Oh yes, the mirror, my old friend. I’ve grown pretty good at staring at myself ever since I got my laptop, I think. I swear it takes more than five minutes to boot up, and that whole time the whole screen is just black, making it very reflective. So I just stare at my reflection as I wait in anticipation for this awful machine to start working.
When I look at my reflection, who is this that I see? It’s me, it’s me! There, looking back at me. It’s strange, I can never see myself changing; I think I always look the same. Obviously I don’t, but it’s a hard thought to get through. Today I am looking very disheveled. My hair is grossly frizzy and my skin is so dry. This desert climate does not do wonders, I’ll tell you that much. How do the people that live here in Arabia do it? The whole desert climate is so foreign to me, both physically and mentally; I don’t think I could ever live here. Chicago take me back! Better yet, Denmark take me back!
Physically, I don’t think I’ve changed very much. I doubt I’ve grown taller, and very hopefully not wider. If anything, I am in drastic need of a manicure+pedicure and a haircut (Memo to self: arrange for both as soon as your feet hit American soil). I think I’m a bit tanner, but I’ve got this hideous tan from Denmark. It’s one of those nasty t-shirt tans, and I laugh whenever I look at myself. Whenever it was nice outside I’d ride my bike in short sleeves instead of my usual jacket get-up. I really underestimated the sun up there… My eyes look really tired though. I don’t think I’ve really slept since I left Viborg. There I had a routine set up for my day. I’d wake up early, but I’d go to sleep at a decent hour. Not since I’ve left though! I’m tired, but I’m in no mood to sleep; I feel like I’d miss too much. There was this song on the radio earlier, and I thought to myself that it was completely perfect for my situation. It went something like: ‘There ain’t no rest for the wicked until we close our eyes for good’ Now ain’t that the truth? Because I’ve been telling myself that I’ll get some sleep when I’m dead. For now I can stay up till 5am. Life is short!
Since I’ve been gone though, I’ve found that I’ve developed into a more mellow person. I don’t like getting mad, I feel like it’s a waste of time. I want to take life slow, embrace every moment, because it just goes so fast. I came to this conclusion one day when I was sitting around at work. I started thinking; I’m half way to being forty years old. FORTY! Geeze, I barely remember the last twenty years, they flew by so fast. What’s to say the next twenty won’t be as fast? I don’t want to get old. I really don’t. So I decided to try and take life slower, stop anticipating the end of the day or the weekend. Just take it one moment at a time. It’s been working well so far.
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I don’t know if I had any major problems when I was abroad. Well, except for my luggage situation. As I’ve mentioned about 80 times already, I took 40kg of luggage to Denmark, however, in order to travel to Poland, I was only allowed 20kg. Now there was the question of what to do with my extra 20kg. I asked everyone at work what they though, but no one really had any idea of what to do. So I went to the post office, and I asked there about sending a huge package. She said that the maximum weight I could send would be 20kg, and by boat it was something like $200. I asked around the office too, but no one seemed to have any better ideas. In the end, I just ended up sending it by mail. I was told it could take up to a couple months, which I was none too pleased about, but miraculously, my bag was waiting for me when I got home. How lucky! And speedy.
Another problem, if you can call it that, was with paying my rent. The banks were only open until 4pm, and I usually got home well after 5pm. Now what a pickle that put me in, as I had to pay my rent to the bank directly. Also, if I wanted to exchange my money into Danish money, I’d have to do it through the bank too. Though this problem had a really easy solution; I just asked Niels if I could go home early one day. Of course there was no problem with that. So one day, we finished operating on the calves at around 2pm, and I went home, and I went merrily to the bank. Problem solved =)
I really don’t recall and serious problems. I guess that means I didn’t have any. Which if I were to judge, that is a very good thing. I have this manner about me that tries to avoid conflict and problems in any way possible; I think I definitely put that to good use while I was abroad.
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July 25th:
I’m not sure if I have essentially changed so much over the summer. Right now, I’m sitting at the airport in Zurich (which I will be in for the next six hours or so), and I’m having a hard time thinking of anything. I’ve always seen myself as the type of person to resist change rather than to embrace it, though I don’t exactly try not to change. It seems I’m just very settled in my own ways at this stage of my life. I suppose I’ve become a bit more adventurous. I’m kind of in the mood for making plans lately, as I have noted that my recent ones have worked out well. I’ve learned that if I actually apply myself to something I can make it possible. There isn’t enough time to sit around hoping something will happen. Gotta make it happen. I’m also more adventurous in talking to strangers, though I honestly can’t explain this one. I don’t think I learned it from anywhere, maybe I’m just bored or lonely. Or both. As long as I’ve been flying, I never bother talking to the person sitting next to me, but for some reason today as I flew out of Dubai I did. He was some Swiss business man, in Dubai for work. It started off by me making a comment about if our plane were to crash, I would not leave my shoes behind when we evacuated. He agreed, and we decided our shoes were both too nice to leave behind if we had to abandon ship. Now that was logical thinking. Aufwiederzein Patrick, thanks for making a six and a half hour flight pretty entertaining. I guess now that I’m thinking more about it, I’ve really mellowed out. I still have a very low level of patience, but overall I’m calmer. I think this came with me wanting to slow time down. I know I can’t, but if I take everything one moment at a time, it seems a lot slower and it makes me feel more at ease.
After being in the UAE for a week, my perspective on a few things has changed too. Mostly on how much of a problem money is. The city I actually stayed in was Al Ain, a city in the desert about an hour away from Dubai. I remember the first time I saw Dubai. That whole city is just pure extravagance. Designer stores glare at you from behind every corner, buildings are huge and unfinished, the malls are like a whole lifestyle destinations as they feature ice rings and even an indoor ski slope, and then there’s the man made islands, on which you can buy an apartment, villa, or heck, even your own personal island. All in the middle of the desert of course. It’s ridiculous to think how much money goes into all of this! Even the plant life here, all of it has to be watered, throughout the whole country. Back home we’re supposed to feel guilty about just watering our grass or taking too long of a shower. Oh not here though, they pump tons and tons of water in to keep the grass and trees alive in the middle of this arid desert. And this is the whole country. It’s insane. It’s just a totally different system of government. There they have a monarchy in each of the Emirates, led by a sheikh, basically the king or royalty. One thing that really hit me, and made me laugh too, was when I went to the bank with my dad. He was talking with the lady that transfers money and they came upon the conversation of money and government. My dad was talking about how he has to send money home to pay for the house because it’s all just so expensive. Kamela was this lady’s name, and she was just bewildered by this statement. She looked genuinely confused and said, ‘What? Your sheikh doesn’t give you a house? Or money?’ No dear Kamela, our sheikh gives us nothing. And he takes our money too. Gee thanks Obama. It’s just a completely different way of life. And I really think I’m off of the original topic, but this was pretty shocking to me. It made me see that there was so much more out there than just the way we Americans, or Europeans do things.
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July 28th:
So I’ve been home since Sunday, and I must say, it’s so weird to be back. Nothing has changed at all; everything is just the same old, same old. For some reason, it feels like I’ve been gone a lot longer than I really have. I can’t say that I’ve experienced culture shock at any side of the Atlantic, but there are a few things that I notice about Americans that really grates on my nerves. Or maybe it’s just Chicagoans, because I noticed a lot of these things as I waited for the plane to O’Hare in Zurich. For some reason, most prominent to me is the style of parenting. It’s so different between countries. In Europe parents are strict but pretty laid back at the same time. They kids in Europe seem to have more freedom to just do their own thing and they speak a lot differently to their parents. At the airport, I was sitting next to this family of three. The mother was rummaging through her bag and told her son that she had granola bars and trinkets if he was hungry. The boy, I figured he was of high school age says, ‘No mother, I already told you this morning that I didn’t want anything. Also, I do not like triskets, you as my mother should know that I do not like triskets!’ His tone was just so hostile and smart alecky. Grr, I hate that, though I really couldn’t help but laugh. And then there was the fake laugh lady. This woman was waiting to board the plane, but before you can board the plane they check your boarding pass and passport. I didn’t hear what the problem with hers was, but her husband got on the plane and she waited at the side of the line until everyone had gone in. you could tell she was embarrassed by the situation and every time she caught eye contact with someone she would laugh and say something about how silly the misunderstanding was. Really lady, really? How annoying. I do love people watching though, very entertaining. I have this theory that Chicago is full of very hostile and self absorbed people, I always try my hardest to not be one of them.
Gee, I really seem like a bitter person, don’t I? Haha!
Oh, and also, then there was the clapping after the plane landed. The only time I ever hear that is after a landing in the states. I wonder why that is?
July 30th:
The more time I spend here at home, the more I've noticed that nothing has changed. This is rather comforting to me. I mean, yeah, I was only gone for three months, but to me, it really seemed like so much longer. For example, on Monday my friend and I went to Taco Bell to try this newfangled Volcano Burrito she's been telling me about. We got our orders and sat down. After biting into her, my friend discovers that they gave her a potato bacon burrito instead. TBell, TBell, still messing up orders. Some things really never do change! Haaa...
Everyone back home is doing the same thing they always have been, and everything looks the same too. Oh suburbia, I sure missed it. The biggest change around here is that they redid the asphalt in my cul-de-sac. No longer is it pocked with massive holes. It is now beautiful, smooth, and pitch black. Very nice, this is a change I can certainly deal with.
30 July 2009
23 July 2009
Hihi Denmark!
I’ve had a lot of great experiences while abroad; it’s awful hard to just pick one. I guess, if I had to chose, I’d say I really had a great time during my visit to Copenhagen. I went to the town the weekend I was leaving for Poland. Kristine, one of my coworkers, and I had this plan that I could just get a plane ticket from Copenhagen to Poland, and then that weekend I would come and spend at her place. And so it went!
