My buzzer rang five minutes ago. I wasn't expecting anyone, so I was completely surprised to find Christina, my host mom from the beginning of the semester, on the other side of the door. She had a letter addressed to me that had been delivered to her house (whoops, better make sure Deutsche Bank has my updated address!)
And something else.
That's right, St. Anthony, patron of lost items, has come through for me once again. Apparently a student found my cell phone wherever I lost it, and somehow decided to call the Krebses number from my saved contacts... possibly because I have several Krebs family cell numbers saved as well, or maybe she looked up names in the phone book until she found someone who actually lives here? Their daughter Astrid (who I only met once briefly when I picked up Flora Fahrrad after Christmas) is visiting and was the only one home when the girl called, but somehow managed to figure out that the phone was mine, and had her bring it to their house. I repaid the €10 finder's fee the girl had asked for, which was no big deal considering that I was planning to buy another phone tomorrow or the next day...
Anyway, it's also one more entry on the long list of why I love small places. Lost stuff can actually find its own way home!
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Monday, January 30, 2006
A fabulicious day
No, I haven't found my Handy, but today has brought other wonderful things!
The second Mozart concert was great, and I already miss choir now that it's over for the semester. Believe it or not, someone did grab my bike helmet for me, so at least I don't have to spring for a new one. We can count that as wonderful thing number one, even though it happened yesterday.
I spent the day in lab taking more samples, which was fine. After lunch, though, Dr. Hüther brought a colleague down to speak to me. It looks like I have a new project lined up for next semester! The details will have to be hammered out later, but Dr. Wedekind just had a student quit his lab and needs extra hands. The project is something completely different, once again, from any of my previous lab experience. It's more traditional "psych" than I ever would seek out on my own, comparing the emotional response (physiologically as well as subjectively) to a range of photographs, between control subjects and patients with somatic disturbances. Half the data has been gathered already by the student who left, so they need someone to finish this pilot study... unfortunately I won't be around for the next phase, adding an fMRI component!
After lab I had German class. It's the last week of the winter semester already, and things are slowing down. In my vocab class we watched a movie: Good-bye, Lenin!, auf Deutsch und ohne Untertitel. This marks the third time I've seen the film, so it was an interesting opportunity to compare my language comprehension. The first time was at the end of my second year of German at Kenyon, and I had only the vaguest understanding of the plot by the time all was said and done. The second time was the night before I left last August, with Mike. We watched with English subtitles, and I actually caught more of the vocab mentally re-translating it (kind of like how I suddenly "remember" high school French while watching Amélie.) This time, I had the luxury of familiarity with the story, but I'm still rather shocked by just how far my listening comprehension has come in the last few months. I barely thought about the actual words, but I knew what people were saying 90% of the time. Wahnsinn!
Then Grammatik. I wrote my one and apparently only official final for the semester. We meet again on Wednesday, so I'll have to see if this one also falls into the "wonderful happenings" category or if I just get to be grateful that I finished the semester with fairly low stress. My gut feeling is that it went decently well.
I got home a little early, and checked my mail... and there was something there!! No, not my Northwestern packet, although that's what I was looking for... I got a card from Jen and Marc! It is now taped to my wall. I have plenty of space left, though. Hint, hint!
I also discovered a message from Kola on my computer. There's a distinct possibility that she'll be coming to visit this weekend, and I can't stop grinning! Honestly, when I was in my darker days this semester and seriously considered the consequences of calling it quits and going home, the thought that I'd miss out on potential High Adventure Overseas with a fabulous Kenyon/Chamber Singers/Cornerstones/Hospice friend actually bothered me more than ditching Fulbright prestige. It's important to have "Connections" in life, to be sure... but it's a million times moreso to connect.
I am so overjoyed with my life at the moment, I'm going to have a dance party in my room. Feel free to join in, wherever you are!
The second Mozart concert was great, and I already miss choir now that it's over for the semester. Believe it or not, someone did grab my bike helmet for me, so at least I don't have to spring for a new one. We can count that as wonderful thing number one, even though it happened yesterday.
I spent the day in lab taking more samples, which was fine. After lunch, though, Dr. Hüther brought a colleague down to speak to me. It looks like I have a new project lined up for next semester! The details will have to be hammered out later, but Dr. Wedekind just had a student quit his lab and needs extra hands. The project is something completely different, once again, from any of my previous lab experience. It's more traditional "psych" than I ever would seek out on my own, comparing the emotional response (physiologically as well as subjectively) to a range of photographs, between control subjects and patients with somatic disturbances. Half the data has been gathered already by the student who left, so they need someone to finish this pilot study... unfortunately I won't be around for the next phase, adding an fMRI component!
