Friday, November 30, 2012
Meet the Chef
I love experimental cooking! Whether it's figuring out how to prepare artichokes from the dumpster or using up leftover ricotta or pouring spices into a dish in whatever quantity I feel like at the time, it's just exciting. If I'm feeding other people I often feel the need to offer a disclaimer, that no, I haven't made this before and no, I'm not following a recipe, but I do hope it turns out... But I haven't had any food disasters yet! Thanks to the campus chickens we have way too many eggs in the fridge right now, so last night I made a quiche. Looked at four or five recipes and then didn't follow any of them. I didn't measure any of the ingredients (except for the crust), but my roommate and I agreed that it turned out delicious. Yeah. This is what I do for fun. :)
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Exergy (In Which Ruth for the First Time Finds Awe in Thermodynamics Class)
Erwin Schrodinger, in slightly fewer words. This is probably the closest to theology that I'll get:
What is the characteristic feature of life? When is a piece of matter said to be alive? When it goes on ‘doing something,’ moving, exchanging material with its environment, and so forth, and that for a much longer period than we would expect of an inanimate piece of matter to ‘keep going’ under similar circumstances. When a system that is not alive is isolated or placed in a uniform environment, all motion usually comes to a standstill very soon as a result of various kinds of friction; differences of electric or chemical potential are equalized, substances which tend to form a chemical compound do so, temperature becomes uniform by heat conduction. The physicist calls this the state of thermodynamical equilibrium, or of ‘maximum entropy.’ How does the living organism avoid decay toward maximum entropy? A living organism continually increases its entropy, and thus tends to approach the dangerous state of maximum entropy, which is of death. It can only keep aloof from it, i.e. alive, by continually sucking orderliness from its environment.
What is the characteristic feature of life? When is a piece of matter said to be alive? When it goes on ‘doing something,’ moving, exchanging material with its environment, and so forth, and that for a much longer period than we would expect of an inanimate piece of matter to ‘keep going’ under similar circumstances. When a system that is not alive is isolated or placed in a uniform environment, all motion usually comes to a standstill very soon as a result of various kinds of friction; differences of electric or chemical potential are equalized, substances which tend to form a chemical compound do so, temperature becomes uniform by heat conduction. The physicist calls this the state of thermodynamical equilibrium, or of ‘maximum entropy.’ How does the living organism avoid decay toward maximum entropy? A living organism continually increases its entropy, and thus tends to approach the dangerous state of maximum entropy, which is of death. It can only keep aloof from it, i.e. alive, by continually sucking orderliness from its environment.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Choices
I'm not a person to pick favorites, but this fall semester so far is definitely near the top of the list. In some ways it was hard to readjust to EMU after the summer, but aside from that I'm as close to thriving as I've ever been. As my final year of college progresses, I've thought a lot about how I can give priority to things that bring me joy and give me life. I've been busy, of course, but mostly with things that I love, clubs I care about, people I want to be with. I dropped a class at the beginning of the semester because I thought it'd be more like busywork than something I'd actually take the time to engage. Since then, there have only been a couple weeks when I felt TOO busy, or busy with obligations rather than things I really wanted to be doing. I could still stand to improve my time management skills, but I've been able to take time to read, paint, bike, bake, and journal. Spending time with my wonderful roommate has been so valuable, but I've had the opportunity to have my own space too (and I'm getting better at telling which one I need).
I've also been thinking about what life will be like when I'm not surrounded by the ready-made EMU community anymore. That was one of the challenges of this summer, so I'm trying to be more proactive about reaching out to people to have dinner together or just to hang out. There's a certain way I want to relate to the world, and EMU is a good place to practice. Even small choices like using people's names when I say hi to them helps me feel more connected.
