Sara AlMarabeh, Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health, University College Cork, Ireland

https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.116.42

Adapting to the new position

A PhD is about more than learning how to do the best science; it’s about developing as an individual and learning from international colleagues. Going abroad for a PhD is a big decision but I felt it would be worth the journey, so I moved from Jordan to Ireland to take up a PhD at University College Cork (UCC) in 2017. Since then, I have grown as a scientist, not just in terms of the knowledge and skills I have gained, but getting to know others in my community.

Back in 2013, I earned a BSc in pharmacy from the University of Jordan followed by an MSc degree in pharmaceutical sciences. Changing discipline was a worry, and moving from pharmacy to physiology was challenging, especially in a team of students that are all physiologists. Currently, I am a third year PhD student in the Department of Physiology at UCC.

My interests are in autonomic reflexes (afferent sensory and efferent nerves) that regulate renal and cardiorespiratory function in hypoxia. At the start, my PhD project choice was between a project utilising molecular biology and biochemistry approaches, ex vivo experiments and biomolecular analysis of muscle, and an in vivo project that required surgical training and some molecular biology approaches. I chose the third project because I was keen to learn the techniques involved, although some advised me against transitioning from pharmacy to a project that is broad and involves integration of many physiological systems (cardiovascular, renal, respiratory and carotid sensory bodies).

In contrast, all of my technical training and experience during my masters was focused on transdermal drug delivery systems, HPLC, infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography in addition to organic chemistry and synthesis reactions. Therefore, the first years of my PhD in physiology were a steep learning curve going from the very routine techniques such as ELISA or immunofluorescence, which were not especially difficult to do with a background and experience in pharmaceutical chemical reactions and analysis, to the more involved protocols like hypoxia induction or surgical procedures. Acquiring those surgical skills and generating results within a short period of time proved particularly challenging and training was divided into cardiovascular surgical techniques (arterial and venous cannulation), renal surgical procedure (intra-renal administration of drugs) and renal nerve recordings, which required the most time given the difficulty and relative rarity of the technique. I have received substantial support and direction to gain these techniques from a supervisory team in the department. Now that I am comfortable and competent in the surgical techniques, they have become my favourite part of my PhD work and I am thankful that I had the opportunity to choose between various projects offering different skill sets at the beginning of my studies.

Adapting to the new country

In Jordan, we start learning English at six years of age. All of my studies at the University of Jordan were in English. Despite this, I wasn’t prepared for the sheer speed at which many Irish people speak nor the overwhelming variety of accents that co-exist on the small green island. Fortunately, I did not experience any major language barriers in terms of research and scientific discussions with my supervisors. Due to the many accents and, at least what seems to me, a very fast way speaking, the rapid bombardment of information given in short presentations by Irish researchers was not without its struggles. However, with time, my ear is gradually adjusting and dealing with the many accents is starting to become easier. Social integration is one of the most important factors in any international student’s life and adjusting to accents has been one important step in getting used to life in Ireland.

Like any students coming from a foreign land, there is also the inevitable culture shock. Not only for the student but sometimes for the locals too. This can lead to well intentioned, although cringe-worthy questions born out of curiosity that may not always come across the way they were intended. For instance, many have asked questions related to the conservative culture present in many Arabic countries such as “are women allowed to drive in Jordan?” However, Jordan is one of the most liberal countries in the region. While the formulation of the question can be a shock to me, it is great that people ask about how Jordan may be different to surrounding countries. Another major aspect that I found difficult was the initial exposure to the drinking culture that is prevalent in many Western societies and was noticeable at many of the social events I wanted to attend. This can be difficult for students, especially those from areas where this is not what they are used to (Clarke et al., 2018). However, I’ve grown more comfortable and enjoy having a laugh and socialising with colleagues at these events with my coffee in hand.

A country adapting to the needs of others

For 30 days every year during Ramadan, Muslims don’t eat or drink between sunrise and sunset. There are approximately 1.8 billion people fasting every year (a quarter of the world’s population). Ramadan has a special and warm atmosphere between family and friends and is one of the most important months. It can be more challenging for an international Muslim student in a non-Muslim country. Due to very long fasting hours in Europe, I usually reduce my practical work in that month and focus on the theoretical work.

Regarding Ramadan this year, I had a lot of practical and theoretical work to do. Due to the flexible nature of the project, work during Ramadan was limited to the theoretical parts and allowed the possibility of doing it in Jordan. Also, colleagues are usually very caring and considerate around Ramadan. Many of them try to hide their meals. This consideration is appreciated but I always urge colleagues not to worry about eating or drinking in front of me during Ramadan because part of the fast is the discipline of our abstinence. During this time when I might feel tired or cranky from lack of food and water, other students are always understanding and try to support me by having light-hearted conversations with me.

In addition to being accommodating during Ramadan, UCC takes my religion into consideration in other ways. When I needed sterile clothing to perform surgical work, they provided me some in a style that would be appropriate for me as a Muslim female. There is also a prayer room for Muslims in the Brookfield Health Science building as well as a canteen that offers halal food every Friday.

The adventure of conducting my research training in Ireland included many other challenges such as being apart from family and friends. I also have to go each year with many documents to renew my visa, which is quite exhausting. To participate in a conference, internationals need to apply for a visa for each country in Europe, and this can be a long process. Finally, the colder weather in Ireland really takes time to get comfortable with (and I’m not sure I ever fully will!).

Studying abroad has many advantages such as being in a different academic system, a different research team, learning new skills, attending different conferences and meeting different researchers. The adventure of being different in a country and a university helped me recognise my strengths and weaknesses and grow as a student and person as a whole. Recently, I have even had my first physiology review article published (AlMarabeh et al., 2019) which is my first paper in the field of physiology.

References

AlMarabeh S et al. (2019). Is aberrant reno-renal reflex control of blood pressure a contributor to chronic intermittent hypoxia-induced hypertension? Front Physiol 10, 465. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00465.

Clarke M et al. (2018). The Internationalisation of Irish Higher Education. [Online] Higher Education Authority – Ireland. Available at: Available at: https://hea.ie/assets/uploads/2018/07/report_internationalisation_of_education_2018.pdf [Accessed 2 October 2019]