After lab I had German class. It's the last week of the winter semester already, and things are slowing down. In my vocab class we watched a movie: Good-bye, Lenin!, auf Deutsch und ohne Untertitel. This marks the third time I've seen the film, so it was an interesting opportunity to compare my language comprehension. The first time was at the end of my second year of German at Kenyon, and I had only the vaguest understanding of the plot by the time all was said and done. The second time was the night before I left last August, with Mike. We watched with English subtitles, and I actually caught more of the vocab mentally re-translating it (kind of like how I suddenly "remember" high school French while watching Amélie.) This time, I had the luxury of familiarity with the story, but I'm still rather shocked by just how far my listening comprehension has come in the last few months. I barely thought about the actual words, but I knew what people were saying 90% of the time. Wahnsinn!
Then Grammatik. I wrote my one and apparently only official final for the semester. We meet again on Wednesday, so I'll have to see if this one also falls into the "wonderful happenings" category or if I just get to be grateful that I finished the semester with fairly low stress. My gut feeling is that it went decently well.
I got home a little early, and checked my mail... and there was something there!! No, not my Northwestern packet, although that's what I was looking for... I got a card from Jen and Marc! It is now taped to my wall. I have plenty of space left, though. Hint, hint!
I also discovered a message from Kola on my computer. There's a distinct possibility that she'll be coming to visit this weekend, and I can't stop grinning! Honestly, when I was in my darker days this semester and seriously considered the consequences of calling it quits and going home, the thought that I'd miss out on potential High Adventure Overseas with a fabulous Kenyon/Chamber Singers/Cornerstones/Hospice friend actually bothered me more than ditching Fulbright prestige. It's important to have "Connections" in life, to be sure... but it's a million times moreso to connect.
I am so overjoyed with my life at the moment, I'm going to have a dance party in my room. Feel free to join in, wherever you are!
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Pictures! etc.
Sigh... I'm still missing one Handy (Deutsch for cellphone) and I seem to have forgotten my bike helmet, probably in the choir room at St. Blasius, where the Uni-chor sang last night. As this marks the second time I've misplaced both items, I'm keeping a close eye on my wallet at the moment... as well as other very important life necessities, such as my gummy bears and my dignity. (I'm assuming that sufficient time has passed since Phling Karaoke '05 to allow the latter to have grown back.)
I may just have to suck it up and buy another helmet, although I'm 90% sure I know exactly where it is. The Göttinger Universitätschor doesn't have a Walk of Shame like Chamber Singers, but we also don't have tour managers that scour the dressing room after a performance for left-behind items. As for the phone, I've yet to look in lab, or my Thursday night classroom, or St. Nikolai where we had choir practice, so I may have a chance. Neither the toy store I stopped in that night (Kailyn needs Baby Born accessories unavailable in America) nor the fabulous restaruant where I had dinner (and discovered that amaretto sours do exist over here! Must return to find out if they're any good...) had found anything.
I tried calling it, but nobody answered and I may well have left the sound off anyway. I had a friend text it with my name and address, just in case. If it doesn't come back to me in the next week I guess I'll have to buy a new phone, too. Sigh.
Otherwise, though, things are fabulous at the moment. The concert was wonderful, and I'm looking forward to singing the Requiem one more time tomorrow. I thought the extra rehearsals would kill my voice since I'm singing soprano, but it's actually significantly easier to hit the high notes now compared to the normal one-practice-per-week schedule. And St. Blasius, the church where we sang, was stunning.
The outside of St. Blasiuskirche, in Hann-Münden, as the choir and orchestra herd inside... we wandered en masse from the train station to the church, parts of the group actually jaywalking when we didn't all make it across the street during the light, causing my friend Julia to remark: "Dass ist nicht typisch Deutsch!"
The street behind the church. So pretty!
And of course, the inside was glorious as well.
On the train on the way back, I sat with Min Jung, another soprano from S. Korea. We know each other from writing class as well as choir, and it was great to have a chance to chat. She's in her first year of studies here and wants to teach German in Korea. She'll be in Göttingen for at least the next three years, and her German is much better than mine. Her sister lives in Los Angeles and is about to have her second baby, and Min Jung was going to travel there over the semester break to visit her (her parents and brother are visiting from Korea for the Korean New Year, which is today or tomorrow) but she has a big project to work on and doesn't think she'll be able to go, which is hard. Still, she seems pretty happy here and opimistic about her studies. I learned that I was born in the year of the pig according to the traditional calander.
And now for some more pictures, since I took a walk today and felt like bringing my camera:
Gutenbergstraße, and the path leading up into the woods next to my building. I haven't had time to go exploring yet, but maybe when it's warmer...