One thing I don't really feel I've had adequate time for is thinking about some of my longer-term questions or pondering the bigger thoughts I need to work through. The time is quickly approaching when I'll need to make some choices about next year. I have sort of a vague sense of the person I'd like to be in the future, but as far as the details of where I'll be and what I'll be doing... not so sure. Those things seem less important anyway, even as they do carry so much weight right now. I always feel I'm thinking too narrowly when I consider possibilities where I might be in five years, but I don't really know how to think creatively about all the things I could be doing. It's hard to do anything but try to fit yourself into what you know is already out there. In any case, I know I won't end up where I expected to be. Which is intimidating but extremely exciting!
Just one great quote of many from a commencement address given by Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes:
"We define ourselves by our actions. With each decision, we tell ourselves and the world who we are."
On that note, I've been asking people to make some kind of representation, whether it be a drawing, a list, a map, a timeline, a diagram, or something else, of their decisions. Pivotal decisions that changed the course of their lives, everyday decisions about how to spend time or how to relate to the world, decisions that can now be clearly seen as right or wrong, decisions that are still somewhere more gray, and decisions that resulted in something unexpected. If you have a few minutes and feel helpful, I'd very much appreciate responses from more of you. What kinds of things do you decide?
I've also been thinking about what life will be like when I'm not surrounded by the ready-made EMU community anymore. That was one of the challenges of this summer, so I'm trying to be more proactive about reaching out to people to have dinner together or just to hang out. There's a certain way I want to relate to the world, and EMU is a good place to practice. Even small choices like using people's names when I say hi to them helps me feel more connected.
One thing I don't really feel I've had adequate time for is thinking about some of my longer-term questions or pondering the bigger thoughts I need to work through. The time is quickly approaching when I'll need to make some choices about next year. I have sort of a vague sense of the person I'd like to be in the future, but as far as the details of where I'll be and what I'll be doing... not so sure. Those things seem less important anyway, even as they do carry so much weight right now. I always feel I'm thinking too narrowly when I consider possibilities where I might be in five years, but I don't really know how to think creatively about all the things I could be doing. It's hard to do anything but try to fit yourself into what you know is already out there. In any case, I know I won't end up where I expected to be. Which is intimidating but extremely exciting!
Just one great quote of many from a commencement address given by Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes:
"We define ourselves by our actions. With each decision, we tell ourselves and the world who we are."
On that note, I've been asking people to make some kind of representation, whether it be a drawing, a list, a map, a timeline, a diagram, or something else, of their decisions. Pivotal decisions that changed the course of their lives, everyday decisions about how to spend time or how to relate to the world, decisions that can now be clearly seen as right or wrong, decisions that are still somewhere more gray, and decisions that resulted in something unexpected. If you have a few minutes and feel helpful, I'd very much appreciate responses from more of you. What kinds of things do you decide?
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Adventuring
A very long post. Bear with me.
At the end of our internships at TU Graz, Shannon and I parted ways with the guys and headed off on an adventure. Our first stop was Salzburg, where we planned to spend a day before heading to Prague in the evening. Our trip got off to a rough start when we missed our train to Salzburg by just a few seconds and had to wait in the Graz train station for four hours for the next one. This did give us the chance to get one last kebap from Pammukale though! When we finally made it to Salzburg, we found out that the train we wanted to take to Prague was not, in fact, an overnight train like we had assumed, but instead had a five hour layover in Germany. Our other option was to take a train that would arrive in Prague at the same time but leave Salzburg at 4 AM. Since we had only just gotten there, we decided we might as well stay and see Salzburg by night. We wandered around a bit and saw one of the Sound of Music sites, but our plans were altered further by the cold and rainy weather that we weren't quite prepared for. I think I've mentioned before that most places close early in Austria, so when we found ourselves tired and hungry after night had fallen our options were limited, and we were overjoyed to spot a McDonald's where we could drink coffee and kill time until it closed at 2. We slept for a few hours huddled on the floor in the train station before the next leg of our trip.
