur,

Gabriel Paige



Comments

  1. Maiya DilboneAugust 28, 2023 at 6:10 PM

    This is one of the coolest blogs I have ever read, Gabe! It is amazing what can come of just asking and being open to new adventures. What is the biggest life lesson you learned through this experience? Do you plan on going back to Iceland after graduation?

    ReplyDelete

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