A little ways along the street. Home is just visible on the right through the trees.
I should get a little studying done today, since I have my grammar final on Monday. I already bought myself an end-of-semester reward, though... Rincewind, der Zauberer. It's a single volume of early Terry Pratchett Discworld novels (The Color of Magic, The Light Fantastic, Sourcery, and Eric, for those who are familiar with the series) all of which I've of course read several times in English. It'll be a challenge to try and get through all thousand-plus pages auf Deutsch... but even more of a challenge to wait to start until after my exam!
I may just have to suck it up and buy another helmet, although I'm 90% sure I know exactly where it is. The Göttinger Universitätschor doesn't have a Walk of Shame like Chamber Singers, but we also don't have tour managers that scour the dressing room after a performance for left-behind items. As for the phone, I've yet to look in lab, or my Thursday night classroom, or St. Nikolai where we had choir practice, so I may have a chance. Neither the toy store I stopped in that night (Kailyn needs Baby Born accessories unavailable in America) nor the fabulous restaruant where I had dinner (and discovered that amaretto sours do exist over here! Must return to find out if they're any good...) had found anything.
I tried calling it, but nobody answered and I may well have left the sound off anyway. I had a friend text it with my name and address, just in case. If it doesn't come back to me in the next week I guess I'll have to buy a new phone, too. Sigh.
Otherwise, though, things are fabulous at the moment. The concert was wonderful, and I'm looking forward to singing the Requiem one more time tomorrow. I thought the extra rehearsals would kill my voice since I'm singing soprano, but it's actually significantly easier to hit the high notes now compared to the normal one-practice-per-week schedule. And St. Blasius, the church where we sang, was stunning.
The outside of St. Blasiuskirche, in Hann-Münden, as the choir and orchestra herd inside... we wandered en masse from the train station to the church, parts of the group actually jaywalking when we didn't all make it across the street during the light, causing my friend Julia to remark: "Dass ist nicht typisch Deutsch!"
The street behind the church. So pretty!
And of course, the inside was glorious as well.
On the train on the way back, I sat with Min Jung, another soprano from S. Korea. We know each other from writing class as well as choir, and it was great to have a chance to chat. She's in her first year of studies here and wants to teach German in Korea. She'll be in Göttingen for at least the next three years, and her German is much better than mine. Her sister lives in Los Angeles and is about to have her second baby, and Min Jung was going to travel there over the semester break to visit her (her parents and brother are visiting from Korea for the Korean New Year, which is today or tomorrow) but she has a big project to work on and doesn't think she'll be able to go, which is hard. Still, she seems pretty happy here and opimistic about her studies. I learned that I was born in the year of the pig according to the traditional calander.
And now for some more pictures, since I took a walk today and felt like bringing my camera:
Gutenbergstraße, and the path leading up into the woods next to my building. I haven't had time to go exploring yet, but maybe when it's warmer...
A little ways along the street. Home is just visible on the right through the trees.
I should get a little studying done today, since I have my grammar final on Monday. I already bought myself an end-of-semester reward, though... Rincewind, der Zauberer. It's a single volume of early Terry Pratchett Discworld novels (The Color of Magic, The Light Fantastic, Sourcery, and Eric, for those who are familiar with the series) all of which I've of course read several times in English. It'll be a challenge to try and get through all thousand-plus pages auf Deutsch... but even more of a challenge to wait to start until after my exam!
Friday, January 27, 2006
Addendum
To be sung to the tune of an old VeggieTales favorite:
Oh where is my cell phone?
Oh where is my cell phone??
Oh where, oh where, oh where, oh where,
Oh where, oh where, oh where, oh where, oh WHERE... is my cell phone???
In other news, it really bothers me a whole whole whole lot that the planet blogthing I posted earlier today calls me a "totally entertainer." ADVERBS DO NOT MODIFY NOUNS. Whew. Just had to get that out of my system. I feel better now.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Things I have learned today:
- I can't bike in snow. (Okay, maybe a little bit, but only up until the falling down part.)
- My over-adviser's office caught on fire earlier this week. Note to self: no candles in future office.
- Mozart's birthday is actually Friday, the 27th. I feel a little bad about the false advertisement, since only our Hann-Münden concert is on the actual day, and posters all over Göttingen are emblazoned with "zum 250. Geburtstag von Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart." Still, I get to sing Mozart's Requiem on his 250th birthday. Highly snazzy.
- I possibly have too much time on my hands:
| You Are 28 Years Old |
 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax. |
You Are From the Sun |
 Of all your friends, you're the shining star. You're dramatic - loving attention and the spotlight. You're a totally entertainer and the life of the party. Watch out! The Sun can be stubborn, demanding, and flirty. Overall, you're a great leader and great friend. The very best! |
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Schnee!