In the morning, Kristine came to pick me up for work. I found her wandering the front garden in a daze. After running out the door to inform her that, yes, she had FINALLY found the right house; we lugged all of my 40kg of baggage into her little car. My last day went well, though it was so very sad saying good bye to everyone. As the work day ended and Kristine and I headed out the door, there was still one glaring problem. Oh yes, this extra 20kg of baggage that I had no idea what to do with. Apparently, you can take 40kg of stuff into Europe, but you can only travel within Europe with 20kg. Who thought of this? So we drove to Arhus, where we would take the bus from, and stopped at the post office. I guess I just settled on stuffing that huge duffel bag onto a boat and hoping for the best. It was pretty funny, we wrapped the bag up with packing tape and sent it off. That bag looked pitiful! Let’s hope I see that thing again sometime this year. Doubtful! Whatever, I remember it felt so great to now have my baggage reduced by half. So we took the bus into Arhus, and took another bus to Copenhagen, and then, wow, we took a ferry. Now I mean this seriously, that may have been the coolest kind of transportation I have ever taken. That thing was HUGE! And speedy as well. Oh man, I was in total awe of this contraption. The whole bus fit on there, along with hundreds of other cars. Sweet deal. After the ferry we got back on the bus. It was really nice getting to see the other part of Denmark, as I feel I’ve seen the majority of Jutland. It was a lot of travelling for one day, but I think by now I should be used to that. At last we made it to Copenhagen! It’s such a beautiful town. It’s got that old European feel that I find so familiar, but it isn’t as stodgy as a lot of other places I’ve been. It was just very happy, vibrant, and alive. Upon arrival to Kristine’s apartment, we were met by her boyfriends, Mads, who had cooked us a lovely meal. Now there’s a man worth keeping around =)
The next morning was actually pretty hilarious. I woke up around 10 and was just lying there, thinking about getting up, when suddenly I hear a click and the stereo comes on. And it’s loud. I jolt up as there’s some CD that’s magically started playing in the room. I’m a little bewildered, but I say to myself, ‘haha, Kristine has probably set an alarm on it or something to get your lazy self out of bed!’ So up I go and wander into the hallway, where Kristine and Mads are staring at me with wide eyes. ‘Did you just turn that on?’ they ask. Well no, of course I didn’t. That thing just… started playing. We couldn’t figure out what happened all weekend. It is a mystery to this day, dun dun duuuuun! What an interesting way to start the day! Kristine and I finally managed to work our way out around noon and took the Metro, this subway/train system in Copenhagen, to get to the middle of the town. Oh the Metro was so nice, about 1000x cleaner and less shady than Chicago’s L. I miss it already. We really managed to fit a whole lot into one short day, now that I’m looking back on it. We took a boat tour of the harbor town, which was amazing to say the least, visited a few essential Copenhagen landmarks, shopped, went to see a movie, sat around on the harbor and watched weird looking people, and just walked around the streets at night. One thing we saw that day really is stuck in my mind, only because it was so hilarious that I almost fell over laughing. We were walking through one of the main town squares when we happened upon these American Indians playing music, singing, and dancing in the square. At first, I got a little sad, as I got all reminiscent of the Chief, but then hilarity ensued. There were these two old men sitting in the square, drunk as skunks, and when the music started, they got up and started dancing. One of them was wearing this big woolen sweater, and he was just boogie-ing in one spot, but the other guy, he was just SO into it. He was jammin’ to the beat! I didn’t know old people could dance that fast, but this guy did. He was twirling around, tapping his feet, and making these really intense faces. Every once in a while he flashed his old toothless grin and just danced away. The sweater guy got tired after a while, but not this one, he went on for a long time. Omg it was hilarious, I guess probably one of those ‘you had to have been there’ moments, but I will never forget it as long as I live.
I love Copenhagen. I’m coming back next year… hopefully I’m still not broke.
It was a bummer once the weekend was over, but I was eager to get to see my family in Poland, as I hadn’t been back in over three years. But oh, typical typical, my life is never that simple. We made it to the airport just fine, and I went to check my bags in and get my boarding pass. Great surprise my baggage is overweight! (This is the theme of my whole summer, actually, because the same thing happened in Poland, except more complicated) 4kg to be exact. Kristine and I just stood there for a while. ‘So now what?’ she asked me. ‘I guess…. I’ll… take some stuff out?’ was the answer. So I threw a few of the heavier looking things into my carry on, and at the end of all of this, I really looked like a bag lady carrying around all of her clothes or something. I really think the lady behind the counter felt bad for me, because my bag was still 2 kg over, but she let it slide. Success! Kristine and I finally said our good byes; she’s an awesome girl, I hope we meet again some day. And just like that, I was on the plane and gone from Denmark. Where did the time go?
The thing I now feel I missed out on, I didn’t actually know I was missing out on it when it was going on. Does that make sense? Hm, probably not, but maybe it will. Every summer, Denmark hosts one of the largest music festivals in Europe. The whole thing lasts over a few days, maybe even a week, I’m not sure. Basically you can camp out there in tent, hang out with people and listen to music. I heard that it was happening when I first got to Denmark, but I didn’t actually want to go until after it happened. Two of the younger women who I worked with went, Kristine being one of them, and from what they told me, it just sounded amazing. There were a lot of well known bands this year, like Coldplay, Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails, etc. Every year there is someone different and exciting playing at Roskilde; I think in general there are over a hundred bands playing there. The whole week after I just heard story after story, and with every one I felt like I missed out more and more. Of course, thinking logically, I couldn’t have been able to make it over there because of work; I don’t think I could’ve taken a few days off just to go run around and have fun.
I have this crazy idea to come back and see it next year, if the line up is good. As far as my motivation to experience this goes, well, I’m not exactly sure. It’s just one of those gut feeling you get when you really want something. It’s really in my character, to go see something like this; I love loud music and big crowds. I think it would be so overwhelmingly amazing. I think, when I get home, I am going to start recruiting people to come with me. Huzzah!
In the morning, Kristine came to pick me up for work. I found her wandering the front garden in a daze. After running out the door to inform her that, yes, she had FINALLY found the right house; we lugged all of my 40kg of baggage into her little car. My last day went well, though it was so very sad saying good bye to everyone. As the work day ended and Kristine and I headed out the door, there was still one glaring problem. Oh yes, this extra 20kg of baggage that I had no idea what to do with. Apparently, you can take 40kg of stuff into Europe, but you can only travel within Europe with 20kg. Who thought of this? So we drove to Arhus, where we would take the bus from, and stopped at the post office. I guess I just settled on stuffing that huge duffel bag onto a boat and hoping for the best. It was pretty funny, we wrapped the bag up with packing tape and sent it off. That bag looked pitiful! Let’s hope I see that thing again sometime this year. Doubtful! Whatever, I remember it felt so great to now have my baggage reduced by half. So we took the bus into Arhus, and took another bus to Copenhagen, and then, wow, we took a ferry. Now I mean this seriously, that may have been the coolest kind of transportation I have ever taken. That thing was HUGE! And speedy as well. Oh man, I was in total awe of this contraption. The whole bus fit on there, along with hundreds of other cars. Sweet deal. After the ferry we got back on the bus. It was really nice getting to see the other part of Denmark, as I feel I’ve seen the majority of Jutland. It was a lot of travelling for one day, but I think by now I should be used to that. At last we made it to Copenhagen! It’s such a beautiful town. It’s got that old European feel that I find so familiar, but it isn’t as stodgy as a lot of other places I’ve been. It was just very happy, vibrant, and alive. Upon arrival to Kristine’s apartment, we were met by her boyfriends, Mads, who had cooked us a lovely meal. Now there’s a man worth keeping around =)
The next morning was actually pretty hilarious. I woke up around 10 and was just lying there, thinking about getting up, when suddenly I hear a click and the stereo comes on. And it’s loud. I jolt up as there’s some CD that’s magically started playing in the room. I’m a little bewildered, but I say to myself, ‘haha, Kristine has probably set an alarm on it or something to get your lazy self out of bed!’ So up I go and wander into the hallway, where Kristine and Mads are staring at me with wide eyes. ‘Did you just turn that on?’ they ask. Well no, of course I didn’t. That thing just… started playing. We couldn’t figure out what happened all weekend. It is a mystery to this day, dun dun duuuuun! What an interesting way to start the day! Kristine and I finally managed to work our way out around noon and took the Metro, this subway/train system in Copenhagen, to get to the middle of the town. Oh the Metro was so nice, about 1000x cleaner and less shady than Chicago’s L. I miss it already. We really managed to fit a whole lot into one short day, now that I’m looking back on it. We took a boat tour of the harbor town, which was amazing to say the least, visited a few essential Copenhagen landmarks, shopped, went to see a movie, sat around on the harbor and watched weird looking people, and just walked around the streets at night. One thing we saw that day really is stuck in my mind, only because it was so hilarious that I almost fell over laughing. We were walking through one of the main town squares when we happened upon these American Indians playing music, singing, and dancing in the square. At first, I got a little sad, as I got all reminiscent of the Chief, but then hilarity ensued. There were these two old men sitting in the square, drunk as skunks, and when the music started, they got up and started dancing. One of them was wearing this big woolen sweater, and he was just boogie-ing in one spot, but the other guy, he was just SO into it. He was jammin’ to the beat! I didn’t know old people could dance that fast, but this guy did. He was twirling around, tapping his feet, and making these really intense faces. Every once in a while he flashed his old toothless grin and just danced away. The sweater guy got tired after a while, but not this one, he went on for a long time. Omg it was hilarious, I guess probably one of those ‘you had to have been there’ moments, but I will never forget it as long as I live.
I love Copenhagen. I’m coming back next year… hopefully I’m still not broke.
It was a bummer once the weekend was over, but I was eager to get to see my family in Poland, as I hadn’t been back in over three years. But oh, typical typical, my life is never that simple. We made it to the airport just fine, and I went to check my bags in and get my boarding pass. Great surprise my baggage is overweight! (This is the theme of my whole summer, actually, because the same thing happened in Poland, except more complicated) 4kg to be exact. Kristine and I just stood there for a while. ‘So now what?’ she asked me. ‘I guess…. I’ll… take some stuff out?’ was the answer. So I threw a few of the heavier looking things into my carry on, and at the end of all of this, I really looked like a bag lady carrying around all of her clothes or something. I really think the lady behind the counter felt bad for me, because my bag was still 2 kg over, but she let it slide. Success! Kristine and I finally said our good byes; she’s an awesome girl, I hope we meet again some day. And just like that, I was on the plane and gone from Denmark. Where did the time go?
The thing I now feel I missed out on, I didn’t actually know I was missing out on it when it was going on. Does that make sense? Hm, probably not, but maybe it will. Every summer, Denmark hosts one of the largest music festivals in Europe. The whole thing lasts over a few days, maybe even a week, I’m not sure. Basically you can camp out there in tent, hang out with people and listen to music. I heard that it was happening when I first got to Denmark, but I didn’t actually want to go until after it happened. Two of the younger women who I worked with went, Kristine being one of them, and from what they told me, it just sounded amazing. There were a lot of well known bands this year, like Coldplay, Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails, etc. Every year there is someone different and exciting playing at Roskilde; I think in general there are over a hundred bands playing there. The whole week after I just heard story after story, and with every one I felt like I missed out more and more. Of course, thinking logically, I couldn’t have been able to make it over there because of work; I don’t think I could’ve taken a few days off just to go run around and have fun.
