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October, 2014

Live, Life, and Love at CERN (Part 7 – Conclusion)

Indonesian researcher at CERN. Let's raise Indonesia flag at CERN!

Indonesian researcher at CERN.  Let’s raise Indonesia flag at CERN!

©2014 Bagus Hanindhito |  Geneva, Switzerland | Canon EOS 60D | EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II | 1/125sec | f/22 | ISO400 | Aperture Priority | Auto Exposure

The aerial view of Geneva as my plane climbed from GVA airport. You can spot the Geneva Water Jet there. Bye Geneva! Thank you for your hospitality.

The aerial view of Geneva as my plane climbed from GVA airport. You can spot the Geneva Water Jet there. Bye Geneva! Thank you for your hospitality.

©2014 Bagus Hanindhito |  Geneva, Switzerland | Canon EOS 60D | EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II | 1/500sec | f/8 | ISO800 | Aperture Priority | Auto Exposure

It was the end of my stay at CERN. I felt that the last two months went by so fast than usual that I was sad to leave CERN too early. I wished I could stay longer here. If not, I hoped someday I would come back here to do my next challenging research project.

There were a lot of things happened in my life in the last two months! I even could not feel that my previous two months went by so fast than usual. It was also really unusual to have my life at CERN. I had got a lot of new friends, new experiences, new knowledge, and new passions here.

Before I left CERN, I needed to finish leaving formalities as mandated by the committee. I had to return my CERN access card :(, any equipment that I had borrowed from my lab, the key for my lab, and some documents needed to be signed. The committee also gave me a certificate to acknowledge my participation at CERN Summer Student 2014. I also needed to return the bicycle that I rent for free to CERN and took my CHF100 deposit because I returned it in a very well condition.

I had to reach Bandung, Indonesia at least August 22, 2014, because I would have Qualification Examination for my undergraduate study in Institut Teknologi Bandung that day. Therefore I checked out from CERN Saint Genis Hostel on August 20, 2014, and went to Geneva International Airport (GVA) using Bus Y. It was one of the most emotional moments in my life when the Bus Y passed in front of CERN.

The funny thing was when I checked in my luggage, it overloaded the permitted weight of 23kg free baggage. My luggage was 26kg at that time. I did not mind if I need to pay more, but, with my pity face, the officer at the check-in counter gave me no additional cost. What a relieved. Anyway, I suspected that the I brought too much Swiss chocolate inside my luggage :).

“Bye CERN! Bye Geneva! Thank you for all of your hospitality during my stay there. I hope I can visit you again next time!”

Small snack during my flight from GVA to FRA.

Small snack during my flight from GVA to FRA.

©2014 Bagus Hanindhito |  Geneva, Switzerland | Canon EOS 60D | EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II | 1/15sec | f/8 | ISO800 | Aperture Priority | Auto Exposure

The trip back to my homeland was almost as same as the trip to CERN except it was reversed. As I said before, I wanted to step on board an Airbus A380-800, the biggest passenger aircraft in the world. Therefore, I need to modify my trip. My flight to home divided into three sections instead of two.

  • LH1223 served using a Boeing 737-500 (single-deck, narrow-body, twin-engine airliner). It flew from GVA (Geneva International Airport, Geneva-Switzerland) to FRA (Frankfurt International Airport, Frankfurt-Germany). The duration of the flight was only 1 hour 20 minutes.
  • LH778 served using an Airbus A380-800 (double-deck, wide-body, quad-engine airliner). It flew from FRA (Frankfurt International Airport, Frankfurt-Germany) to SIN (Singapore Changi International Airport, Singapore). The duration of the flight was 13 hours 20 minutes.
  • GA833 served using an Airbus A330-200 (single-deck, wide-body, twin-engine airliner). It flew from SIN (Singapore Changi International Airport, Singapore) to CGK (Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta-Indonesia). The flight was operated by Garuda Indonesia Airways which is a member of Skyteam. The duration of the flight was 2 hours.

The total time of the flight, including the time for transit, was approximately 20 hours. This was almost entire day flight, not to mention the time zone difference.

Lufthansa Airbus A380-800 codename München served the flight LH778 from FRA to SIN.

Lufthansa Airbus A380-800 codename München served the flight LH778 from FRA to SIN.

©2014 Bagus Hanindhito |  Frankfurt, Germany | Canon EOS 60D | EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II | 1/125sec | f/8 | ISO800 | Aperture Priority| Auto Exposure

I took a picture of me in front of an Airbus A380-800. It is a freaking huge plane! Sorry for inappropriate flash settings :)

Inside the exhibition room of The Globe of Science and Innovation.