It's been a little while since I've posted anything visual (or bothered to take pictures for that matter...) but we got a little snow today.
So here it is, the little hill leading up to Studentendorf. Okay, I did say a little snow. There will probably be more tomorrow. Maybe I'll remember to take out my camera again!
Tomorrow night is the final Requiem rehearsal, and then Friday afternoon the choir and orchestra pile on the train to Hann-Münden (half an hour southwestish of Göttingen) for our first concert. The second is Sunday morning, supposedly Mozart's 250th birthday. At least, that's what it says on the posters.
There's a party in Studentendorf on Saturday night, too. Looks like I'm in for a busy weekend...
So here it is, the little hill leading up to Studentendorf. Okay, I did say a little snow. There will probably be more tomorrow. Maybe I'll remember to take out my camera again!
Tomorrow night is the final Requiem rehearsal, and then Friday afternoon the choir and orchestra pile on the train to Hann-Münden (half an hour southwestish of Göttingen) for our first concert. The second is Sunday morning, supposedly Mozart's 250th birthday. At least, that's what it says on the posters.
There's a party in Studentendorf on Saturday night, too. Looks like I'm in for a busy weekend...
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Brr...
Thoughts on the current European cold snap:
- Predicted high temps in Göttingen for the rest of the week never break above freezing. Granted, we're not expecting precipitation until Thursday, and our lows are still in the upper teens/twenties Fahrenheit, so I'm doing okay compared to points east. I'm glad I'm not in Russia.
- Peppermint tea + a jar of honey = easily my best investment this winter.
- For the first time in my life, I actually prefer biking uphill. Sure, extremities are still a lost cause and my lungs are just waiting for an opportunity climb up my trachea and make it play patty-cake with my esophagus, but core temps stay toasty and the windchill isn't half so bad.
- I like having winter around, but when I grow up, I want to either own a car or live in a place where everything is within 20 minutes walking distance. Or both.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Busy week ahead
I have three nights of rehearsal and performances Friday and Sunday for the Mozart Requiem! It's the second-last week of classes, so I also have tests and writing exercises to think about... plus whatever shapes up for lab; more tissue samples this week, and hopefully running some more gels. Plus I have a small stack of papers to read.... and I should start organizing things for my presentations for the mid-year conference in March.
I'm busy at the moment! And it's great!
But I still don't know what I'll have to do after the conference. And the idea of not having a project for next semester isn't really sitting any easier now than it did when I first faced it. I can't help but think that I could use the time at home... Yeah, perfect. Second-third-fourth-and-so-on thoughts the week after I book my flight home.
May, and my family's highly anticipated visit, is still far away. Would it be so wrong to enjoy their travels and then just go home a month or so early? Part of me loves the idea. But another part of me just can't handle it... It would be an admission of defeat, because I'm too introverted/anxious/whatever to deal with the cultural differences or the language. It's illogical, because I have income here which I'll lose if I skip out, plus the cost of changing my itinerary again. It's me being a big baby, because I can't stomach the changes to my über-plan (even though the only "change" is a slight delay that I can't do too much about at this point anyway.) This part of me is also very big on doing what is expected of me, especially given the prestige and difficulty inherent in gaining this opportunity in the first place.
Throw into the mix the fact that I don't really know what opportunities I'll have next semester until it gets a little closer, and I think the second side is going to win this one. But I'm still feeling conflicted, and I find myself identifying strongly with songs like The Zombies' Care of Cell 44.
Plans tonight include a big dinner (stir-fry, I bought chicken again!) and church, followed by homework and studying for tomorrow's vocab test. And trying not to compare myself to a prison inmate...
I'm busy at the moment! And it's great!
But I still don't know what I'll have to do after the conference. And the idea of not having a project for next semester isn't really sitting any easier now than it did when I first faced it. I can't help but think that I could use the time at home... Yeah, perfect. Second-third-fourth-and-so-on thoughts the week after I book my flight home.
May, and my family's highly anticipated visit, is still far away. Would it be so wrong to enjoy their travels and then just go home a month or so early? Part of me loves the idea. But another part of me just can't handle it... It would be an admission of defeat, because I'm too introverted/anxious/whatever to deal with the cultural differences or the language. It's illogical, because I have income here which I'll lose if I skip out, plus the cost of changing my itinerary again. It's me being a big baby, because I can't stomach the changes to my über-plan (even though the only "change" is a slight delay that I can't do too much about at this point anyway.) This part of me is also very big on doing what is expected of me, especially given the prestige and difficulty inherent in gaining this opportunity in the first place.