I have this crazy idea to come back and see it next year, if the line up is good. As far as my motivation to experience this goes, well, I’m not exactly sure. It’s just one of those gut feeling you get when you really want something. It’s really in my character, to go see something like this; I love loud music and big crowds. I think it would be so overwhelmingly amazing. I think, when I get home, I am going to start recruiting people to come with me. Huzzah!
09 July 2009
'Hold still! I will put my finger in your butt and it will be good.' - Marie to no. 18
Just a foreword before this entry, I am so busy right now I barely have time the time to panic. So I’m leaving for Copenhagen tomorrow with a coworker, I’ll be staying with her there for the weekend, and then leaving for Poland on Sunday. We’re leaving right after work, that means I have to have everything I own in her car when she picks me up in the morning. Have I started packing? Nope. I just got home from Peter’s a while ago, and that was great. He has a lovely family. Too bad I couldn’t have seen more of them this trip, but I guess that just means I’ll have to come back! Oh Peter, Peter. I’ll miss him! Anyways, I remembered that I have to pack yesterday, but I was at Foulum until midnight working with the calves, so I had no time then. It was a good time though; Marie and I had a lot of fun. You know, setting off all of the security alarms at Foulum, nicknaming the calves, and sticking our fingers into just about every orifice on those poor little suckers. So here I am. Typical Dagmara, leaving everything for the very last minute. Think I should work on not procrastinating? Naw…
This will have to be a quick entry, because I don’t know when I’ll be able to get online again…
I just was talking about this question with Peter earlier: what goals I set for myself upon my return. I was telling him how I don’t even know how to answer that, because I don’t really set goals for myself. I just do things, and then hope to God that they work out alright. Sure, I have a vague idea of what I would want to be doing, but nothing concrete. Like last year, I thought to myself, ‘Hmm, I think I’d like to go to Denmark someday…’ I never made it a goal, but here I am! So, I don’t know what to say. I don't really plan, I do. I got this idea earlier today that I was starting to get really interested in ruminant nutrition, and then I remembered that we have a class about just that back at the U of I. I think I really want to take that class sometime soon. I’ve found myself just wanting to learn more about cows lately. At first, I really wanted to just be around cows, taking care of them and stuff. But after working with Niels, I’ve wanted to learn more about how things work. He’s inspired me to think more. I’m gonna do just that.
Adaptations I’ve made, hmmmm… cooking my own food! I need to stick with that or else I’ll starve to death next year. I’ve always been so used to having someone else do the cooking for me, whether it was my parents or the dining hall. Sure, I can make a salad or some eggs, but I don’t think I would like to live off of junk like that for the rest of my life. I’m off on a pretty good start after these couple of months. I think it’s possible to survive on my own! And riding my bike more often. I don’t know if I’ll be able to ride very much when I get back home, but I sure would like to try. I’ve really grown fond of bike riding. At first, I did it out of necessity, but it’s such a great way to start the morning, with a nice ride through the countryside. As for any habits I’ve lost… I don’t think so. I’m still the same me. Maybe I’ve stopped slouching so much. I guess!
I drank too much coffee today; I’ve got a killer headache. I have to go pack and hope that I don’t either throw up or pass out. Wish me luck!
This will have to be a quick entry, because I don’t know when I’ll be able to get online again…
I just was talking about this question with Peter earlier: what goals I set for myself upon my return. I was telling him how I don’t even know how to answer that, because I don’t really set goals for myself. I just do things, and then hope to God that they work out alright. Sure, I have a vague idea of what I would want to be doing, but nothing concrete. Like last year, I thought to myself, ‘Hmm, I think I’d like to go to Denmark someday…’ I never made it a goal, but here I am! So, I don’t know what to say. I don't really plan, I do. I got this idea earlier today that I was starting to get really interested in ruminant nutrition, and then I remembered that we have a class about just that back at the U of I. I think I really want to take that class sometime soon. I’ve found myself just wanting to learn more about cows lately. At first, I really wanted to just be around cows, taking care of them and stuff. But after working with Niels, I’ve wanted to learn more about how things work. He’s inspired me to think more. I’m gonna do just that.
Adaptations I’ve made, hmmmm… cooking my own food! I need to stick with that or else I’ll starve to death next year. I’ve always been so used to having someone else do the cooking for me, whether it was my parents or the dining hall. Sure, I can make a salad or some eggs, but I don’t think I would like to live off of junk like that for the rest of my life. I’m off on a pretty good start after these couple of months. I think it’s possible to survive on my own! And riding my bike more often. I don’t know if I’ll be able to ride very much when I get back home, but I sure would like to try. I’ve really grown fond of bike riding. At first, I did it out of necessity, but it’s such a great way to start the morning, with a nice ride through the countryside. As for any habits I’ve lost… I don’t think so. I’m still the same me. Maybe I’ve stopped slouching so much. I guess!
I drank too much coffee today; I’ve got a killer headache. I have to go pack and hope that I don’t either throw up or pass out. Wish me luck!
07 July 2009
'Typical Pia!!'
I can’t really say much about student life here, because I honestly don’t know, as I’m not exactly sure who is working and who is a student. So... but, the work atmosphere is so much different here. I really enjoy it. Everything is really laid back, no one’s ever hovering over you dogging you on to finish your work. You go at your own pace. And no one here seems to just be working to get done; they’re genuinely interested in what they’re doing, and coming to work every day isn’t a chore. Personally, back home, I always hated going to work. But not here. The atmosphere is so much different. More welcoming in a sense. I like it a lot here; I sure am gonna miss it!
I must say, I’m meeting the greatest people. Everyone I work with is so chipper and full of life; it’s really a breath of fresh air. I’m so fond of them all; I guess I’ll go through them... Niels, the head of the group, I swear he never stops. That man has a mean power walk; I kinda jog to keep up with him. He’s got so many ideas and he’s just brilliant. Niels is always happy to share this knowledge. Birgit is a very quiet lady. She’s so quick and efficient with what she does, especially in the lab. She’s such a reliable person; if I ever mess something up, which is very often, she’s always there to help... if you can track her down! Who else would remind me about coffee breaks? Anne has so much energy! Always bright eyed and bushy tailed, as they say. She always does sound effects when she talks, it’s so funny. And she’s the cutest mom ever. Her kids are so funny, especially her son! I love hearing stories about him. Pia is just a riot. She reminds me a lot of one of my best friends back home. She’s so laid back, and reminds me a lot of myself. She likes looking for shortcuts to things, which is one of my very favorite things to do. She’s got attitude, I love it! She always makes me laugh, I love joking around with her. Marie, I feel like I’m only just getting to know her. She’s pretty reserved, but a very smart girl. The more I get to know her the more I really like spending time with her. She’s got a really kick ass dog too, cute little guy! Those are just a few of the lively characters in my every day life. I work with Mogens quite often as well. He’s just a great person, very trusting and kind. He’s got a lot of patience, for which I am glad, because when I take tail vein samples with him, I always manage to mess something up. He’s very eager to include me in things; I feel like, always showing me new things, like taking out infusion devices from the stomach of a cow the other day. And I loooove his family to boot. His girls are too cute for words! And then there’s Peter! I haven’t spent very much time with Peter, as I’m not in the building so much, but whenever I do see him he manages to make my day. He’s so optimistic about everything! I just love talking to him. Oh that Peter, what a goof…
Can I talk about the cows too? Is that very lame? Doesn’t matter I suppose, but I feel I should include them. In the main barns we’ve got nine cows. They’re all just lovely, but I’m quite taken with a few in particular. My favorite has to be no. 01. I just love her! She’s like, the ‘cuddliest’ cow ever. She loves it when you scratch her on the butt, and she’ll tilt her head down and her eyes get all buggy. Oh it’s hilarious! If I’m ever petting another cow, Pia comes up behind me and says, ‘I think someone’s jealous…’ I know right away and I just laugh and look at 01, because she’s staring me down as if she’s trying to beckon me over. Her one of her catheters is in the wrong place, we’ve found, so they were going to put her down. However, by some stroke of luck Niels has decided to let her live. I’m happy. My little cow =) no.14 is another one of my favorites. She’s got a very curious tongue. Some days, if you stick your head too close to her she will lick you across the face. It’s kind of gross, but charming at the same time. And she does this thing where she just stands around and wags her tongue around. Omg it’s so funny! She does it for hours! Weird cow. Then there’s no. 05. This cow let me tell you, she’s something else. Everyone calls her Ms. Bull, and it’s so fitting. She’s like, a tomboy cow. She’s biiiig, and she’s got such attitude. Some people she just doesn’t like and others she’s nice to. I think I got lucky, because she rather likes me… well, on days when she’s in a good mood anyways. She can be so sweet though.
AND MY CALVES! Oh the baby cows are so cute. I love them love them love them. I’m kind of glad I’m leaving when I am so I won’t get so attached, haha, because I know they’re not destined to live to long. Speaking of, my favorite calf, no. 29 died on Sunday night. I named him White. He was such a pretty little guy. What a sad day! Thankfully I still have little no. 21, I call him Alfalfa. Like the Little Rascals movie. I love his pink nose! Little cows... I gave them all buzz cuts the other day, of course taking some creative liberty… Let’s just say the calves I shaved are definitely the most interesting ones.
There are also my roommates and the people at the Kollegium that I’ve also gotten to know. I’ve befriended a lot of people from different countries and cultures. I really like talking to them and listening to their points of view on a lot of aspects. Everyone is so different, and it’s a great experience conversing with them. I’ve also met Kasey, who Dr. Hurley had told me about before. She’s just great. She’s so confident, full of life and ideas. Just a walking, talking party. I hope I can keep in touch with her, and everyone else as well when I get back home.
Honestly, I haven’t really thought about setting goals. I’m not really the type of person to do so; I much rather prefer to just roll with whatever comes at me. I do dislike planning of any kind. Well, I guess one goal I had was to ride my bike to work. I definitely accomplished this. Take that everyone who doubted me! HA! However, there have been things that I have achieved that I really wanted to, like getting the hang of living on my own. I also really wanted to get some practical experience working with cattle, as I had never done so before. Thankfully, I’ve found that I enjoy it a lot. More over, I wanted to meet new people and learn from them. And that, I must say, I’ve definitely done, and I really couldn’t be happier.
I can’t believe I only have a few days left in Viborg! Oh how depressing, I kind of don’t want to leave! I don’t miss home at all, haha, sorry mom and dad! If I had my dog I could chill here for a while longer. But I am so excited to travel to Poland to see my family, so I’m looking forward to that at the end of the week!
