# Week 5 Recap: Understanding Python & String Methods#

Last week at Blockfuse Labs, we looked deeply into the core of Python programming. It was one of those weeks that reminded me why learning step-by-step and practising along the way makes all the difference.

The Focus: Strings, Methods, and Mastery

Our focus for the week was string methods in Python. From the outside, that might sound simple. But by the end of the week, I realised just how powerful strings are, and how important it is to really understand how they behave.

We explored:

`.lower() — converting all characters to lowercase

.upper() — turning text to uppercase

.title() — capitalizing the first letter of each word`

But it didn’t stop there.
We also worked with string formatting, especially using f-strings, which let us insert variables directly into sentences like this:

`name = "Sughnen"
print(f"Hello, {name}!")`

And when working with numbers, especially decimals, we learned about .2f, which formats values to 2 decimal places (or even 32 if needed!), like so:

`pi = 3.141592653589793238462643383279
print(f"{pi:.2f}") # Output: 3.14`

Even the idea that a string, like a name, has its own behaviour was powerful. You could almost say the string had a name of its own, because we spent so much time treating it like a living part of the program: slicing it, formatting it, interrogating it, transforming it.

The Hands-On Test

To wrap things up, we didn’t just move on, we were tested. And I love that about Blockfuse Labs.
On Friday, we had a hands-on test, not a multiple-choice quiz, but an actual coding exercise.

We had to apply what we had learned throughout the week in a real, practical way. It was the kind of test that doesn't just check your memory, it checks your understanding.

And even when it got tricky, I said, "Wait, I know this, we practised this all week."

Why This Week Mattered

It’s easy to rush through programming content. Watch a tutorial. Try a few lines. Move on.
But Blockfuse Labs teaches us to slow down and truly learn. To ask why. To break things down. To practice. To test. To grow.

That’s what made this week so meaningful for me.

We didn’t just learn string methods.
We learned how to think like Python programmers.

<i>Thanks to everyone at Blockfuse Labs for the structure, the challenge, and the push to improve every day. Looking forward to the next layer of growth.<\i>