Throw into the mix the fact that I don't really know what opportunities I'll have next semester until it gets a little closer, and I think the second side is going to win this one. But I'm still feeling conflicted, and I find myself identifying strongly with songs like The Zombies' Care of Cell 44.
Good morning to you I hope you're feeling better baby
Thinking of me while you are far away
Counting the days until they set you free again
Writing this letter hoping you're okay
Saved you the room you used to stay in every Sunday
The one that is warmed by sunshine every day
And we'll get to know each other for a second time
And then you can tell me 'bout your prison stay...
Feels so good...
You're coming home soon!
It's gonna to be good to have you back again with me
Watching the laughter play around your eyes
Come up and fetch you, saved up for the train fare money
Kiss and make up and it will be so nice...
Feels so good...
You're coming home soon!
Walking the way we used to walk
And it could be so nice...
We're talking the way we used to talk
And it could be so nice...
It's gonna be good to have you back again with me
Watching the laughter play around your eyes
Come up and fetch you, saved up for the train fare money
Kiss and make up and it will be so nice...
Feels so good...
You're coming home soon!
Feels so good...
You're coming home soon!
Plans tonight include a big dinner (stir-fry, I bought chicken again!) and church, followed by homework and studying for tomorrow's vocab test. And trying not to compare myself to a prison inmate...
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Learn something every day...
The weather in Göttingen has been absolutely gorgeous, if chilly, for the past couple of days. The sun stays up until almost 5pm now, which is joyful. Even though I had nothing planned for today except a little grocery shopping and my laundry, I decided to dress up a little... I can't really wear skirts in the lab, so dress-up weekends are fun. Maybe that's just me.
I was heading up the hill towards my dorm, though, and for some reason it seemed significantly more difficult than usual. I've biked this hill daily for a few months now, but by the halfway point I was downshifting desperately, huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf. What the heck? I bought maybe 3 lbs of groceries, so it shouldn't make such a big difference.
Then I had spontaneous insight. I was biking like a girl. Y'know, knees pointing across the midline, trying not to give pedestrians a free show. I don't think I usually bike like a bowlegged cowboy, but I obviously had to use a whole different set of muscles this time to get up the hill.
I think I may have to try to do this once a week. Like a fitness regimen, or somesuch. Maybe tomorrow I'll bike somewhere pigeon-toed and see what that does.
Long story short, my butt is sore. But in a good way.
I was heading up the hill towards my dorm, though, and for some reason it seemed significantly more difficult than usual. I've biked this hill daily for a few months now, but by the halfway point I was downshifting desperately, huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf. What the heck? I bought maybe 3 lbs of groceries, so it shouldn't make such a big difference.
Then I had spontaneous insight. I was biking like a girl. Y'know, knees pointing across the midline, trying not to give pedestrians a free show. I don't think I usually bike like a bowlegged cowboy, but I obviously had to use a whole different set of muscles this time to get up the hill.
I think I may have to try to do this once a week. Like a fitness regimen, or somesuch. Maybe tomorrow I'll bike somewhere pigeon-toed and see what that does.
Long story short, my butt is sore. But in a good way.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Change of plans?
I'm in the middle of trying to book my return flight, and finding it slightly amazing that my year in Deutschland is almost at the halfway point already. Of course I'll be ready to go back home when the time comes, but I've also marvelled a little bit at how smoothly I transitioned back to my life here after Christmas. It wasn't perfect... The weather has gotten worse, and for some reason I'm still feeling tired during the day (struggled with Deutschkurs-induced narcolepsy all week) and I'm finding it strangely difficult to fall asleep at night. But I'm cooking again and eating pretty well, and somehow talking to people isn't as scary as I once found it, and I'm having loads of fun exploring embryology firsthand in lab. I found the cerebellum of a 12-day old chicken embryo today! Whee!
I also had an interesting conversation with Herman, my immediate supervisor. He'd mentioned something previously about his position in the lab being temporary unless some funding got moved around, and now it seems like he's out of here as early as March. I don't think that I'm going to be shunted into yet another lab group (Herman was asked to take me on shortly before my arrival when the guy I was originally supposed to be working with left) but the gist of the conversation was essentially an effort to feel out my level of committment to lab work. Do I want to take on more? Do I want to continue at the current pace, finish this project in a month or two and then just hang out in Germany and enjoy my time here? Do I want to focus on studies next semester, take more classes, and cut back in lab?
I rather got the idea that backing out on my research emphasis would get him off the hook too, since he has quite a bit to do before the move and he's been the one providing me with direct guidance/stuff to do in lab. I'm sorry to hear that he's leaving, but I also tried to make it clear that I DON'T want to lose out on research experience this year. Since coming back I've actually been trying to figure out how to ask for more to do... I just didn't figure out how to approach it before today's news came out.
