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!
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