Women and mathematics: the trip

I am still very much overwhelmed by all the beautiful things I've experienced here in the US. So there is just a few notes I want to share, not beautifully structured, with no special aim, but these things deserve not to be mentioned before I forget:

• There are a lot of great women in mathematics. Surely, we are still underrepresented, not every female mathematician is my best friend, but there are a lot of women who are simply awesome. Supportive, understanding. I really enjoyed my two weeks in Princeton because there I didn't have to keep my face, I could ask anyone even about the simplest definitions and silliest problems, there would be always someone to help me out. I am not sure this is a gender-related thing, but I have never experienced this level of understanding and acceptance in predominantly male groups. 

I admit it could have been the spirit of the school, but I hope we will all carry it in us for long.

• It is good to start with easy problems. There is no shame in doing elementary mathematics and revising the things you have learnt before. It could be immense fun, especially if you do it with someone similarly gifted in memory, it is definitely worth it. And again, forgetting things is natural and doesn't make you any less of a mathematician. 
• Neither the US nor Canada is used to pedestrians. I crossed the Peace Bridge between Buffalo and Canada on foot and in addition to having to walk basically twice the distance through all the under- and overpasses that were built for my walking convenience, the officers tended to send me to and fro before they let me in. 
• Also, if the officer at the custom says "How much money are you bringing to the States / Canada?", it is not advisable to react "Ehm, none" or "Next to nothing, I guess, 3 dollars!". But that was the truth and I had my 3 credit cards, none of which seems to work at certain strategical spots like the train stops and the like... But shops and counters are all okay.

Canada looked quite nice.

• I seem to be doing things wrong, eating Chinese, Indian, Italian and French food in the US and Boston burgers in Canada. But I had some tacos (and really sucked at eating that) and a lot of things that I do associate with the American cuisine. Okay, frankly, I ate some bagels. And I ate a lot of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, and that was the biggest impression on me here, so the rest hardly matters.
• Everything is so big here. I had a burger yesterday for lunch and I am not really hungry yet (though I've had some chocolate bread today). The streets are wider, the cars are bigger, the buildings are simply huge. Despite these places being so crowded, I still have this nice feeling of space around me, so the cities are energizing, the forests and parks are revitalizing. 
• The more I travel, the more I love my home. It is all so beautiful, but I look forward to being home.