©2014 Bagus Hanindhito |  Frankfurt, Germany | Canon EOS 60D | EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II | 1/85sec | f8 | ISO800 | Aperture Priority | Auto Exposure | Flash On

FRA airport terminal view from the tail camera of an A380-800.

FRA airport terminal view from the tail camera of an A380-800.

©2014 Bagus Hanindhito |  Frankfurt, Germany | Canon EOS 60D | EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II | 1/30sec | f/8 | ISO1600 | Aperture Priority | Auto Exposure

Dinner menu on my flight from FRA to CGK inside an Airbus A380-800.

Dinner menu on my flight from FRA to CGK inside an Airbus A380-800.

©2014 Bagus Hanindhito |  Somewhere, Europe | Sony Xperia SP C5302 | 1/40sec | f/2.4 | ISO250 | Superior Auto | Auto Exposure

Early morning breakfast during my flight from FRA to CGK inside an Airbus A380-800

Inside the exhibition room of The Globe of Science and Innovation.

©2014 Bagus Hanindhito |  Somewhere, Asia | Sony Xperia SP C5302 | 1/40sec | f/2.4 | ISO160 | Superior Auto | Auto Exposure

Lunch menu during my flight from SIN to CGK inside an Airbus A330-200
Lunch menu during my flight from SIN to CGK inside an Airbus A330-200

©2014 Bagus Hanindhito |  Somewhere, Asia | Sony Xperia SP C5302 | 1/30sec | f/2.4 | ISO250 | Superior Auto | Auto Exposure

Twilight at sky of Jakarta as my plane approached CGK.

Twilight at sky of Jakarta as my plane approached CGK.

©2014 Bagus Hanindhito |  Tangerang, Indonesia | Sony Xperia SP C5302 | 1/125sec | f/2.4 | ISO100 | Superior Auto | Auto Exposure

Someone sticked this small poster in front of their lab's door. Proud to be engineer at CERN! Do you agree?

Someone sticked this small poster in front of their lab’s door. Proud to be engineer at CERN! Do you agree?

©2014 Bagus Hanindhito |  Geneva, Switzerland | Sony Xperia SP C5302 | 1/20sec | f/2.4 | ISO500 | Superior Auto | Auto Exposure

So, I finally arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) on August 21, 2014, at 6:35p.m. After clearing immigration and taking my baggage, I met my father, mother, and sister. For me, two months without them was enough to make me lonely. I needed another 5 hours to reach Bandung from the airport using a bus because of heavy traffic in Jakarta. I arrived safely at my home on August 22, 2014, approximately at 02:00 a.m. Meanwhile, my undergraduate qualification exam was at 01:00 p.m on the same day. I had less than 12 hours to take a rest, to adjust my biological clock, and to prepare whatever I could. Wished me luck then. 🙂

Before ending this article, let me wrap-up a little bit. It obviously the best summer holiday I ever have in my life. CERN Summer Student gives me a lot of unforgettable experiences that not everyone can feel. I have found my life, live, and love in this program!

  • Life: Life as a researcher and engineer is so much fun. I think I will live up my life as a researcher in my field of interest in the future. I hope it is my destiny to be a researcher and engineer.
  • Live: Living in an international research environment is a must for me. I believe that having a lot of friends with different background can open and enlighten my mind. With them, I can share my ideas, ask them for advice, and have fun together. I will be glad of I can do my research and academic activity in an international laboratory or university. It must be so much fun!
  • Love: I found my love there. That is my field of interests. After CERN Summer Student, I become motivated to continuously grow my curiosity on computer system architecture and very large scale integration.

It is really a life-changing experience. If you are interested in this program and you have a question (especially Indonesian students), please feel free to contact me :). See you around!


The End.

 

 

More stories like this…

Live, Life, and Love at CERN (Part 2)

Live, Life, and Love at CERN (Part 2)

It had been almost two months since I submitted my application for CERN Summer Student 2014. It was also a very busy semester in my college which made me forgot my application. I also did not expect that my application would be accepted because I prepared it only in less than a week. But God always knows the best for me.

read more

2 Comments

  1. henry

    hi im henry from solo, I am very interested in practical work abroad. I just wanna ask 1 question, is there any activity that really test your theoretical skills ?

    thank youu

    Reply
    • Bagus Hanindhito

      Hello Henry,

      For CERN Summer Student Program, there is no interview. You just have to submit your Portfolio, Motivation Letter, and Field of Interest to demonstrate your understanding and ability in your field. If you are theoretical physicist, for example, you may highlight your research and publication (paper/journal) to support your application. If you apply for another practical work opportunity at another company or institution, there is a possibility that you will have interview. During the interview, they may ask you to demonstrate your theoretical skill regarding their current research, for example.

      Goodluck!

      Reply

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