written by Luka Zoroje
Although I joined this project in its final year, working with my colleagues from Belgrade as well as collaborating with colleagues from Spain brought me invaluable experiences and adventures – including my very first scientific paper published at a conference, no less than in Dubai! If someone had told me a few months ago that things would turn out this way, I wouldn’t have believed them.
I must say I am honored that my professors and colleagues from Spain, with whom I worked, trusted me – a young scientist still in the making – to present the paper. After returning home, it took me a bit of time for my ego to stop thinking I was the most important person on the team, but oh well.
The conference was wonderful! It truly is a great pleasure and privilege to be surrounded by people who share the same love for science as you do. Our paper was part of a session dedicated to applications of artificial intelligence, and to top it all off, I even received a nice certificate from the chair of that session.
The organizers were kind enough to arrange a dinner cruise one evening, where we all had the opportunity to get to know each other better, see one another in a slightly less formal setting, and of course enjoy the beautiful lights and charms of Dubai.
And how can you say you enjoyed the charms of Dubai if you didn’t explore a bit after the conference – especially the Dubai desert? That was a truly authentic experience: going on a Desert Safari and riding a quad bike in Dubai.
I must admit that riding a quad in the desert is much harder than it seems at first glance, but I quickly figured out the trick – whenever you feel unstable, you just hit the gas. Trust me, even though it’s not intuitive at all. Despite the challenge, there’s something incredibly empowering about riding across an endless sandy horizon. And yes, the bird on my head definitely adds to that feeling.
They even let me try on traditional clothing – though that part is probably best kept off the internet.
In addition, I visited Global Village, a place I must admit I hadn’t heard of before. It’s a huge area filled with attractions from all over the world, where you can walk for hours, try traditional food from different cultures, and buy unique souvenirs and clothing.
I visited Global Village with someone who is now my friend from Turkey, whom I met at the conference. It turned out we were staying at the same accommodation, so we teamed up and explored all those attractions together.
In the end, that might be the most valuable part of events like these – meeting new people, making connections, and having the opportunity to spend time together. At the end of the day, you never know who you’ll collaborate with in the future or what you might learn from someone.
Here’s to new adventures, exciting projects like this one, meaningful connections, and science that keeps moving forward! This is only the beginning!