chapter 8: the big catch-up

Burcu, Mirna, and Ardiana reconnect after a month apart, catching up on everything that piled up: a new city, a new fellowship, and a stomach that picked the worst possible moments to act up. Burcu talks about settling into Brussels, feeling like an outsider in small everyday moments, and the language choices she didn't expect to be making so often. Mirna gets into something messier and more physical: living with IBS through holidays and professional networking, and how much it quietly drains your energy, mood, and confidence when your body won't cooperate on cue. Ardiana adds the whiplash of family celebrations, getting sick while abroad, and the odd relief of finally recovering somewhere familiar instead of far from home.

Mirna also shares her experience at a bio-design conference, covering what bio-design looks like when scientists start working with artists, designers, architects, and even chefs, including a sea urchin project that somehow grows into materials, pigments, food, and a whole creative ecosystem. From there, the conversation turns to career updates: Ardiana on starting her MSCA fellowship, and Burcu and Mirna on where things stand with their submitted paper reviews. Mirna also raises a question that sticks with the group: is this the end of social media as they know it, with platforms rewarding outrage and speed over anything careful or real.

Between jokes about croissants, cows, and mood boards, one question keeps surfacing: how do you stay curious and connected when everything, work, health, relocation, social media, is pulling at you at once? Needless to say, this catch-up was needed.