I arrived in Heathrow today around 7:30AM, passed through customs within 10 minutes, and checked into Yotel, an on-site hotel that features condensed high-quality hotel rooms that can be paid for on an hourly rate. Basically, my room had the two most important features of a hotel room: a clean, comfortable, perfectly made bed with soft pillows and a fluffy comforter to bury myself in, and a clean bathroom with an amazing shower. The bed was in a little cove-like area with a TV embedded in the wall at the foot of the bed. I snuggled up with the intention of watching a movie, but ended up gaining three hours of the most peaceful, luxurious sleep ever. The total for 6 hours of full rejuvenation cost around $78. Not too bad, and I would totally make the same choice of staying in the Yotel over rushing around to get a shallow touristy experience London in my 12 hour layover. Besides, it’s raining outside right now, and I didn’t think to pack my umbrella in my carry-on rather than my checked luggage. Also, it’s cold out. I don’t know what people were talking about when they said that the weather was a “comfortable” 59 degrees F… That’s the temperature on a winter day in Taiwan. Just my justifications for not exploring London 😛

Currently, I’m sitting inside The Tin Goose (Terminal 1), slowly digesting a Shepherd’s Pie with Buttered Carrots. I couldn’t finish more than 3/4ths of the super rich dish, much less order any of the delicious desserts I had intended on trying. On a side note, food is much more expensive in London — my Shepherd’s Pie cost $23 USD, and it wasn’t even the most expensive dish on the menu! I did a quick mental comparison: in Taiwan, a dish of similar value would cost maybe $5. In Texas, a dish of similar value would cost maybe $12. Ouch. Looks like I’ll be returning to visit England after I actually start working.

I have about 2 more hours before I have to board my next flight at 6:10PM, so I’ll write about the student-designed technologies I’m going to be taking to the internship.

1. The SAPHE Pad – a super absorbent pad used during delivery to allow for a more accurate visual estimating of the amount of blood lost by the mother, enabling a more accurate diagnosis of post-partum hemorrhage.

2. The Invertabottle – My global health technologies team designed this as a solution to the inaccurate dosing of liquid morphine for palliative home-based care patients in Malawi. It can be used to accurately dose liquid medications, and is especially suitable for developing countries. The Invertabottle solves the challenges associated with visibility, low visual acuity, and innumeracy.

—whew, I’m falling asleep while sitting on this sofa—

3. LiquiDose – Also a system for accurate dosing of liquid morphine. The design was radically changed from the plans made over the semester though, so I’ve got to familiarize myself with how it works.

4. Dremofuge – A battery-powered low-speed centrifuge that allows for the separation of urine and hematocrit.

Oh wow I just nodded off again. I’ve just got to make it until at least 8PM, when I’m on the flight..