China · Greece · UK · USA
Across four shores, the joy of seeing you again
· A message from Rui
It is hard to put into words how happy I was to see Prof. Antonios Armaou again in Wenzhou and Hangzhou at the end of September. Thank you, Antonios, for inviting me to join this research visit, and thank you to our colleagues at Wenzhou University and Zhejiang University for welcoming us so warmly.
After years of knowing one another from afar, I finally met my academic siblings from Prof. Armaou’s group at Penn State, Dr. Yao Xue and Dr. Ran Wang, in person. What a joy to bring those connections into the same room.
A farewell at the end of our academic visit in China.
Antonios, thank you for being there. Every meeting, and every conversation with you, is something I treasure.
These photographs carry me back to other shores: a January afternoon above London, and the University of Patras in Greece. My year in Greece was a year of research, but also of exploration, discovery, and encouragement. Your positive influence reached far beyond the work itself. Those memories of Hellas will always stay with me.
Photograph by Achilleas, with thanks.
A year of research, and so much more.
With gratitude, across the miles.
— Rui
The first message in this Drift Bottle is a special one.
For Antonios, Evi, and Achilleas—with love and gratitude.