This is The Swamp.

My AICE Biology class took a field trip the University of Florida (UF) this past Wednesday. We were invited to do two labs that otherwise would've never be possible due to minimal funding at the high school level.

We left at the crack of dawn. The bus ride was long and most of my classmates took this opportunity to turn on their iPods and catch up on some zzz's. I just did the former, listening to this song several times and then almost this entire album. We passed some really pretty scenery that made me regret not bringing a video camera and of course drove through Orlando and got glimpses of the theme parks. As it grew lighter and we drew closer to our destination, my friends and I played inane word games.
Since I seem to have Heroes constantly on the brain, my first thought upon seeing this sculpture was "Pinehearst!" Alas, it was only part of the lobby to the Genetics and Cancer Research Complex at UF. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was somewhat disappointed.
Joy, Puja and Patricia inside The Swamp, UF's famous football stadium.
Kyle with his Bieber hair.
Reflection of campus. Sort of.
These plush microbes hung from the ceiling in the lab we were in. This one, Mono, was especially cute. There was also Anthrax, Flu, Mad Cow Disease and Aids among others.
Because who doesn't want a centrifuge with the solar system on it?
Puja and I pretending to pipette.
My view of the lab as seen through the electrophoresis gel.

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This next week is going to be absolutely insane. I start tennis practice after school every day. I have Model Student Senate Thursday and Friday. I'm helping supervise labs for 8th graders visiting the school Tuesday and Wednesday. Plus, somewhere in between all this chaos, I'm studying for tests, continuing to read Their Eyes Were Watching God and doing last minute prep for the SAT that I'll take this Saturday. I realize I could sum up this entire paragraph into one word: STRESS.