While I've been to a few local and regional conferences before, this was my first experience with a meeting as big as this. Things got off to a slightly rocky start. Trying to make sure everyone was up and ready to leave for the airport at 5:30 am was a bit tough. As it turns out, making cinnamon rolls is a great way to shut up college students that are whining about how early it is. We then spent two flights surrounded by screaming children.
By the time we got out of the airport, things quickly started looking up. After dropping our stuff off at the hotel and taking a short nap, we decided to walk down to Balboa Island and explore a bit. We then returned the next day to go to the beach, even though few of us thought to bring appropriate beachwear. After lunch we returned for the plenary session.
While I was fairly lost in the politics of physics around the world, I did get to appreciate the fact that I've already had the opportunity to participate in an experiment at RCNP. At the following welcome reception I then got to reconnect with old friends and meet new and exciting people.
By far, my favorite part of the conference was all of the discussions about what's going on in nuclear physics. After taking the October PGRE, I found myself in a bit of a rut. Being reminded of what I'm working toward and the cool things that are out there was instrumental in helping me find my motivation again.
With all that said, I'm definitely glad to be back home. Being an introvert, I was starting to find myself drained by the constant interactions with large numbers of people. While the trip was excellent, it's definitely nice to be back to my comfort zone. With that said, I've got to get back to a presentation I have to give in about 10 hours...
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