Prague is a gorgeous city. We had forgotten how disorienting it is to be in a foreign country on the first day when you don't know the language (and we realized how much German we actually do recognize), but after we figured out where the train station was on the map we were able to find our way. We stumbled upon a Lego museum and some incredible street musicians, as well as getting to see part of the Jewish quarter, the astronomical clock, and a whole wall of graffiti dedicated to John Lennon and peace. Our hostel was a converted gymnasium with 70 beds in one room and was an experience in itself. From there, Budapest. Budapest felt much different from any of the other places we had been. Kind of run down, but I really liked it. We visited a (very depressing) museum about nazism and communism and took a tour of the two sides of the city (during which we temporarily lost our tour group, don't ask me how).
Shannon then returned home, and I spent one more day in Budapest to check out a thermal bath before taking a night train up to Berlin. I had already checked "ride a train" off my bucket list at the beginning of the summer, but being crammed into a cupboard-sized compartment with five other people and all of our luggage sealed the deal. My decision to go to Germany was very last-minute, and at this point I still didn't know what I would do in Berlin or where I would go after that. But since I was on my own, I was glad to be back in a place where I could at least read a menu or understand signs. The first day of traveling alone (and the realization that I really was in Europe by myself!) was intimidating and I was pretty unsure of myself. I also didn't have nearly enough time to feel comfortable in Berlin, since I was only there a day. I did get to see some pretty amazing street art though, as well as the more well-known sights like the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe and the remains of the Berlin wall. The next day, I went to Leipzig, which I picked mainly because it was on the way back down to Austria. I had an all-over wonderful experience there. It was somewhat bizarre to go to a sit-down restaurant by myself, considering I don't think I've ever done that in the States. I went out in the evening by myself and found a fantastic student club, where instead of feeling as awkward as I had feared, I actually got quite a confidence boost putting my social skills to the test. I only stayed one day in Leipzig as well, but I almost have the sense that if I had stayed longer, I would have been disappointed that I couldn't replicate the good time I had on the first day. Munich was my last stop before going back to Graz. Unlike in Leipzig where everything had gone wonderfully smoothly, I had a bit of trouble finding a hostel and so was fairly tired in the evening. One of the best things about traveling on my own (despite Shannon being a fabulous companion) was that I could do exactly as I pleased without having to discuss it with anyone. So that night I went to bed early. The whole time I was traveling I was trying to find the balance between not missing out on opportunities and caring for myself. At that point, I was ready to go back to Graz, where I knew I had food and a bed waiting for me, and where I could get some rest.
It was lovely having one more day in the place I had grown to love over the summer. I spent most of the time packing all of my things up to prepare for the trip home. I did get to spend a little more time with our Serbian friends there, and we visited a castle I hadn't had the chance to see yet. On to Vienna, where some very friendly people from Romania helped me carry my luggage and then just happened to be staying at the same hostel as I was. I spent my very last day doing a wine tour by bike of some of the countryside near Vienna. It seemed like my wine tastings in Graz actually taught me something, although of course there was a lot of new information too. It was so refreshing to spend a pleasant day biking through vineyard-covered hills, and my picnic lunch and swim in the Danube didn't hurt either. I had spent all but 29 cents of the Euros I had, but luckily I was able to get the last few things I needed (like a train ticket to the airport!) with a credit card.
Looking back over my summer now, I am so glad I got the chance to go on this adventure. At times it was lonely, but overall I had a great time. Sometimes I couldn't help comparing this experience to my cross-cultural and struggling with the lack of meaning. The summer was a lot of fun, I learned a bit about science and a lot about myself, and I have something new to put on my resume, but those don't always seem significant enough when I think about the semester I spent in Guatemala/Mexico learning about justice and things that really MATTER. I also didn't feel like I spent the summer with the degree of intentionality that I would've liked. Being apart from the EMU community and other people who care about doing things for a purpose made it hard. The summer brought up questions I thought I had answered about myself.
