Life in France
Figuring it out
2 years after my first post, I am happy to say that life has turned around. It’s been a year since I moved to France for my master. I was worried, very worried to be honest. My last time away from home, especially in the US, did not go that well. The responsibilities, and the work, and the competitiveness- I was happy to find a certain balance in France, that I was missing in the US.
I have met some great people, especially those in my master. We struggle together and we rise together. It’s especially interesting to see the different backgrounds of Computer Science everyone comes from and how that affects their understanding of further courses. I always thought my education in CMU was very theoretical, until I met bachelor students in France. Although I have a good understanding of applications of algorithms, and their analysis, I believe the mathematical tools in the French system can be bigger and harder to master. I found this to be the case, especially when talking with researchers and phd students in the field.
I came into my master with no knowledge or understanding of what a category is. It is something I first learnt when attending a seminar about homotopy type theory. This seminar is probably one of those I could never forget: it first showed me the problem of equality its implications in type systems, and second, it mentioned a new abstraction of mathematics that solved the superset paradox that was mentioned in my undergrad but never pushed further upon. Last but not least, the presenter ended up becoming a good friend of mine and sparking much of the interest I got now in linear logic and category theory.
I don’t think I understand enough about the details, or even the formalizations. I will try to use this blog to report on my readings. The first book recommended to me was Tom Lensers’ basic category theory. It all sounds like a challenging but fun read. :)