A Year in America
Today is first anniversary of my move across the ocean. A year ago I was sitting on the plane, still couple of ours away from landing, wondering how strange my new life is going to be. Now I'm almost used to to all the weird American ways (although I still have to think carefully before writing dates. I sometimes think Americans did it on purpose to make sure that every single type of measurement is incompatible with the rest of the world). I learned how to operate washing machines. I'm resigned to the lack of proper lightning in the apartments. I love the free public transport in my town.
I managed to find all my favourite foods. Even the ones I was afraid will be hard to find. I have tea (Earl Gray, hot), white cheese (farmer's cheese) and sour cucumbers (cucumbers in dill/brine). There is enough places to get proper chocolate that I can find the kind I feel like eating most of the time. And lately I even managed to find edible bread in LionFoods.
I enjoy the fact that there is winter but not the kind of snow and cold one that's there back home (or anywhere north from here) this year. I just wish that the heating system here was better prepared for cold. The outside temperatures are fine but the inside ones make me long for radiators. I hope that when heat comes back it will be easier for me this time. And I think the fact that the building is made of wood just makes it worse.
There are still a lot of things I'm missing from home but it's because they remind me of home and all the people I miss. There are still things that annoy me here but it's in the way that there is always something that irritates one about how things work no matter where one lives.
I've gotten used to my post-doc being mostly computer work and I got used to how most of the things work around here. The rest of the lab is finally moving and in couple of weeks I will no longer be alone in my building so information exchange will get easier. And I think at least one project is close to being finished so it should be ready to be published soon. Of course I still have to write it and what's even worse I'll have to give talks (multiple! ARRGH) about it.
I'm still not sure if I'm going to stay (it depends on how I'll feel this spring - I hope it'll be better this time) but I found new friends here that I will miss if I leave.
I think it's starting to feel like home...
Here are some anniversary gifts for you:
Flying Cats - I think that they do better then humans (they are after all surprised as they didn't know what will happen). Just like any human they try to grab the first thing they come in contact with and they didn't puke:
I think that blackberry doesn't work because it's red. (To non-Europeans - Orange is one of Europe's biggest mobile network operator and Internet service provider and it's French)
All this fruit talk made me hungry. Luckily I have apples. And eggs' box.
I managed to find all my favourite foods. Even the ones I was afraid will be hard to find. I have tea (Earl Gray, hot), white cheese (farmer's cheese) and sour cucumbers (cucumbers in dill/brine). There is enough places to get proper chocolate that I can find the kind I feel like eating most of the time. And lately I even managed to find edible bread in LionFoods.
I enjoy the fact that there is winter but not the kind of snow and cold one that's there back home (or anywhere north from here) this year. I just wish that the heating system here was better prepared for cold. The outside temperatures are fine but the inside ones make me long for radiators. I hope that when heat comes back it will be easier for me this time. And I think the fact that the building is made of wood just makes it worse.
There are still a lot of things I'm missing from home but it's because they remind me of home and all the people I miss. There are still things that annoy me here but it's in the way that there is always something that irritates one about how things work no matter where one lives.
I've gotten used to my post-doc being mostly computer work and I got used to how most of the things work around here. The rest of the lab is finally moving and in couple of weeks I will no longer be alone in my building so information exchange will get easier. And I think at least one project is close to being finished so it should be ready to be published soon. Of course I still have to write it and what's even worse I'll have to give talks (multiple! ARRGH) about it.
I'm still not sure if I'm going to stay (it depends on how I'll feel this spring - I hope it'll be better this time) but I found new friends here that I will miss if I leave.
I think it's starting to feel like home...
Here are some anniversary gifts for you:
Flying Cats - I think that they do better then humans (they are after all surprised as they didn't know what will happen). Just like any human they try to grab the first thing they come in contact with and they didn't puke:
Click to viewI think that blackberry doesn't work because it's red. (To non-Europeans - Orange is one of Europe's biggest mobile network operator and Internet service provider and it's French)
All this fruit talk made me hungry. Luckily I have apples. And eggs' box.