As I begin my last year of college, what's changed? I already knew I loved this place and these people, but being in such a different setting made me value them all the more. I'm scared of not taking full advantage of the community I have here this year. I still want to learn German. I still don't know where I'm going from here. I keep trying to remind myself to choose only that which is worth choosing (I stole that from somewhere, but I can't remember where). This semester I'm taking my senior Honors class, in which we're supposed to be able to craft some kind of worldview. I don't know what the end product of that process will be for me, but I don't think it could come at a better time as I try to find and refind my place here and in the broader world.
"A proper education enables young people to put their lives in order, which means knowing what things are more important than other things; it means putting first things first." --Wendell Berry
At the end of our internships at TU Graz, Shannon and I parted ways with the guys and headed off on an adventure. Our first stop was Salzburg, where we planned to spend a day before heading to Prague in the evening. Our trip got off to a rough start when we missed our train to Salzburg by just a few seconds and had to wait in the Graz train station for four hours for the next one. This did give us the chance to get one last kebap from Pammukale though! When we finally made it to Salzburg, we found out that the train we wanted to take to Prague was not, in fact, an overnight train like we had assumed, but instead had a five hour layover in Germany. Our other option was to take a train that would arrive in Prague at the same time but leave Salzburg at 4 AM. Since we had only just gotten there, we decided we might as well stay and see Salzburg by night. We wandered around a bit and saw one of the Sound of Music sites, but our plans were altered further by the cold and rainy weather that we weren't quite prepared for. I think I've mentioned before that most places close early in Austria, so when we found ourselves tired and hungry after night had fallen our options were limited, and we were overjoyed to spot a McDonald's where we could drink coffee and kill time until it closed at 2. We slept for a few hours huddled on the floor in the train station before the next leg of our trip.
Prague is a gorgeous city. We had forgotten how disorienting it is to be in a foreign country on the first day when you don't know the language (and we realized how much German we actually do recognize), but after we figured out where the train station was on the map we were able to find our way. We stumbled upon a Lego museum and some incredible street musicians, as well as getting to see part of the Jewish quarter, the astronomical clock, and a whole wall of graffiti dedicated to John Lennon and peace. Our hostel was a converted gymnasium with 70 beds in one room and was an experience in itself. From there, Budapest. Budapest felt much different from any of the other places we had been. Kind of run down, but I really liked it. We visited a (very depressing) museum about nazism and communism and took a tour of the two sides of the city (during which we temporarily lost our tour group, don't ask me how).
Shannon then returned home, and I spent one more day in Budapest to check out a thermal bath before taking a night train up to Berlin. I had already checked "ride a train" off my bucket list at the beginning of the summer, but being crammed into a cupboard-sized compartment with five other people and all of our luggage sealed the deal. My decision to go to Germany was very last-minute, and at this point I still didn't know what I would do in Berlin or where I would go after that. But since I was on my own, I was glad to be back in a place where I could at least read a menu or understand signs. The first day of traveling alone (and the realization that I really was in Europe by myself!) was intimidating and I was pretty unsure of myself. I also didn't have nearly enough time to feel comfortable in Berlin, since I was only there a day. I did get to see some pretty amazing street art though, as well as the more well-known sights like the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe and the remains of the Berlin wall. The next day, I went to Leipzig, which I picked mainly because it was on the way back down to Austria. I had an all-over wonderful experience there. It was somewhat bizarre to go to a sit-down restaurant by myself, considering I don't think I've ever done that in the States. I went out in the evening by myself and found a fantastic student club, where instead of feeling as awkward as I had feared, I actually got quite a confidence boost putting my social skills to the test. I only stayed one day in Leipzig as well, but I almost have the sense that if I had stayed longer, I would have been disappointed that I couldn't replicate the good time I had on the first day. Munich was my last stop before going back to Graz. Unlike in Leipzig where everything had gone wonderfully smoothly, I had a bit of trouble finding a hostel and so was fairly tired in the evening. One of the best things about traveling on my own (despite Shannon being a fabulous companion) was that I could do exactly as I pleased without having to discuss it with anyone. So that night I went to bed early. The whole time I was traveling I was trying to find the balance between not missing out on opportunities and caring for myself. At that point, I was ready to go back to Graz, where I knew I had food and a bed waiting for me, and where I could get some rest.