I must say, I’m meeting the greatest people. Everyone I work with is so chipper and full of life; it’s really a breath of fresh air. I’m so fond of them all; I guess I’ll go through them... Niels, the head of the group, I swear he never stops. That man has a mean power walk; I kinda jog to keep up with him. He’s got so many ideas and he’s just brilliant. Niels is always happy to share this knowledge. Birgit is a very quiet lady. She’s so quick and efficient with what she does, especially in the lab. She’s such a reliable person; if I ever mess something up, which is very often, she’s always there to help... if you can track her down! Who else would remind me about coffee breaks? Anne has so much energy! Always bright eyed and bushy tailed, as they say. She always does sound effects when she talks, it’s so funny. And she’s the cutest mom ever. Her kids are so funny, especially her son! I love hearing stories about him. Pia is just a riot. She reminds me a lot of one of my best friends back home. She’s so laid back, and reminds me a lot of myself. She likes looking for shortcuts to things, which is one of my very favorite things to do. She’s got attitude, I love it! She always makes me laugh, I love joking around with her. Marie, I feel like I’m only just getting to know her. She’s pretty reserved, but a very smart girl. The more I get to know her the more I really like spending time with her. She’s got a really kick ass dog too, cute little guy! Those are just a few of the lively characters in my every day life. I work with Mogens quite often as well. He’s just a great person, very trusting and kind. He’s got a lot of patience, for which I am glad, because when I take tail vein samples with him, I always manage to mess something up. He’s very eager to include me in things; I feel like, always showing me new things, like taking out infusion devices from the stomach of a cow the other day. And I loooove his family to boot. His girls are too cute for words! And then there’s Peter! I haven’t spent very much time with Peter, as I’m not in the building so much, but whenever I do see him he manages to make my day. He’s so optimistic about everything! I just love talking to him. Oh that Peter, what a goof…
Can I talk about the cows too? Is that very lame? Doesn’t matter I suppose, but I feel I should include them. In the main barns we’ve got nine cows. They’re all just lovely, but I’m quite taken with a few in particular. My favorite has to be no. 01. I just love her! She’s like, the ‘cuddliest’ cow ever. She loves it when you scratch her on the butt, and she’ll tilt her head down and her eyes get all buggy. Oh it’s hilarious! If I’m ever petting another cow, Pia comes up behind me and says, ‘I think someone’s jealous…’ I know right away and I just laugh and look at 01, because she’s staring me down as if she’s trying to beckon me over. Her one of her catheters is in the wrong place, we’ve found, so they were going to put her down. However, by some stroke of luck Niels has decided to let her live. I’m happy. My little cow =) no.14 is another one of my favorites. She’s got a very curious tongue. Some days, if you stick your head too close to her she will lick you across the face. It’s kind of gross, but charming at the same time. And she does this thing where she just stands around and wags her tongue around. Omg it’s so funny! She does it for hours! Weird cow. Then there’s no. 05. This cow let me tell you, she’s something else. Everyone calls her Ms. Bull, and it’s so fitting. She’s like, a tomboy cow. She’s biiiig, and she’s got such attitude. Some people she just doesn’t like and others she’s nice to. I think I got lucky, because she rather likes me… well, on days when she’s in a good mood anyways. She can be so sweet though.
AND MY CALVES! Oh the baby cows are so cute. I love them love them love them. I’m kind of glad I’m leaving when I am so I won’t get so attached, haha, because I know they’re not destined to live to long. Speaking of, my favorite calf, no. 29 died on Sunday night. I named him White. He was such a pretty little guy. What a sad day! Thankfully I still have little no. 21, I call him Alfalfa. Like the Little Rascals movie. I love his pink nose! Little cows... I gave them all buzz cuts the other day, of course taking some creative liberty… Let’s just say the calves I shaved are definitely the most interesting ones.
There are also my roommates and the people at the Kollegium that I’ve also gotten to know. I’ve befriended a lot of people from different countries and cultures. I really like talking to them and listening to their points of view on a lot of aspects. Everyone is so different, and it’s a great experience conversing with them. I’ve also met Kasey, who Dr. Hurley had told me about before. She’s just great. She’s so confident, full of life and ideas. Just a walking, talking party. I hope I can keep in touch with her, and everyone else as well when I get back home.
Honestly, I haven’t really thought about setting goals. I’m not really the type of person to do so; I much rather prefer to just roll with whatever comes at me. I do dislike planning of any kind. Well, I guess one goal I had was to ride my bike to work. I definitely accomplished this. Take that everyone who doubted me! HA! However, there have been things that I have achieved that I really wanted to, like getting the hang of living on my own. I also really wanted to get some practical experience working with cattle, as I had never done so before. Thankfully, I’ve found that I enjoy it a lot. More over, I wanted to meet new people and learn from them. And that, I must say, I’ve definitely done, and I really couldn’t be happier.
I can’t believe I only have a few days left in Viborg! Oh how depressing, I kind of don’t want to leave! I don’t miss home at all, haha, sorry mom and dad! If I had my dog I could chill here for a while longer. But I am so excited to travel to Poland to see my family, so I’m looking forward to that at the end of the week!
30 June 2009
"Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays"...
I can’t say that I’m unprepared for the trip as far as knowledge goes. I can’t think of anything that I wish I had known, because everything about living here just seemed natural. Well, actually, now that I’m thinking about it, I wish someone had told me that the banks close at 4pm and are not open on weekends, because that is so horridly inconvenient seeing as I usually get home after 5pm. What is this place!? I figure Denmark does not want me to pay my rent… I’ve heard that on Thursday, the bank is open until 5, maybe I can fit that in. also, this isn’t someone anyone would’ve told me, but I wish I had looked into European flights a little bit more before I left. So I can have two 20kg pieces of luggage to fly from the US to Europe. However, within Europe, I can only fly with one 20kg bag. What the hell am I supposed to do with my other 20kg? I’m thinking I’ll send a bag home or something. But with my luck, I bet the post office is only open until 3pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays… or something.
And I just thought of something. I wish someone told me that it’s ok to take 40kg of luggage to Europe, but within Europe you can only travel with 20kg. What is this crap?! What am I supposed to do with my other 20kg, other than paying $300 to ship it back home? RIDICULOUS!
I haven’t been very homesick at all. The first week or so I really missed being with my friends, but that passed. I guess I’m not the type that’s so attached to my family, because I don’t mind being away from them at all. Maybe I’ve just grown accustomed to being away from the summer, as I’ve done it in the past. The other day I was chatting with Kasey, and I actually started to feel homesick. We were talking about Taco Bell. Oh how I love Taco Bell. I really miss that. And hanging out in Champaign. And watching normal TV. But all that aside, I feel like this is home, at least for the time being; maybe that’s why I don’t miss anything so much.
Oh man, my all time favorite point of this week was helping Niels operate on the calves. We’re ending the protocol on the catheterized cows for now and now starting a new project that will follow the stomach development in calves, or something like that. For the experiment, 10 calves are being fitted with rumen cannulas when they are four days old. On Wednesday we had four calves to operate. I was planning on being in the operation room just hovering around and looking over shoulders. Much to my surprise, as I show up, one of the first things I hear is ‘Dagmara what size gloves do you wear?’ and then Niels says, ‘You’ll be helping me today!’ Wowwowwow, that was so cool! My job was to stick the calves with antibiotic when they were put up onto the table, and then help Niels as he performed the surgery. There I was, standing over this little cow with Niels as he cut a perfect little circle into the rumen and stitched it up to the skin. I held some clamps and some sutures, stuck my finger into the rumen; it’s so small compared to the big cows! Then we woke up the calves and waited for them to come to. The next day they were good as new, happy and ready to eat. It was a great experience; I’m really grateful to have gotten the opportunity. I’ll put up some pictures when I upload them!
This week, I have discovered the most ridiculous thing in my life. Purely by accident. I was flipping through all 6 TV channels that we have, when I stumbled across this Danish/Japanese show. It features like, 6 or so Danish people that are on this Japanese game show. It is so absurd it’s barely plausible. The episode I saw, the contestants were dressed up like random things, one was a banana, an eggplant, a mushroom, a cockroach, etc, like, full body costumes. And then they were put in pairs. One person had to use their head to hit this red button to keep a conveyer type track moving, and the other person was on a mini tricycle, trying to ride up this path. And I THINK the point was for the person hitting the button to knock the person off of the track. At the end of the track there was a bit vat of whipped cream that they would fall into. I swear to Jesus that I’m not even making this up.
Least favorite, let’s see… Maybe I’ll get back to last week, Monday to be exact, where just about everything went wrong. In retrospect, it’s pretty funny. Birgit always tells me, ‘Let’s hope this will not be another Monday like before…’ or ‘it should be ok, today is not Monday.’ Amen to that! Any ways, I was on my way to work last Monday, riding down a busy road, minding my own business, when the next thing I know, my damn shoe falls off. Of course I’m going down a hill, so I slam on the brakes of my bike but it takes me to just about the bottom to coast to a stop. I swerve off to the side and run/hop all the way up the hill, and then dodge cars to get to the middle of the road because, duh, my shoe had to land there, and then run back to my bike. It sucked, but I was just cracking up the whole time as I was imagining how retarded I must look to the people driving by. Then I actually got to work, and it was time to start up the Cobas machine. I ran a test, but something was wrong, the machine was giving us weird results. So Birgit and I looked at it, and just ran it again. Wrong again! We figured there wasn’t enough plasma in the tubes to be tested, so we scolded Adam for using all the plasma and got new samples. After thawing and spinning those, we ran the tests again. Wrong still. So now we’re so confused, and Birgit looks at the machine again and says, ‘oh, you put the tubes in the wrong slots, that’s why the machine isn’t reading them.’ Oh Dagmara... It was my fault all along! But that’s nothing new. So I put them all in right, we ran the tests again and found there actually wasn’t enough plasma for two of the samples, so Birgit got new ones, and we ran it again. Then I come to find that we thawed the wrong samples. SO I RAN. THE .TESTS. AGAIN. I was seriously done around 5pm. To do one test. Oh lord and Jesus in heaven, that was the worst day ever. Thankfully, it’s over, and it hasn’t happened again. Little Cobas machine and I have become good pals, and even better, today I ran my very last test. Celebration!
Also, while on my bike yesterday (Monday), I noticed that mother nature was having a ‘case of the Mondays’ as well, because there were so many little animals dead on the road. Like, 5 frogs, about a million snails and slugs, and a little hedgehog. You know, I’ve seen three hedgehogs here in Denmark, and they’re all been road kill. I didn’t even know they had those guys around here!
I don’t really have much to expand on… but I did see from last year some of the girls made lists of things they wanted to do when they got home. I am liking this idea quite a lot. Here goes. When I get back to the states I’m gonna:
-Drive my car. Somewhere far. Like really far. Maybe to a far grocery store where I can buy a lot of really heavy things and I can put them all into my trunk and DRIVE them back home.
-Go to Taco Bell and get a volcano burrito.
