I feel like I haven't talked much about work and that I should try to talk about that some. Lately besides sending out lots of emails, I've been working on fixing up Excel sheets that will be used as mailing lists or to fill in official letters. We are also planning the end of program poster colloquium. In order to lessen confusion, I'm holding an info session for the students to tell them again what they need to have prepared and how. I swear if they don't show up, I'm going to not only kill them, but not answer any questions they manage to ask before I kill them. :) One task that occupied a ridiculous but amusing amount of time was trying to figure out how to arrange the posters in the room. We knew that we had portable walls to hang 50 posters on and that they are 90cm wide. We were trying to figure out how to arrange the posters according to certain groups and make use of the space. I ended up making phone calls trying to figure out how big the space was, getting the blueprints, and going up to the room to roughly measure with my footsteps (it was in use at the time). I messed around with so many pieces of paper, the paint program in Microsoft, and in PowerPoint before I found something that seemed best suited. The pieces of paper I sketched on just looked ridiculous and somehow I couldn't believe how much effort I had put into figuring out the layout of the room. However in the end, it felt good to know what I had done, and it was fun all the same.
Oddly enough I have no memory of what else I've been doing lately. Possibly just answering lots of emails and sending out important info. I did ask Beate a week or two ago, how she thinks I'm doing and if she's pleased, and she definitely is. I know things are easier on her this year, since I'm here, especially because that means that I can go on excursions, and she can stay home. The offer to come back next year still stands, and that becomes more tempting as I spend time with more and more German friends.
I mentioned that I was going to run a race this past week. The race is called the Lousberglauf or Lousberg Run, and the Lousberg is this hill in Aachen. You basically run up and around it and then back down again. The total distance is 5.555km, so about 3 miles. There were about 2000 participants and we were a registered team. I'm of course so out of shape and didn't train, but I still met my goals: finish within 45 min, not finish last, finish at all. I ran it in about 38min, which is definitely nothing to brag, but it felt good finishing.
I've had some afternoons off at work this past week, so I spent my time at the city library. I mentioned two posts before that I had gone to one of the buddy's places and hung out. The same buddy, Dimitri, also lent me a book, which I really happened to like. I asked if he had other suggestions and proceeded to read those at the library as well as Jodi Piccoult's "Vanishing Acts". I spent around 1.5-2hrs on Thursday and 2.5 hrs on Friday in the library. It was nice to get caught up in books that I didn't want to put down and to be secluded away from my apartment.
Friday night I was unexpectedly invited out by Johannes, he's one of the German friends I've mentioned I've run into on the street before, to get drinks with his girlfriend and a friend of hers, who was driving thru town. I got so excited, because I didn't have plans, and it meant a lot to me that he invited me out. We ended up having some beer just sitting around in a park and then much later we decided to go out. I met them back up at another friend's place to have another beer and then we headed out. We ultimately decided not to go to our original goal destiniation, B9, but just chilled on the street. I randomly bumped into Megan, a girl in the program, and as our group was dispersing at that point, she and I headed to Apollo club for reggae night. There this girl approached us and greet us, or at least me, very enthusiastically. I recognized her, but I have no idea how I know her. She even proceeded to take photos of us during the night. Megan and I were hoping she tag us somehow, and I would remember who she is, but seeing as how she and I aren't friends online anywhere, I have no idea....
Saturday, I went to Liege with some UROP students and some other foreign students. Sarah, a student assistant, with whom I often work, accompanied me. Liege is a liesurely hour drive away. We had a disappointing river tour, but after that, the day picked up. Our tour guide for our city tour was wonderful and led us through the historical and then modern part of Liege for 1.5hrs. Sunday, I had plans to go to the Carolus Thermen again (the thermal baths). This time I went with four other people, and really had a great time. They are very relaxing, though I'm not sure that was the best thing for me after having just gotten about 14hrs of sleep. In the evening some of us got together again, plus another friend, and got dinner and dessert, basically because none of us wanted to go home and were too lazy to do anything else, not that there was much else to do. It was an awesome evening. I laughed so much with those friends and we really just walked around and had some crazy conversations. The good thing is that I often hang out with the one girl, Becca, and I'm starting to hang out more and more with Hendrik.
Becca and I
Me, Hendrik, Michael
Aachen town hall: one of the prettiest in Germany
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