It was lovely having one more day in the place I had grown to love over the summer. I spent most of the time packing all of my things up to prepare for the trip home. I did get to spend a little more time with our Serbian friends there, and we visited a castle I hadn't had the chance to see yet. On to Vienna, where some very friendly people from Romania helped me carry my luggage and then just happened to be staying at the same hostel as I was. I spent my very last day doing a wine tour by bike of some of the countryside near Vienna. It seemed like my wine tastings in Graz actually taught me something, although of course there was a lot of new information too. It was so refreshing to spend a pleasant day biking through vineyard-covered hills, and my picnic lunch and swim in the Danube didn't hurt either. I had spent all but 29 cents of the Euros I had, but luckily I was able to get the last few things I needed (like a train ticket to the airport!) with a credit card.
Looking back over my summer now, I am so glad I got the chance to go on this adventure. At times it was lonely, but overall I had a great time. Sometimes I couldn't help comparing this experience to my cross-cultural and struggling with the lack of meaning. The summer was a lot of fun, I learned a bit about science and a lot about myself, and I have something new to put on my resume, but those don't always seem significant enough when I think about the semester I spent in Guatemala/Mexico learning about justice and things that really MATTER. I also didn't feel like I spent the summer with the degree of intentionality that I would've liked. Being apart from the EMU community and other people who care about doing things for a purpose made it hard. The summer brought up questions I thought I had answered about myself.
As I begin my last year of college, what's changed? I already knew I loved this place and these people, but being in such a different setting made me value them all the more. I'm scared of not taking full advantage of the community I have here this year. I still want to learn German. I still don't know where I'm going from here. I keep trying to remind myself to choose only that which is worth choosing (I stole that from somewhere, but I can't remember where). This semester I'm taking my senior Honors class, in which we're supposed to be able to craft some kind of worldview. I don't know what the end product of that process will be for me, but I don't think it could come at a better time as I try to find and refind my place here and in the broader world.
"A proper education enables young people to put their lives in order, which means knowing what things are more important than other things; it means putting first things first." --Wendell Berry
Summer Photos
For those of you not on facebook, here are links to the albums of photos I've posted there from my summer.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151088130908784.486828.671603783&type=1&l=0e24e88307
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151129336288784.491533.671603783&type=1&l=6b5191a348
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151168839858784.496808.671603783&type=1&l=3af967d028
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151088130908784.486828.671603783&type=1&l=0e24e88307
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151129336288784.491533.671603783&type=1&l=6b5191a348
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151168839858784.496808.671603783&type=1&l=3af967d028
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Reflection
We left Graz on Saturday. The summer's not completely over, we still have some travel time left, but it was a strange feeling to have that part of the summer come to a close. Lots of goodbyes to people who we may or may not ever see again. And I've definitely become attached to Graz. Since we left, Shannon and I have hit Salzburg, Prague, and now Budapest! I'll probably post more about our travel at some point, but what these last few days have proved to me once again is that while travel is exciting, overall I prefer to be a resident rather than a tourist. A few comments on some differences between what I've seen this summer and what I'm used to:
Likes
- Public transportation
- Drinking
- Kebap!
- German
- Diversity of people/styles
- Street musicians
- Architecture
- Men who carry purses and wear scarves
- Included tax
Dislikes
- Smoking
- Short store hours
- Exchange rate
- German
- Nothing to do on Sundays, especially if you don't really know people
- No leftover boxes
- No guaranteed free water
- No guaranteed free bathrooms
Monday, July 2, 2012
Daily Life in Graz
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| New room! So much space! |
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| Most trams look like this... |
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| ...but not all! |
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| Graz is very bike-friendly. I wish I could stay longer so it'd be worth investing in one. But again, bikes have their own whole set of rules of the road. |
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| Pamukkale Kebap. Can't stop going back here. |
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| NOM. |
Every week we get a little more independent in the lab. Shannon and I are working under two post-docs, and we alternate between them, so we work in a couple different labs on the fifth floor. Today we weren't able to do much because the cooling water system was broken, but we've synthesized quite a few compounds by now.