-Stop being so healthy.
-Take my dog on the longest walk ever.
-Use a hair drier… I think I fried the one I brought, actually. Haha…
-Text like crazy again. I miss it so much, I feel so disconnected with the world!
-Buy a magazine in English.
-Etc, etc, etc
And I just thought of something. I wish someone told me that it’s ok to take 40kg of luggage to Europe, but within Europe you can only travel with 20kg. What is this crap?! What am I supposed to do with my other 20kg, other than paying $300 to ship it back home? RIDICULOUS!
I haven’t been very homesick at all. The first week or so I really missed being with my friends, but that passed. I guess I’m not the type that’s so attached to my family, because I don’t mind being away from them at all. Maybe I’ve just grown accustomed to being away from the summer, as I’ve done it in the past. The other day I was chatting with Kasey, and I actually started to feel homesick. We were talking about Taco Bell. Oh how I love Taco Bell. I really miss that. And hanging out in Champaign. And watching normal TV. But all that aside, I feel like this is home, at least for the time being; maybe that’s why I don’t miss anything so much.
Oh man, my all time favorite point of this week was helping Niels operate on the calves. We’re ending the protocol on the catheterized cows for now and now starting a new project that will follow the stomach development in calves, or something like that. For the experiment, 10 calves are being fitted with rumen cannulas when they are four days old. On Wednesday we had four calves to operate. I was planning on being in the operation room just hovering around and looking over shoulders. Much to my surprise, as I show up, one of the first things I hear is ‘Dagmara what size gloves do you wear?’ and then Niels says, ‘You’ll be helping me today!’ Wowwowwow, that was so cool! My job was to stick the calves with antibiotic when they were put up onto the table, and then help Niels as he performed the surgery. There I was, standing over this little cow with Niels as he cut a perfect little circle into the rumen and stitched it up to the skin. I held some clamps and some sutures, stuck my finger into the rumen; it’s so small compared to the big cows! Then we woke up the calves and waited for them to come to. The next day they were good as new, happy and ready to eat. It was a great experience; I’m really grateful to have gotten the opportunity. I’ll put up some pictures when I upload them!
This week, I have discovered the most ridiculous thing in my life. Purely by accident. I was flipping through all 6 TV channels that we have, when I stumbled across this Danish/Japanese show. It features like, 6 or so Danish people that are on this Japanese game show. It is so absurd it’s barely plausible. The episode I saw, the contestants were dressed up like random things, one was a banana, an eggplant, a mushroom, a cockroach, etc, like, full body costumes. And then they were put in pairs. One person had to use their head to hit this red button to keep a conveyer type track moving, and the other person was on a mini tricycle, trying to ride up this path. And I THINK the point was for the person hitting the button to knock the person off of the track. At the end of the track there was a bit vat of whipped cream that they would fall into. I swear to Jesus that I’m not even making this up.
Least favorite, let’s see… Maybe I’ll get back to last week, Monday to be exact, where just about everything went wrong. In retrospect, it’s pretty funny. Birgit always tells me, ‘Let’s hope this will not be another Monday like before…’ or ‘it should be ok, today is not Monday.’ Amen to that! Any ways, I was on my way to work last Monday, riding down a busy road, minding my own business, when the next thing I know, my damn shoe falls off. Of course I’m going down a hill, so I slam on the brakes of my bike but it takes me to just about the bottom to coast to a stop. I swerve off to the side and run/hop all the way up the hill, and then dodge cars to get to the middle of the road because, duh, my shoe had to land there, and then run back to my bike. It sucked, but I was just cracking up the whole time as I was imagining how retarded I must look to the people driving by. Then I actually got to work, and it was time to start up the Cobas machine. I ran a test, but something was wrong, the machine was giving us weird results. So Birgit and I looked at it, and just ran it again. Wrong again! We figured there wasn’t enough plasma in the tubes to be tested, so we scolded Adam for using all the plasma and got new samples. After thawing and spinning those, we ran the tests again. Wrong still. So now we’re so confused, and Birgit looks at the machine again and says, ‘oh, you put the tubes in the wrong slots, that’s why the machine isn’t reading them.’ Oh Dagmara... It was my fault all along! But that’s nothing new. So I put them all in right, we ran the tests again and found there actually wasn’t enough plasma for two of the samples, so Birgit got new ones, and we ran it again. Then I come to find that we thawed the wrong samples. SO I RAN. THE .TESTS. AGAIN. I was seriously done around 5pm. To do one test. Oh lord and Jesus in heaven, that was the worst day ever. Thankfully, it’s over, and it hasn’t happened again. Little Cobas machine and I have become good pals, and even better, today I ran my very last test. Celebration!
Also, while on my bike yesterday (Monday), I noticed that mother nature was having a ‘case of the Mondays’ as well, because there were so many little animals dead on the road. Like, 5 frogs, about a million snails and slugs, and a little hedgehog. You know, I’ve seen three hedgehogs here in Denmark, and they’re all been road kill. I didn’t even know they had those guys around here!
I don’t really have much to expand on… but I did see from last year some of the girls made lists of things they wanted to do when they got home. I am liking this idea quite a lot. Here goes. When I get back to the states I’m gonna:
-Drive my car. Somewhere far. Like really far. Maybe to a far grocery store where I can buy a lot of really heavy things and I can put them all into my trunk and DRIVE them back home.
-Go to Taco Bell and get a volcano burrito.
-Stop being so healthy.
-Take my dog on the longest walk ever.
-Use a hair drier… I think I fried the one I brought, actually. Haha…
-Text like crazy again. I miss it so much, I feel so disconnected with the world!
-Buy a magazine in English.
-Etc, etc, etc
23 June 2009
Why do I get so excited when I open new packages of test tubes?
Sorry, it took me a while to get to writing this blog. I’ve had a very busy couple of days. Over the weekend, a coworker of mine invited me to stay with his family and we all went on a day trip to Skagen, at the very tip of Denmark. It was a beautiful place, and now I can say that I’ve stood at the tippy tip of the country. I think that’s pretty cool. It was a great weekend; I got to know Mogen’s absolutely charming family. His daughters were so cute. They both were going on and on about something I had no idea what. They didn’t care that I can’t say anything in Danish save for ‘yes’, ‘no’, and ‘snake/tube’, soooo… Needless to say it was a hilarious situation, but it was great. Fantastisk!
Either way, this week will be busy too. I spent today finishing up a list of Phosphorous and Creatinine tests on my Cobas machine. I think I’m FINALLY getting the hang of that thing. At the start that machine and I were not good friends but now we’re pretty pally. It usually works like a charm. I don’t think I’ll have the time to get back to running my tests until Friday or something, I have a feeling my little Cobas will miss me. Birgit said she’ll make sure to say hi to it while I’m at the barns. Can’t have that thing getting mad and going berserk now can we? Nope nope! We’re sampling again on Thursday, and tomorrow we’ve got 3 calves that are going to be operated on and fixed with the rumen cannulas. I’m really excited to be able to help with that, plus those calves are damn adorable. Hooray! I’ll be able to bring back all of the things I learn with me. I’m not sure if anyone will get anything out of it, but I know I sure have. I’ve done things here I would have never gotten the chance to take part in back home, and I’m extremely grateful for that. I’ve learned a lot about the catheterized cows and taking blood samples from them. I’ve also been helping taking blood samples from the tail vein of a different set of cows. I’m getting pretty good I think. I’ll be able to do that anytime if anyone needs me to, haha!
The mentality about the animals here I find to be different than that in the US. Not that I’m too familiar with how things go on at farms in the US, since I’ve never been on a real one, save for the ones at school. But I’ve noticed here that people are much more compassionate when it comes to the welfare of the animals. Yes, these are just experimental animals, and are thus not slated to lead to long of lives, but everyone here goes out of their way to make the animals happier and more comfortable while they’re in their care. The cows lead pretty good lives I think. Everyone is always saying hi to them, talking to them, just generally taking interest in them. Back home it always seemed to me like the animals were just products and their little existence in the barns doesn’t seem to mean anything. Here it’s different. I like it.
I think the best way that I can contribute my experiences from here in Denmark back to the UIUC community is by sharing them with others. Maybe I can get involved with a club that deals with this kind of business. Maybe the pre-vet club, or the dairy club; they deal with cows. I feel like the more I relate my experiences, the more people can open their eyes to something different. Sometimes, you just don’t know that there is something else out there, if that makes any sense at all. Being aware that there are experiments and such, especially at this scale going on in other countries was eye opening to me; I think it could be to others as well.
What I’ve done here mainly makes me more motivated to get involved back home. Sure, I always say that to myself, that I’m going to get involved. But I never actually get around to it. I think I have severe motivation problems or something. Something about being here though has made me want to do more though. I feel a drive to want to know more, as where I was always content before. I’ve gotten to learn so much here and have gotten to experience so many new things; I don’t want that to end when I get back to school. That would just be a shame I think.
Either way, this week will be busy too. I spent today finishing up a list of Phosphorous and Creatinine tests on my Cobas machine. I think I’m FINALLY getting the hang of that thing. At the start that machine and I were not good friends but now we’re pretty pally. It usually works like a charm. I don’t think I’ll have the time to get back to running my tests until Friday or something, I have a feeling my little Cobas will miss me. Birgit said she’ll make sure to say hi to it while I’m at the barns. Can’t have that thing getting mad and going berserk now can we? Nope nope! We’re sampling again on Thursday, and tomorrow we’ve got 3 calves that are going to be operated on and fixed with the rumen cannulas. I’m really excited to be able to help with that, plus those calves are damn adorable. Hooray! I’ll be able to bring back all of the things I learn with me. I’m not sure if anyone will get anything out of it, but I know I sure have. I’ve done things here I would have never gotten the chance to take part in back home, and I’m extremely grateful for that. I’ve learned a lot about the catheterized cows and taking blood samples from them. I’ve also been helping taking blood samples from the tail vein of a different set of cows. I’m getting pretty good I think. I’ll be able to do that anytime if anyone needs me to, haha!
The mentality about the animals here I find to be different than that in the US. Not that I’m too familiar with how things go on at farms in the US, since I’ve never been on a real one, save for the ones at school. But I’ve noticed here that people are much more compassionate when it comes to the welfare of the animals. Yes, these are just experimental animals, and are thus not slated to lead to long of lives, but everyone here goes out of their way to make the animals happier and more comfortable while they’re in their care. The cows lead pretty good lives I think. Everyone is always saying hi to them, talking to them, just generally taking interest in them. Back home it always seemed to me like the animals were just products and their little existence in the barns doesn’t seem to mean anything. Here it’s different. I like it.