At the same time, am I being silly? I want to get some significant traveling in next semester when family comes to visit. I haven't visited Bayern yet. I want to see Mike's family in Austria. There was talk of a Kieler Woche language course reunion. I'd also love to take weekend side trips to visit friends, since I know people all over the place and haven't really seen anyone's digs.
Back in the other direction, I'm not going to have any kind of productive semester if I don't keep up the lab work. I dropped neuro lecture because I didn't like the scheduling, so I'm not sure I could beg my way back in at this point. Plus, my grant period is over before the end of the summer semester's lectures anyway, so I'd miss the finals for any classes I do take. I could easily apply for a couple weeks' extension to my grant, but I refuse to miss my cousin's and friend's weddings in July.
Dratted over-achieving nature. Sure, it's at least partly responsible for getting me here in the first place, but at the same time the idea of a semester-long vacation doesn't sit well. I visualize myself hermitting away in my room most of the time, claustrophobic and antisocial, without any kind of impetus to do anything but sleep, eat gummy bears, and check out the 49% of the internet I haven't seen yet. I realize that this spectre is unlikely to come to pass, but I'm seriously at a loss over how to fill my day-to-day when I don't have stuff to accomplish. I can only watch so much German TV before my brain oozes out my ears, same with reading. I would cut off my own foot rather than join a gym. Night life is unattractive, as I like seeing the sun, hate the smell of cigarette smoke, and am at best indifferent to alcohol; I like dancing, but not being groped by strangers.
Well, my over-supervisor is sticking around, and comments were made about Herman coming back a couple days a week, at least at first. I guess I'll just have to see how it plays out. I still have at least a month and a half's worth of work to do, so that'll have to do for now.
I also had an interesting conversation with Herman, my immediate supervisor. He'd mentioned something previously about his position in the lab being temporary unless some funding got moved around, and now it seems like he's out of here as early as March. I don't think that I'm going to be shunted into yet another lab group (Herman was asked to take me on shortly before my arrival when the guy I was originally supposed to be working with left) but the gist of the conversation was essentially an effort to feel out my level of committment to lab work. Do I want to take on more? Do I want to continue at the current pace, finish this project in a month or two and then just hang out in Germany and enjoy my time here? Do I want to focus on studies next semester, take more classes, and cut back in lab?
I rather got the idea that backing out on my research emphasis would get him off the hook too, since he has quite a bit to do before the move and he's been the one providing me with direct guidance/stuff to do in lab. I'm sorry to hear that he's leaving, but I also tried to make it clear that I DON'T want to lose out on research experience this year. Since coming back I've actually been trying to figure out how to ask for more to do... I just didn't figure out how to approach it before today's news came out.
At the same time, am I being silly? I want to get some significant traveling in next semester when family comes to visit. I haven't visited Bayern yet. I want to see Mike's family in Austria. There was talk of a Kieler Woche language course reunion. I'd also love to take weekend side trips to visit friends, since I know people all over the place and haven't really seen anyone's digs.
Back in the other direction, I'm not going to have any kind of productive semester if I don't keep up the lab work. I dropped neuro lecture because I didn't like the scheduling, so I'm not sure I could beg my way back in at this point. Plus, my grant period is over before the end of the summer semester's lectures anyway, so I'd miss the finals for any classes I do take. I could easily apply for a couple weeks' extension to my grant, but I refuse to miss my cousin's and friend's weddings in July.
Dratted over-achieving nature. Sure, it's at least partly responsible for getting me here in the first place, but at the same time the idea of a semester-long vacation doesn't sit well. I visualize myself hermitting away in my room most of the time, claustrophobic and antisocial, without any kind of impetus to do anything but sleep, eat gummy bears, and check out the 49% of the internet I haven't seen yet. I realize that this spectre is unlikely to come to pass, but I'm seriously at a loss over how to fill my day-to-day when I don't have stuff to accomplish. I can only watch so much German TV before my brain oozes out my ears, same with reading. I would cut off my own foot rather than join a gym. Night life is unattractive, as I like seeing the sun, hate the smell of cigarette smoke, and am at best indifferent to alcohol; I like dancing, but not being groped by strangers.
Well, my over-supervisor is sticking around, and comments were made about Herman coming back a couple days a week, at least at first. I guess I'll just have to see how it plays out. I still have at least a month and a half's worth of work to do, so that'll have to do for now.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Yay for gute Nachrichten
Fabulous news! Someone else I know and love has arrived in Germany! As I'm sure several of you already know, Kola is taking a semester abroad. I can't wait to swing by for a visit sometime and get all the great Kenyon and Cstones gossip! (Not to mention commiserate over culture/language shock and all that jazz...)
