Yeah I know, you probably didn't want to see this, but hey, there are so few pictures of me on my blog, that I though I'd upload it anyway. This one was taken by one of the cubs actually.

This is the private Blog of Charles Betz (or Charel Betz as it is spelled in Luxembourg). I opened this Blog in June 2006 to be independant of all the annoying (and boring) pre-made blogs out there and to have more freedom in publishing my own stuff and designing my own templates. I intend to predominantly share my ideas with friends and to let everyone know where I'm at. I also want to offer the possibility to my friends to do the same thing here, to write short articles or comments in the language they prefer to use... I was quite happy to see Ced, a good friend from Basel, to migrate his blog to mine recently. Maybe this inspires some of you? Anyhow, let's see how it will develop and evolve.

Dëst ass dem Charel Betz säin Blog, ech wënschen Iech all härzlech Wëllkomm! Ech hun dëse Blog am Juni 2006 opgemach fir méi Onoofhängegkeet vis-à-vis firgefärdegten Blog-Firlaagen ze kréien déi heiansdo relativ trist ausfaalen (awer net ëmmer). Ech probéiren Iech um Laafenden ze haalen wat mech beschäftegt, wou ech grad dru sin a wat ech alles sou stiichten. Ausserdem hoffen ech puer Leit motivéiert ze kréien, selwer ab und zu en klengen Beitrag op dëser Säit ze leeschten...Mol kucken wat sech draus entwéckelt...Vill Spass beim browsen!

More Info about me: I actually come from the capital, that is Luxembourg-city, where I grew up and spend most of my adolescence. It is a relatively nice place to grow up, and with around 100'000 citizens neither to big nor too small to live a happy life. The 6 first schoolyears were spent in the Ste. Sophie Kirchberg, a private catholic school, which sounds more hardcore than it actually is. Did a few years of Judo, but later on decided that sports weren't my first choice for passing time. So I joined a scout group, Les Aigles Rollingergrund, which I think now was a really important step in my life. I met a good deal of my friends there and I still do now! Growing up as a single child, scouting was a healthy experience, and many of the things I learned there will guide me through my future life.

Anyhow, after being convinced that I'm going to be a great archeologist, I discovered in high-school (Michel-Rodange, LMRL) that maybe I was more the biological type of person. This of course was another big step and eventually (after getting to know some very good friends in the Lycee) this led me to Basel, where I'm actually doing my Master of Science in Molecular Biology, Major in Cellular Biology which I hope to complete this fall. Last year, I had finished my Bachelor degree here after three years of more or less hard work.

My Master studies lead me to Prof. Moroni in the Institute of Molecular Microbiology here in Basel where I'm doing my work in the field of cancer research, which has been a dream of me for many years. I recently had quite some advances and we're hoping to get a paper published about my results, mostly concerning the mTOR (mammalian Taret of Rapamycin) signalling pathway. 

After completing my Master next fall, I'll go on to do an internship at Harvard Medical School till July 2008. After that comes the PhD, that I'll be doing in the United Kingdom. But we'll see what the future will bring for me.

My hobbies are among others of course photography, scouting, cooking, trekking and hiking, travelling, writing etc... I recently had some breakthrough with my pictures, I have right now three of them in an international exposition called Family of Man 2007 - Connecting Cultures, then some time ago I did a shooting for a theater play called Zoo Stroy, I became 4th in a contest by the EMBO journal that will bring my picture eventually to its cover some day etc...

well I imagine that's more than any of you wanted to know, so my job is done here!

Sou hei dat ganzt dann och eng Kéier op Lëtzebuergesch: Also ech kommen aus der Stadt, sin do opgewuess, hu meng Primärschoul an der Sophie gemach a si spéider dann an de Rodange komm. Ech hu mech kuerz am Judo probéiert, hun awer schlussendlech fonnt datt d'Scouten eng besser Entscheedung fir mech wären. Dëst hun ech nie bereid, am Géigendeel hun ech vill Leit do kennegeléiert, déi mer imens wichteg sin an ech hu villes do fir d'Liewe geléiert. Ufanks war ech iwerzeegt ech géif eng Kéier e grousse Archeolog gin, de Rodange huet mech awer éischter op déi biologesch Bunn geleed. Eng weider wichteg Kräizung a mengem Liewen also, déi mech schlussendlech heihin op Basel bruecht huet. Ech man grad do mäin Master a Molekularer Bio an engem Kriebsfuerschungslabo, wat mech imens intresseiert. Sou da bleiwen nach meng Hobbien déi ech Iech net wëll firenthaalen, an dorënner faalen natirlech d'Fotographie, d'Scouten, Kachen, Wanderen, Schreiwen asw...Sou dat wär et dann mol fir d'éischt vu menger Säit!