In other news, it's ridiculously hot here. And it takes a while to cool down in the evenings because it stays light so late. My German is coming along, slowly but surely. And this is not exactly "daily life," but last week we visited a huge chocolate factory called Zotter, where we were able to eat as much chocolate as we wanted, everything from 100% cocoa to mango chocolate milk to chocolate with hemp or cornflowers. Then we got to see a castle called Reigersburg. And finally, dinner at an "edible zoo," which was an awesome organic farm. They get all of their energy (and then some!) from a few huge rotating solar panels, and they supply the restaurant there from their own home-grown meats and veggies.
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| The fifth floor - Chemistry and Technology of Materials. |
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| View from the office we share with three grad students who are under the same professor. |
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| This is the lab where we spend most of our time. "Lauge" means Base. |
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| We have our own hood, the closest one in this picture. |
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| We spend a good bit of time doing this: mixing chemicals and then testing the reaction progress on TLC plates. |
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| Front of TU Graz again. This city is such a wonderful mix of old and new. |
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| Cocoa beans from various countries. This part reminded me of learning about the processing of coffee in Chiapas. |
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| Chocolate fountains! This one was 50% cocoa. |
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| Reigersburg is at the very top of a huge hill, which served well to defend it from the Turks. |
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| View from the top of the hill. |
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| Almost every room had a painted or inlaid ceiling. Beautiful! |
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| Lettuce growing in the flowerbeds at the edible zoo! :) |
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| Our whole meal was from the farm. And it was delicious! |
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Just Being a Tourist
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| Town hall at Hauptplatz, the main square. |
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| Monument to Archduke Johann in the center of Hauptplatz. |
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| Cool building downtown with paintings of Greek/Roman mythology. |
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| At one of the churches downtown. |
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| This is how Glockenspielplatz gets its name... |
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| These guys come out and dance while music plays! |
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| The eternal snowman (made of marble) in one of the many courtyards off one of the many winding streets downtown. |
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| Mariatrost Basilica. I went to mass here last Sunday. Interestingly enough, in one of the side rooms was an exhibit on scientific discoveries concerning DNA, evolution, the big bang... Couldn't understand much of the actual content, but I was impressed! |
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| The basilica was amazingly ornate, and the entire ceiling was covered in paintings. |
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| Near the basilica. This place definitely belongs on a postcard! |
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| Schlossberg, the mountain in the middle of Graz. |
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| The most famous landmark of Graz, the Schlossberg clock tower. |
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| We didn't realize there was so much on Schlossberg, but there are several restaurants, a bunch of ruins whose historical significance I already forget, and these canons. |
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| View from the top of Schlossberg. |
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| The strange building is Kunsthaus, the "friendly alien," museum of modern art. |
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| Inside the Kunsthaus, overlooking a gallery. The skylights here are all the weird protrusions you see from the outside. |
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| An exhibit on Liu Xiaodong, a Chinese artist, and his creative process. |
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| Bridge over the Mur River. The locks mostly have couples' names on them. |
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Murinsel, the man-made island on the Mur.
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Saturday, June 16, 2012
Week One
We started at TU-Graz on Monday. Shannon and I are both in the same working group, doing different reactions with polymers. I have pretty limited previous lab experience, and of course EMU's labs are much different than those here (mostly just smaller and older, actually...), but luckily we're starting off with pretty basic stuff. It's nice not to have homework, but we tend to come home pretty tired in the evenings. On Friday we got out of work early, which was quite nice, and then in the evening we got a taste of the nightlife.