Even more splendid, it looks like I'll have another wedding to attend this summer. Yay Jen and Marc! Although a word of warning to any other friends of mine contemplating tying the knot... The line starts HERE. You wanna get hitched, you've gotta wait your turn. I'm NEXT, gosh darn it, and there will be no more cutting in line. :) But seriously, it looks like I'll get a Michigan/Chicago road trip in less than a week after I'm back in the country, and I'm already excited about it. Hmm... maybe I should think about booking my flight home.
In not quite so wonderful a turn of events, I kind of skipped the Bach cantata that I was so excited about, as I felt kind of crappy on Sunday. I couldn't sleep Saturday night, and I woke up later than anticipated feeling totally drained and with a sore throat, so I just stayed home. So I didn't even get to hear the awesome third movement. Luckily I'm feeling much better now, so it must've been a one-night thing. Delayed jet-lag, perhaps? I woke up this morning on time and with much less Halsweh. I went to lab today and both of my Deutsch classes tonight, but then went home instead of Choir rehearsal... partly because I'm still feeling a little tired, partly because of the residual guilt over taking a sick day on a performance, and partly because we're in the middle of a monster cold snap and I didn't think to break out the long-johns this morning, and I don't want to risk getting actually sick biking all over town.
I took my iron today, I promise! And I've got no other symptoms, glands seem to be the normal size, so I'm not worried.
Maybe I should consider going to bed early, anyway...
Even more splendid, it looks like I'll have another wedding to attend this summer. Yay Jen and Marc! Although a word of warning to any other friends of mine contemplating tying the knot... The line starts HERE. You wanna get hitched, you've gotta wait your turn. I'm NEXT, gosh darn it, and there will be no more cutting in line. :) But seriously, it looks like I'll get a Michigan/Chicago road trip in less than a week after I'm back in the country, and I'm already excited about it. Hmm... maybe I should think about booking my flight home.
In not quite so wonderful a turn of events, I kind of skipped the Bach cantata that I was so excited about, as I felt kind of crappy on Sunday. I couldn't sleep Saturday night, and I woke up later than anticipated feeling totally drained and with a sore throat, so I just stayed home. So I didn't even get to hear the awesome third movement. Luckily I'm feeling much better now, so it must've been a one-night thing. Delayed jet-lag, perhaps? I woke up this morning on time and with much less Halsweh. I went to lab today and both of my Deutsch classes tonight, but then went home instead of Choir rehearsal... partly because I'm still feeling a little tired, partly because of the residual guilt over taking a sick day on a performance, and partly because we're in the middle of a monster cold snap and I didn't think to break out the long-johns this morning, and I don't want to risk getting actually sick biking all over town.
I took my iron today, I promise! And I've got no other symptoms, glands seem to be the normal size, so I'm not worried.
Maybe I should consider going to bed early, anyway...
Friday, January 06, 2006
Schtuff
Sigh. I haven't even been back in G-town a week, and it already feels like I'm months from home. I guess that's what happens.
I am settling in. Groceries have been purchased, including a couple of chicken breast filets for when I'm feeling really daring and protien-deficient. Funny, with the current lab project I have developed a bit of an aversion to eggs, but not chicken. And actually there were hard-boiled egg slices on my sandwich at lunch and I managed to avoid thinking about it. I wonder if that means I could someday get over the whole aversion to mammal flesh...
Ugh. For now the closest I want to get are my gummy bears.
I've also done some housekeeping, at least once I remembered to steal some gloves from the lab and a spongie thing from the kitchen. My window is now mold-free, at least as far as I can see. I'm pretty sure the stuff I bought is actually some kind of tile/grout cleaning product, but it hasn't done anything to the plastic window frame or the paint/plaster of the wall, plus it worked immediately. It kind of smells like chlorine in here now, but maybe that will scare some of the smaller spiders back into the sink-nook section of the room where they belong. I found several of the beasties huddling in the ceiling corners of the bedroom proper upon my return, and that wasn't part of the tacit agreement. We may have to have Words later.
I'm also doing my best with an open window and a couple of scented candles, hoping the place will be habitable by bedtime. Brr.
I do have fun plans for this weekend... It's the second of the Uni-Chor's bi-semesterly Bach Cantatas (Cantati? Kantaten? for once the German version is easier...) Nr. 37, Wer da glaubet und getauft wird, der wird selig werden... at least this one is less of a downer than last time. (Nr. 48, Ich elender Mensch, wer wird mich erlösen vom Leibe dieses Todes?) Unfortunately we only started with it a bit before the concert, and have only had one rehearsal since, so the choir is relegated to the opening movement and the kind of boring closer. The really interesting-looking women's choir third movement (with all the trilly bits and the 16th note runs and the occastional 32nds thrown in for fun) has been relegated to soloist ringers. Drat.