I think the best way that I can contribute my experiences from here in Denmark back to the UIUC community is by sharing them with others. Maybe I can get involved with a club that deals with this kind of business. Maybe the pre-vet club, or the dairy club; they deal with cows. I feel like the more I relate my experiences, the more people can open their eyes to something different. Sometimes, you just don’t know that there is something else out there, if that makes any sense at all. Being aware that there are experiments and such, especially at this scale going on in other countries was eye opening to me; I think it could be to others as well.
What I’ve done here mainly makes me more motivated to get involved back home. Sure, I always say that to myself, that I’m going to get involved. But I never actually get around to it. I think I have severe motivation problems or something. Something about being here though has made me want to do more though. I feel a drive to want to know more, as where I was always content before. I’ve gotten to learn so much here and have gotten to experience so many new things; I don’t want that to end when I get back to school. That would just be a shame I think.
14 June 2009
But... Maybe we do that later. Now is time for coffee break.
For some reason, I feel like I’ve been really busy this past week. During the week, I seriously do absolutely nothing in my free time. Though I don’t have so much free time to begin with. I usually get home from Foulum close to 7pm, and by then I’m too tired to do much of anything. Then I go to bed around 10pm. I feel so old going to sleep so early! On the weekends, if it’s nice, I’ll walk around Viborg, or ride my bike around the country side. It’s really so pretty around here. There are so many things that I really do want to do, but I really don’t seem myself doing them on my own, like visiting other towns in Denmark. I really want to see Copenhagen, go there for the weekend, but going alone would just suck. As for things closer to where I live, I hear there’s this gorgeous lake about 10 km or so away from Viborg. Once the weather starts getting nicer, I’m hopefully going to venture out over in that direction.
Since I’ve been here, my whole morning life has been flipped on its head. Usually, I wake up whenever I feel ready to wake up, whether it’s 8am or 11am. Not any more! Now I’m up at 6am or 5am if we’re sampling on that day. I drag myself out of bed so I can hop on my bike and ride my ass to Foulum. It takes about an hour at my groggy pace. Whatever happened to just lying around in the morning? Either way, when I get to Foulum I’m the dead walking. There’s something wonderful that happens during the work day, twice a day actually. It’s called a coffee break. And boy do I love it. In the past, I was never the type who needed coffee to function. Sure, I’d love hitting up the Starbucks and getting myself a way too expensive frap, but I never really needed it to get going. I remember my first week here, back when I really wasn’t doing anything but floating around. It would get around 9:30am and people would usher me to the break room, where we all sat around and drank coffee. It was plain old black coffee and I thought it was just awful. One day, I was working with Adam, one of the people in my group, and we forgot about our afternoon coffee break. Long story short, Birgit was very concerned, and now she reminds me every day. Now when I get in at about 8, I’m barely functional until I get my coffee break, and you know, that plain black coffee is starting to taste pretty delicious. I think I need a bigger mug.
I’ve definitely found some new views on a few things while I’ve been here in Denmark. In response to eating, for the most part, it’s a bit of a hassle. I really hate cooking for myself. I know it’s a good thing that I’m learning to do it all on my own, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy it. Dragging myself out to the grocery store is never a fun experience. Some days, I don’t even know what I’m buying, but I buy it anyways because the packaging looks nice. I’m a sucker for advertising, I think. With travel, oh man, all I want is my car. This also ties back to the whole grocery shopping order. Whenever I’m hiking out to the shop and schlepping along these heavy bags, all I can think of is how nice it would be to throw everything into my SUV and drive home. Or drive myself to work when it’s pouring outside. Or drive myself anywhere for that matter! For some reason, I have no trust in buses or trains, so I’m skeptical… My daily schedule has really become something that is very organized and punctual. Every day I can’t help but to laugh at myself, because I do the same thing just about every day at the exact same time when I’m at home. This is one of the reasons I’m so glad to stay at Foulum for however long the need me, even if it’s past 6pm; because I’ve got nothing better to do at home. Never thought I would like staying long hours at work! In terms of communication, it’s pretty difficult at first. It’s draining, for both parties, to have to constantly explain yourself or try to find a translation for a word. It’s getting a lot easier though, as I get to know the people I work with. I can usually fill in the blanks for them if they can’t think of a word to explain something. I know I’m never going to be able to understand Danish, but at least I can understand the people.
I think the questions are just fine. They keep me on track, where as without them, I would probably ramble on about random things.
Since I’ve been here, my whole morning life has been flipped on its head. Usually, I wake up whenever I feel ready to wake up, whether it’s 8am or 11am. Not any more! Now I’m up at 6am or 5am if we’re sampling on that day. I drag myself out of bed so I can hop on my bike and ride my ass to Foulum. It takes about an hour at my groggy pace. Whatever happened to just lying around in the morning? Either way, when I get to Foulum I’m the dead walking. There’s something wonderful that happens during the work day, twice a day actually. It’s called a coffee break. And boy do I love it. In the past, I was never the type who needed coffee to function. Sure, I’d love hitting up the Starbucks and getting myself a way too expensive frap, but I never really needed it to get going. I remember my first week here, back when I really wasn’t doing anything but floating around. It would get around 9:30am and people would usher me to the break room, where we all sat around and drank coffee. It was plain old black coffee and I thought it was just awful. One day, I was working with Adam, one of the people in my group, and we forgot about our afternoon coffee break. Long story short, Birgit was very concerned, and now she reminds me every day. Now when I get in at about 8, I’m barely functional until I get my coffee break, and you know, that plain black coffee is starting to taste pretty delicious. I think I need a bigger mug.
I’ve definitely found some new views on a few things while I’ve been here in Denmark. In response to eating, for the most part, it’s a bit of a hassle. I really hate cooking for myself. I know it’s a good thing that I’m learning to do it all on my own, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy it. Dragging myself out to the grocery store is never a fun experience. Some days, I don’t even know what I’m buying, but I buy it anyways because the packaging looks nice. I’m a sucker for advertising, I think. With travel, oh man, all I want is my car. This also ties back to the whole grocery shopping order. Whenever I’m hiking out to the shop and schlepping along these heavy bags, all I can think of is how nice it would be to throw everything into my SUV and drive home. Or drive myself to work when it’s pouring outside. Or drive myself anywhere for that matter! For some reason, I have no trust in buses or trains, so I’m skeptical… My daily schedule has really become something that is very organized and punctual. Every day I can’t help but to laugh at myself, because I do the same thing just about every day at the exact same time when I’m at home. This is one of the reasons I’m so glad to stay at Foulum for however long the need me, even if it’s past 6pm; because I’ve got nothing better to do at home. Never thought I would like staying long hours at work! In terms of communication, it’s pretty difficult at first. It’s draining, for both parties, to have to constantly explain yourself or try to find a translation for a word. It’s getting a lot easier though, as I get to know the people I work with. I can usually fill in the blanks for them if they can’t think of a word to explain something. I know I’m never going to be able to understand Danish, but at least I can understand the people.
I think the questions are just fine. They keep me on track, where as without them, I would probably ramble on about random things.
07 June 2009
Maybe even a cheeseburger!
My first official week on the job… Boy, let me tell you, it was a busy one. I learned so much about what goes on in our department, it was great. They’ve been teaching me, in the lab, how some of the equipment works, and also the numerical system that they categorize their blood samples by. There are sets of numbers from 100-400, each corresponding with a different vein or artery. In the barns when we were taking samples, the first and foremost thing I learned was that if the system gets messed up, everything gets messed up. You have to keep the numbers straight in your head, which is really tough at first. I’m very fascinated by this experiment as a whole. I’m pretty much in awe of Niels. Like seriously, how did he think of doing all of this stuff? If it was me, I’d have no idea what to conduct an experiment on! This man is quite literally a genius; I feel really privileged to be able to work with him and have him teaching me.
I’m really enjoying the time I get to spend at the barns, whether we’re sampling or not. Pia is teaching me a lot about the day to day things that go on there. One of the main things I do is wash cows. It might sounds kind of ridiculous, but it’s something that has to be done. The rumen fistula is constantly oozing out stomach contents onto the cow’s side, and it has to be kept clean. The cows really seem to enjoy the attention. At least, most of them do. One cow seems to have taken a strong dislike towards me. Let me say, there is nothing more frustrating than tying up a cow that does not want to be tied up. My threats of turning number 96 into a hamburger fell upon deaf ears; she fought me until the end!
When we’re actually sampling, the day is a lot more structured. Last week we took samples and for me, it was quite an experience. Niels had mentioned when I first got in that he wanted to train me in taking blood samples, so that I could get in there and take his place. Excellent, I said! Just teach me to do it right, I said. We would be doing 8 samplings that day, one each hour. The first hour, I just watched Niels as he explained it all to me. the second hour, he wanted me to get a little more involved, so he let me draw blood from one of the catheters, as I had done once before. All was well! So far. The next hour, Niels says, ‘Here, take all four syringes’ Let me say, it may sound easy, but simultaneously drawing blood from four catheters into four 20ml syringes is not an easy task. With Niels standing by, however, I did it just fine and got the samples to where they needed to be. Fine. Cool. The next hour, Niels goes, ‘Are you ready to do it on your own?’ Excuuuuse me Niels? And before I could adamantly object, I had been set up at one of the cows and Niels was off to his office. And so for the next five hours I had two cows to take samples from, and I basically did it on my own. Marie was there to help me out after she had finished sampling from her cows, which I really appreciated. But mostly, it was up to me. It felt great to know that they trust me with a task so important to the whole experiment. Phew, talk about a leaning curve! This place is crazy. I love it!
I’m really enjoying the time I get to spend at the barns, whether we’re sampling or not. Pia is teaching me a lot about the day to day things that go on there. One of the main things I do is wash cows. It might sounds kind of ridiculous, but it’s something that has to be done. The rumen fistula is constantly oozing out stomach contents onto the cow’s side, and it has to be kept clean. The cows really seem to enjoy the attention. At least, most of them do. One cow seems to have taken a strong dislike towards me. Let me say, there is nothing more frustrating than tying up a cow that does not want to be tied up. My threats of turning number 96 into a hamburger fell upon deaf ears; she fought me until the end!
