Bacterial Genomics University of Guelph, August 8, 2025

Two days left of SSP? I don’t believe it. The past 34 days have flown by, and yet it feels like I have been here all of my life in a way. I know many of my friends here feel the same. In two days, we will be back to our old routines. For many, everything has stayed the same, but for some a lot has changed back home, which only will make the transition more difficult. But I know one thing for certain: Departure Day will be infinitely more difficult than Arrival Day.

I vividly remember sitting in the airport chairs, waiting as my flight was delayed by 30 mins, then an hour and a half. With an hour spent looking for my luggage, what should have been a 6-hour trip took closer to 9. I didn’t mind the delay, but what scared me the most was the fact that the bus with all the other participants had left. While they were getting to know each other and forming friendships, I was walking through the baggage claim for the 7th time looking for my suitcase. Although the first night was difficult, I knew from the very next morning that this community was something I had never experienced before.

From purposefully including me in every conversation to sacrificing lunchtime to keep me company as I finish lab work, my 35 peers have been so supportive and kind. Unlike my school community back home, at SSP there are no cliques – anyone can join into any conversation without fear of intruding. Every day I find myself walking to lecture or lab with a different combination of people, yet I always feel like I am right where I belong. And after ten hours of work, nobody forces conversation. Walking back to the dorms in complete silence feels peaceful, not awkward, as we enjoy the late Guelph sky and the wildlife around us (Figure 1). Even though the sun might set every day (ahem ahem Alessandro) that doesn’t make me appreciate the nature any less.

Figure 1. Walking back from study hall at 9pm

Figure 2. Team 5 looking very tough and intimidating in our team uniform with TA Elena in the back

I am so grateful for my spectacular and perfect lab group (pictured above in Figure 2). Today, we did our poster presentations, and it was surprisingly fun. Presenting in front of others is one of my least favourite things to do – but after spending weeks on the experiment and many hours on our manuscript, it was really enjoyable to be able to share everything we had learned and tackle some particularly scrutinizing questions with logic and a bit of interpretative thinking. I honestly think that I couldn’t have had a better group of people to be in my lab group. We work very well together and finish lab or psets with plenty of time for some shenanigans and tomfoolery.

I honestly don’t think I could have made it through these 5 weeks without my roommate. Every night when I am crashing out about one thing or another, Azra is there to make me snap out of my madness and realize that it really isn’t that deep. Along with Georgie, we like to go on walks when the sun has set and see the moon and the stars and the skunks – seriously there are so many skunks. A few days ago we even saw a possum which was really cool (Figure 3). My sleep schedule has also been sacrificed to go on runs in the morning. With 10+ hours spent inside every day, it has been really nice to be able to get outside and run around in circles around the campus just to get some activity in. I may feel like a hamster, but at least I have a certain bum to keep me company (despite the constant complaining and cutting the run short every time).

Figure 3. Nighttime walk surprise: Guelph has so much wildlife!

All in all, my time at SSP has been one that I will never forget. Aside from all of the awesome wet lab skills that I have had the chance to learn, I think I have grown a lot socially. Departure Day will be impossibly difficult for me. Although I miss my family and friends back home, I hate that I will have to leave the incredible community of humans that I have met here. While departure is inevidable, least I will be leaving with invaluable memories and a mosaic of new perspectives.

Cheers,

Arina

More pictures:

Figure 4. Morning runs are a bit easier when this is my view

Figure 5. College and career day with Georgie and Azra