In other news, I'm in serious Arrested Development withdrawal. I'm so far gone, I've even taking to reading online transcripts of season 3 episodes. I may need professional help.
Another more random link and then maybe I should go feed myself. This is blatantly "borrowed" from Tim, but I have way to many pharmacists in my family not to find it absolutely hysterical. Seriously, I almost shot Apfelschorle out my nose when I got to "prehensile colon."
I am settling in. Groceries have been purchased, including a couple of chicken breast filets for when I'm feeling really daring and protien-deficient. Funny, with the current lab project I have developed a bit of an aversion to eggs, but not chicken. And actually there were hard-boiled egg slices on my sandwich at lunch and I managed to avoid thinking about it. I wonder if that means I could someday get over the whole aversion to mammal flesh...
Ugh. For now the closest I want to get are my gummy bears.
I've also done some housekeeping, at least once I remembered to steal some gloves from the lab and a spongie thing from the kitchen. My window is now mold-free, at least as far as I can see. I'm pretty sure the stuff I bought is actually some kind of tile/grout cleaning product, but it hasn't done anything to the plastic window frame or the paint/plaster of the wall, plus it worked immediately. It kind of smells like chlorine in here now, but maybe that will scare some of the smaller spiders back into the sink-nook section of the room where they belong. I found several of the beasties huddling in the ceiling corners of the bedroom proper upon my return, and that wasn't part of the tacit agreement. We may have to have Words later.
I'm also doing my best with an open window and a couple of scented candles, hoping the place will be habitable by bedtime. Brr.
I do have fun plans for this weekend... It's the second of the Uni-Chor's bi-semesterly Bach Cantatas (Cantati? Kantaten? for once the German version is easier...) Nr. 37, Wer da glaubet und getauft wird, der wird selig werden... at least this one is less of a downer than last time. (Nr. 48, Ich elender Mensch, wer wird mich erlösen vom Leibe dieses Todes?) Unfortunately we only started with it a bit before the concert, and have only had one rehearsal since, so the choir is relegated to the opening movement and the kind of boring closer. The really interesting-looking women's choir third movement (with all the trilly bits and the 16th note runs and the occastional 32nds thrown in for fun) has been relegated to soloist ringers. Drat.
In other news, I'm in serious Arrested Development withdrawal. I'm so far gone, I've even taking to reading online transcripts of season 3 episodes. I may need professional help.
Another more random link and then maybe I should go feed myself. This is blatantly "borrowed" from Tim, but I have way to many pharmacists in my family not to find it absolutely hysterical. Seriously, I almost shot Apfelschorle out my nose when I got to "prehensile colon."
Sunday, January 01, 2006
I'm back!
I don't even want to think about how many hours I've been awake out of the last 24, but I arrived safely in Göttingen earlier today. Whew! I lucked out and made all my connections easily, and this time my train was even on time. (I don't know where people get this whole idea of "German punctuality" where the trains are concerned... I think I've dealt with delays on almost every trip. But hey, they got it right on a holiday, so that's worth something...)
The New Year's arrival in Deutschland was announced about an hour into my flight, and its eventual progression to the US (at least, the Eastern time zone) was heralded shortly before landing in Frankfurt, but unfortunately that was the full extent of Delta's celebration. I have no idea what part of the Atlantic I was over when my eastward path intersected with 2006, but I was probably napping, or reading. Or watching Johnny Depp portray Willy Wonka with hilarious German dubbing. (Those stupid songs are just as catchy auf Deutsch, by the way.)
Sigh. I miss home already. Quality time with Mike and lots of family was wonderful, but two weeks just flew by.
I need to call my host parents and figure out when I'll be able to pick up my bike, especially since I have german class and choir already tomorrow night!
I really need a shower and a nap, preferably in that order. Down to business!
The New Year's arrival in Deutschland was announced about an hour into my flight, and its eventual progression to the US (at least, the Eastern time zone) was heralded shortly before landing in Frankfurt, but unfortunately that was the full extent of Delta's celebration. I have no idea what part of the Atlantic I was over when my eastward path intersected with 2006, but I was probably napping, or reading. Or watching Johnny Depp portray Willy Wonka with hilarious German dubbing. (Those stupid songs are just as catchy auf Deutsch, by the way.)
Sigh. I miss home already. Quality time with Mike and lots of family was wonderful, but two weeks just flew by.
I need to call my host parents and figure out when I'll be able to pick up my bike, especially since I have german class and choir already tomorrow night!
I really need a shower and a nap, preferably in that order. Down to business!
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