When we’re actually sampling, the day is a lot more structured. Last week we took samples and for me, it was quite an experience. Niels had mentioned when I first got in that he wanted to train me in taking blood samples, so that I could get in there and take his place. Excellent, I said! Just teach me to do it right, I said. We would be doing 8 samplings that day, one each hour. The first hour, I just watched Niels as he explained it all to me. the second hour, he wanted me to get a little more involved, so he let me draw blood from one of the catheters, as I had done once before. All was well! So far. The next hour, Niels says, ‘Here, take all four syringes’ Let me say, it may sound easy, but simultaneously drawing blood from four catheters into four 20ml syringes is not an easy task. With Niels standing by, however, I did it just fine and got the samples to where they needed to be. Fine. Cool. The next hour, Niels goes, ‘Are you ready to do it on your own?’ Excuuuuse me Niels? And before I could adamantly object, I had been set up at one of the cows and Niels was off to his office. And so for the next five hours I had two cows to take samples from, and I basically did it on my own. Marie was there to help me out after she had finished sampling from her cows, which I really appreciated. But mostly, it was up to me. It felt great to know that they trust me with a task so important to the whole experiment. Phew, talk about a leaning curve! This place is crazy. I love it!
03 June 2009
Pictures
So I took some pictures over the weekend
http://s669.photobucket.com/albums/vv56/dagmaraluk/Denmark/?albumview=grid
http://s669.photobucket.com/albums/vv56/dagmaraluk/Denmark/?albumview=grid
I fit in so well at the barns... I smell exactly like a cow.
The weekend was absolutely great. It was some kind of holiday that I can’t recall, so we also had Monday off. It seemed like Denmark, the country itself wanted everyone to go out and enjoy this three day weekend. The weather was flawless: high 70’s all three days, blue skies, shining sun; it was just perfect. Since I had just gotten my bike, I spent most of my weekend biking around Viborg and the country surrounding it. It’s really beautiful around here. I love seeing the animals and the farm land, but there are also little woods and lakes. Very scenic. I also took a walk around the south lake one of the days. I got a little sun burnt, but it was totally worth it. It’s great living so close to such a relaxing place.
Nothing I can think of has been negative so far. I suppose, the crazy weather here kind of sucks. The weekend weather was wonderful, but the rest of the week won’t be as nice. The winds are picking up, rain clouds coming back around, and of course, the temperature is dropping. I just hope it doesn’t get too windy, anything else is fine.
I’ve actually been learning a lot about the work I’m going to be doing. In fact, I got to do some of this work just yesterday. We’re doing work about protein absorption in different veins and arteries in the cow’s body. The cows are fitted with multiple catheters along with a rumen fistula. We take blood samples from the catheters, but they all have to be taken simultaneously. This is pretty tough, you have to hold four big syringes in one hand, draw back with the other hand, and then empty the blood into the proper test tube. Niels, the man running this experiment, somehow found me competent enough to trust me to do this all on my own, which was a big honor, seeing as I’ve only been here a week! It was great to finally get in there. I learned a lot about how to work the catheters and about their system of organization for the samples taken. While we’re not taking samples I help Pia, the main woman that works with the cows, with whatever she needs. Usually I spend my days washing the cows or brushing them while I’m down at the barns. I really like working with Pia, she’s a character. Working with everyone here is great; I’m growing so fond of everyone. Someone suggested to me that I could do my own project while I’m here, except I don’t even have an idea of how people think up projects in the first place. I am no genius; I’ll be the first to say. Maybe Niels will give me some ideas; that man is like a super scientist.
Nothing I can think of has been negative so far. I suppose, the crazy weather here kind of sucks. The weekend weather was wonderful, but the rest of the week won’t be as nice. The winds are picking up, rain clouds coming back around, and of course, the temperature is dropping. I just hope it doesn’t get too windy, anything else is fine.
I’ve actually been learning a lot about the work I’m going to be doing. In fact, I got to do some of this work just yesterday. We’re doing work about protein absorption in different veins and arteries in the cow’s body. The cows are fitted with multiple catheters along with a rumen fistula. We take blood samples from the catheters, but they all have to be taken simultaneously. This is pretty tough, you have to hold four big syringes in one hand, draw back with the other hand, and then empty the blood into the proper test tube. Niels, the man running this experiment, somehow found me competent enough to trust me to do this all on my own, which was a big honor, seeing as I’ve only been here a week! It was great to finally get in there. I learned a lot about how to work the catheters and about their system of organization for the samples taken. While we’re not taking samples I help Pia, the main woman that works with the cows, with whatever she needs. Usually I spend my days washing the cows or brushing them while I’m down at the barns. I really like working with Pia, she’s a character. Working with everyone here is great; I’m growing so fond of everyone. Someone suggested to me that I could do my own project while I’m here, except I don’t even have an idea of how people think up projects in the first place. I am no genius; I’ll be the first to say. Maybe Niels will give me some ideas; that man is like a super scientist.
31 May 2009
Nice day we're having!
When I first learned that I would be travelling to Denmark over the summer I had no idea what to picture. Even the few days leading up to my departure, I still could not imagine what this place was going to be like, or look like. Now that I’m here, I must say, it’s absolutely wonderful. The weather this weekend has been summery and inviting. There’s barely any wind and glaring sunshine, something, I hear from the locals is not very typical of this time of year. Either way, I’m grateful.
The house I’m staying in is very cozy, and I’m really glad to be here. Viborg itself is absolutely gorgeous. There’s an old town feel to it, and I love how everything is so close together and accessible. The town has two lakes in it, a north lake and a south lake. I walked around one of them today, it was very peaceful. There’s also a garden with these beautiful flowers. I think Peter told me they’re rhododendrons. Whatever they are, they’re breath taking. I made sure to take a whole lot of pictures today. It’s an amazing first weekend to be here, that’s for sure. Foulum is really interesting too. It’s just huge! I was on a tour the other day, and the place is just vast. They have so many departments in the actual buildings themselves, and along with that, all of these fields and barn areas for all of the animals. I found out that they have chickens, pigs, cows, and minks. Somehow I wasn’t expecting minks, but seeing them was pretty cool. It really made me want a mink coat, or maybe a hat or something. There are so many different fur types and patterns. I’m sure they’ll all make stunning jackets in due time. I also got to see the robotic milker in one of the cattle research places. That thing was so high tech it wasn’t even funny. But at the same time, I really found it funny, but I’m not sure why. It’s such a strange concept, these cows just wandering in to have themselves milked. Funny ladies!
I’m not at all feeling weird about being so far from home, in fact, it’s a welcomed break. However, it is hard to adjust to having to do everything for myself. I really underestimated shopping for groceries, especially in a country where the words look like gibberish on the label. I seriously just buy things and hope that they turn out to be what I’m looking for. This method works about 70% of the time, so I can’t really complain. Cooking for myself is no fun either. I feel like I can finally sympathize with my mother, strangely enough. Basically, my whole routine in life has changed, but I’m coping just fine. I’ve had to make a few adjustments, like trying to decipher my way through stores or streets, and not having a car to drive everywhere. I’ve taken the bus a few times, and now I’ve got a bike. A man from Foulum, Lars, has showed me a nice little path to take to get from there to Viborg. He turned out to be basically my neighbor, it’s nice having him around if I’ve got some very important issues. Like I did the other day with my bike having a flat tire. Oh Lars what would I do without you?!
Denmark is proving fairly easy to adjust to. It’s weird not actually knowing anyone, but that will come with time, I haven’t even been here a whole week! Even though I’ve been here such a short time, for some reason, it doesn’t feel like it. When I go to work at Foulum, everything is so familiar seeming. It’s like I’ve lived here forever… without knowing the language of course, ha. A country inhabited by people who do not speak English as a first language is pretty tricky to live in, I have to say. I had a conversation; an actual conversation, uninterrupted by explaining everything, the other day. But it was with Kasey, the other girl from America who I finally got the opportunity to meet. I was thinking to myself how odd it is to not have someone understand what you’re saying. I’m speaking plain English! Or maybe it’s not so plain, and I think I talk to fast. I need to learn to slow down. Maybe I will eventually.
The house I’m staying in is very cozy, and I’m really glad to be here. Viborg itself is absolutely gorgeous. There’s an old town feel to it, and I love how everything is so close together and accessible. The town has two lakes in it, a north lake and a south lake. I walked around one of them today, it was very peaceful. There’s also a garden with these beautiful flowers. I think Peter told me they’re rhododendrons. Whatever they are, they’re breath taking. I made sure to take a whole lot of pictures today. It’s an amazing first weekend to be here, that’s for sure. Foulum is really interesting too. It’s just huge! I was on a tour the other day, and the place is just vast. They have so many departments in the actual buildings themselves, and along with that, all of these fields and barn areas for all of the animals. I found out that they have chickens, pigs, cows, and minks. Somehow I wasn’t expecting minks, but seeing them was pretty cool. It really made me want a mink coat, or maybe a hat or something. There are so many different fur types and patterns. I’m sure they’ll all make stunning jackets in due time. I also got to see the robotic milker in one of the cattle research places. That thing was so high tech it wasn’t even funny. But at the same time, I really found it funny, but I’m not sure why. It’s such a strange concept, these cows just wandering in to have themselves milked. Funny ladies!
I’m not at all feeling weird about being so far from home, in fact, it’s a welcomed break. However, it is hard to adjust to having to do everything for myself. I really underestimated shopping for groceries, especially in a country where the words look like gibberish on the label. I seriously just buy things and hope that they turn out to be what I’m looking for. This method works about 70% of the time, so I can’t really complain. Cooking for myself is no fun either. I feel like I can finally sympathize with my mother, strangely enough. Basically, my whole routine in life has changed, but I’m coping just fine. I’ve had to make a few adjustments, like trying to decipher my way through stores or streets, and not having a car to drive everywhere. I’ve taken the bus a few times, and now I’ve got a bike. A man from Foulum, Lars, has showed me a nice little path to take to get from there to Viborg. He turned out to be basically my neighbor, it’s nice having him around if I’ve got some very important issues. Like I did the other day with my bike having a flat tire. Oh Lars what would I do without you?!
Denmark is proving fairly easy to adjust to. It’s weird not actually knowing anyone, but that will come with time, I haven’t even been here a whole week! Even though I’ve been here such a short time, for some reason, it doesn’t feel like it. When I go to work at Foulum, everything is so familiar seeming. It’s like I’ve lived here forever… without knowing the language of course, ha. A country inhabited by people who do not speak English as a first language is pretty tricky to live in, I have to say. I had a conversation; an actual conversation, uninterrupted by explaining everything, the other day. But it was with Kasey, the other girl from America who I finally got the opportunity to meet. I was thinking to myself how odd it is to not have someone understand what you’re saying. I’m speaking plain English! Or maybe it’s not so plain, and I think I talk to fast. I need to learn to slow down. Maybe I will eventually.
28 May 2009
It's Always Sunny in Denmark!
This trip, I supposed that it would go just like any other trip to Europe. For the most part, I was right. However, I found that the Scandinavians have an excellent airline. Maybe it’s because conditions were ideal, and we had nothing but blue skies the whole way, but this flight was so smooth. I swear, sitting on that plane, one could’ve thought we were cruising along on the ground. It was brilliant. Nothing was really negative, except that I accidentally spent like $10 on a coffee in Copenhagen. But I really didn’t care; I needed that Starbucks so bad.
The country I’m visiting is just gorgeous. There are so many fields, but unlike back in Illinois, it’s not all corn. There’s rapeseed, wheat, potatoes, barley, rye, things like that; and they’re all so interesting to look at. And the land is more interesting, hilly and all. I must note, something that I find really surprising about this place is the fact that everyone is such a patient driver. I’m not sure how to explain it, but everyone I’ve driven with is just so content to wait for another car to move. Back home waiting more than a minute, or a few seconds extra when you miss a break in traffic to turn makes people flips out. Not here. It’s so refreshing. I’m staying in a town called Viborg. It’s such a charming little place. There are two lakes that it’s sitting on, and flowers everywhere. I’m renting a room, sharing a house with two other girls. One’s named Eva, she’s from Spain; the other is Annie and she’s from Burkina Faso. They’re both very interesting people are sure to make my stay here very interesting. People here in general are just so earnest and cheery. I’ve never really seen anything like it, it’s spectacular. They’re always so optimistic. Even a ‘no’ sounds positive when a Danish person says it. Today, we were out in the barn collecting blood samples from the cows when it starts totally pouring outside. Everyone just shrugs and mentions how you gotta love the weather in Denmark! I thought it would suck to have to work outside today, or ride home on your bike. This one woman I’m working with, Anne, laughs and says, ‘There will be a beautiful rainbow after, at least!’ What charming people, I hope this optimism catches on to me.
Mostly, what I’m looking forward most is getting more involved at Foulum. Everyone here is really great. They’re so eager for me to learn everything and to work with them. Also, I met the cows we’ll be working on throughout my stay here. They’re absolutely adorable, but they don’t like me so much. I’m looking forward to building up some trust with them too, haha. As they keep telling me, we’ll soon be ‘good friends’. I also hope to get my bearings a little bit better. I’m totally confused when I go anywhere. I get lost in Foulum at least 3 times a day, and let’s not even get me started on Viborg. I tell everyone I’m working with, if I don’t show up to work one day, you’ll know I’m lost and wandering around the fields somewhere, so send a search party. We’ll see how that works out!
There’s something so weird that happens here in Denmark. The sun comes up before 5am, and goes down after 10pm. Like, it’s 10 to 10 right now, and it’s still bright as day outside. It’s really odd when you’re trying to sleep. It’s going to take me a while to get used to it. On that note, I should get to bed. TGIF tomorrow, there's a 3 day weekend coming up! Everyone is very excited =)
The country I’m visiting is just gorgeous. There are so many fields, but unlike back in Illinois, it’s not all corn. There’s rapeseed, wheat, potatoes, barley, rye, things like that; and they’re all so interesting to look at. And the land is more interesting, hilly and all. I must note, something that I find really surprising about this place is the fact that everyone is such a patient driver. I’m not sure how to explain it, but everyone I’ve driven with is just so content to wait for another car to move. Back home waiting more than a minute, or a few seconds extra when you miss a break in traffic to turn makes people flips out. Not here. It’s so refreshing. I’m staying in a town called Viborg. It’s such a charming little place. There are two lakes that it’s sitting on, and flowers everywhere. I’m renting a room, sharing a house with two other girls. One’s named Eva, she’s from Spain; the other is Annie and she’s from Burkina Faso. They’re both very interesting people are sure to make my stay here very interesting. People here in general are just so earnest and cheery. I’ve never really seen anything like it, it’s spectacular. They’re always so optimistic. Even a ‘no’ sounds positive when a Danish person says it. Today, we were out in the barn collecting blood samples from the cows when it starts totally pouring outside. Everyone just shrugs and mentions how you gotta love the weather in Denmark! I thought it would suck to have to work outside today, or ride home on your bike. This one woman I’m working with, Anne, laughs and says, ‘There will be a beautiful rainbow after, at least!’ What charming people, I hope this optimism catches on to me.
Mostly, what I’m looking forward most is getting more involved at Foulum. Everyone here is really great. They’re so eager for me to learn everything and to work with them. Also, I met the cows we’ll be working on throughout my stay here. They’re absolutely adorable, but they don’t like me so much. I’m looking forward to building up some trust with them too, haha. As they keep telling me, we’ll soon be ‘good friends’. I also hope to get my bearings a little bit better. I’m totally confused when I go anywhere. I get lost in Foulum at least 3 times a day, and let’s not even get me started on Viborg. I tell everyone I’m working with, if I don’t show up to work one day, you’ll know I’m lost and wandering around the fields somewhere, so send a search party. We’ll see how that works out!
There’s something so weird that happens here in Denmark. The sun comes up before 5am, and goes down after 10pm. Like, it’s 10 to 10 right now, and it’s still bright as day outside. It’s really odd when you’re trying to sleep. It’s going to take me a while to get used to it. On that note, I should get to bed. TGIF tomorrow, there's a 3 day weekend coming up! Everyone is very excited =)
21 May 2009
Can I drink tap water in Denmark?
So here we are. What is it, like, three days before I have to leave? Not gonna lie, I’m pretty nervous. That’s probably what I’m most stressed out about in anticipation for this trip, just waiting. I really can’t stand packing; it’s really the bane of my existence. I bet I’m going to forget something important. Of course I know I’m going to over pack, bring way too many clothes, bring way too many pairs of shoes, too many suitcases that I’ll get heckled about when I got to O’Hare. Speaking of, O’Hare is going to be my biggest challenge during my travels. Never in my life have I been somewhere so chaotic and strict. Everyone working there is just so unsympathetic. Never in all my years of travelling have I had a good experience with O’Hare. I’m betting this summer will not be an exception, I wonder what I’ll get hassled about this year?
But enough with my personal battle with the Chicago airport. I’m really excited to get out of the US; I didn’t go anywhere last summer, so I’ve really been missing travelling out of the country. I can’t wait to get to Denmark. It might seem kind of dumb, but one of the reasons I really wanted to study in Denmark was because I had a layover there a few years back. I was only at Copenhagen airport for a few hours but I just loved it. Everyone was so nice and the place was so modern. And oddly enough, there were sections in the hallways where you could smoke. Not that I smoke, but I found that so fascinating. I had always wanted to be able to come back to the country, and when I saw that the U of I offered a study abroad program there I was very intrigued. I can’t wait to go back; I’ll have some time to chill at the airport before my flight to Karup. I love layovers for some reason; it’s like a glimpse into another country. On that note, I was excited to see I’ve got a layover in Stockholm, Sweden before I head to Copenhagen. I’ve never been there before; I can’t wait to scope out that place!
I’ve been many places before, Europe being one of them. I’ve flown to Poland for years on my own in order to visit family there. In that aspect, I’m no stranger to travelling abroad. I have a feel for what it’s like to live in a country over seas; it’s a lot different, but at the same time, after a while it starts to feel like the same old, same old. However, the fact that I’ve been to Europe before isn’t the only thing that separates me from the other students that have gone on this trip before. Unlike them, I’m the only one going on this trip from the U of I. it will be strange being all alone. It feels so definitive now. It feels like I’m up a creek without a paddle; I really have no idea what I’m doing. I’ll figure it out eventually though. Ha, at least I hope! In Poland, I always had family to go to, there was always something familiar. Not this time. I know I’ll cope just fine, but the first few days will be rough. I’m so accustomed to the familiar; it’ll be a shock to go to a place where I won’t be able to find any of that.
I still can’t picture this place in my head, especially the place I’ll be staying or working or the project I’ll be doing. I’m sure it’ll be perfectly nice; I just don’t know how to envision it. I can’t wait to actually get there. Once I am, I think everything will be ok. I still have a million questions though. Poor Peter, he’s going to get bombarded with them all when I get there. Sorry in advance you chipper guy, you!
But enough with my personal battle with the Chicago airport. I’m really excited to get out of the US; I didn’t go anywhere last summer, so I’ve really been missing travelling out of the country. I can’t wait to get to Denmark. It might seem kind of dumb, but one of the reasons I really wanted to study in Denmark was because I had a layover there a few years back. I was only at Copenhagen airport for a few hours but I just loved it. Everyone was so nice and the place was so modern. And oddly enough, there were sections in the hallways where you could smoke. Not that I smoke, but I found that so fascinating. I had always wanted to be able to come back to the country, and when I saw that the U of I offered a study abroad program there I was very intrigued. I can’t wait to go back; I’ll have some time to chill at the airport before my flight to Karup. I love layovers for some reason; it’s like a glimpse into another country. On that note, I was excited to see I’ve got a layover in Stockholm, Sweden before I head to Copenhagen. I’ve never been there before; I can’t wait to scope out that place!
I’ve been many places before, Europe being one of them. I’ve flown to Poland for years on my own in order to visit family there. In that aspect, I’m no stranger to travelling abroad. I have a feel for what it’s like to live in a country over seas; it’s a lot different, but at the same time, after a while it starts to feel like the same old, same old. However, the fact that I’ve been to Europe before isn’t the only thing that separates me from the other students that have gone on this trip before. Unlike them, I’m the only one going on this trip from the U of I. it will be strange being all alone. It feels so definitive now. It feels like I’m up a creek without a paddle; I really have no idea what I’m doing. I’ll figure it out eventually though. Ha, at least I hope! In Poland, I always had family to go to, there was always something familiar. Not this time. I know I’ll cope just fine, but the first few days will be rough. I’m so accustomed to the familiar; it’ll be a shock to go to a place where I won’t be able to find any of that.
I still can’t picture this place in my head, especially the place I’ll be staying or working or the project I’ll be doing. I’m sure it’ll be perfectly nice; I just don’t know how to envision it. I can’t wait to actually get there. Once I am, I think everything will be ok. I still have a million questions though. Poor Peter, he’s going to get bombarded with them all when I get there. Sorry in advance you chipper guy, you!
09 May 2009
Welcome
This blog is intended to act as a journal of reflections by our student who is visiting Denmark in summer 2009. The student will be working with scientists at the host institution, as well as experiencing the culture of the country. This reflective journal provides a forum for the student to regularly record her challenges, frustrations, successes, achievements and learning during her stay in Europe.
This summer, one student is visiting the Research Centre Foulum in Tjele, Denmark, now part of the University of Aarhus. The student will work on several research projects currently being conducted by the host Danish scientists.
For previous blogs maintained by students see:
Summer 2007
Summer 2008
This summer, one student is visiting the Research Centre Foulum in Tjele, Denmark, now part of the University of Aarhus. The student will work on several research projects currently being conducted by the host Danish scientists.
For previous blogs maintained by students see:
Summer 2007
Summer 2008
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