This morning I went to a nearby farmers' market, which was probably my favorite part of Graz so far. It was huge and bustling and delicious and not too expensive and just all-around great! I managed to get the things I wanted using my limited vocabulary plus some hand gestures, but it feels strange to me that no one knows I can't speak German until I open my mouth and/or stare blankly. In Guatemala, where I could actually speak the language, I was easily distinguishable and people would approach me in English anyway, but of course here it's much different. Graz is also much more diverse than I expected, so even skin color is not necessarily a giveaway. After that, I walked around the main campus of the University of Graz (which is somehow affiliated with TU-Graz, but the "technical" building where we work is in a separate location). It was absolutely lovely, but unfortunately I forgot to take my camera with me today. Checked out a large botanical garden on the way back home, and now I still have the whole afternoon ahead of me.
This morning I went to a nearby farmers' market, which was probably my favorite part of Graz so far. It was huge and bustling and delicious and not too expensive and just all-around great! I managed to get the things I wanted using my limited vocabulary plus some hand gestures, but it feels strange to me that no one knows I can't speak German until I open my mouth and/or stare blankly. In Guatemala, where I could actually speak the language, I was easily distinguishable and people would approach me in English anyway, but of course here it's much different. Graz is also much more diverse than I expected, so even skin color is not necessarily a giveaway. After that, I walked around the main campus of the University of Graz (which is somehow affiliated with TU-Graz, but the "technical" building where we work is in a separate location). It was absolutely lovely, but unfortunately I forgot to take my camera with me today. Checked out a large botanical garden on the way back home, and now I still have the whole afternoon ahead of me.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Hallo aus Österreich
I am in Austria! I had never traveled on my own before, but the trip went smoothly. I met up with Ben, Shannon, and Andrew, the students from Syracuse University, in Vienna, and the four of us took the train down to Graz together. The day after we got here was a holiday, so almost everything was closed, but luckily we had time to get some groceries the night we got here (stores typically close around 7). Since then, we've caught up on sleep, walked around downtown, gotten to know the bus/tram system, and seen TU-Graz, the university where we'll be working. We're settled in now at the dorm where we'll be for June, and then when the semester here is over we'll be able to move closer to the university.
Despite not knowing German, I feel very comfortable with the way things work here. It's different, but I don't think it will take long to adjust. Starting next week, we'll also be meeting for a German crash course. But yeah, Graz is lovely. It's cool to see so many bikes around the city, which is also very pedestrian-friendly. Our dorm even does composting! So it's like I never left EMU. :P I love the look of old European buildings and new European fashion. I enjoy public transport, although I can't help think of Guatemala: part of me misses the crowded chaos of those bus rides. Typical Austrian food includes a lot of meat, and doughy things, and fried things. Oh, and pumpkin seed oil is a regional specialty, so they put it on everything. I like what I've had so far and have actually finished food for some of the others. Haven't tried the beer yet, but that will come. We start work on Monday so I'm excited to get into a routine here and to be able to be more independent.
If you feel inspired to send me something, it'll be expensive I'm sure, but you can send things through the chemistry department:
Ruth Maust
c/o Dr. Frank Uhlig
Institute of Organic Chemistry
Graz University of Technology
Stremayrgasse 16
A-8010 Graz, Austria
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| A couple of the streets downtown |
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| My (first) dorm |
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| TU-Graz. There's supposed to be some kind of a molecule pattern in the glass windows but it's hard to see. |
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| From a park near the dorm |
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Despite not knowing German, I feel very comfortable with the way things work here. It's different, but I don't think it will take long to adjust. Starting next week, we'll also be meeting for a German crash course. But yeah, Graz is lovely. It's cool to see so many bikes around the city, which is also very pedestrian-friendly. Our dorm even does composting! So it's like I never left EMU. :P I love the look of old European buildings and new European fashion. I enjoy public transport, although I can't help think of Guatemala: part of me misses the crowded chaos of those bus rides. Typical Austrian food includes a lot of meat, and doughy things, and fried things. Oh, and pumpkin seed oil is a regional specialty, so they put it on everything. I like what I've had so far and have actually finished food for some of the others. Haven't tried the beer yet, but that will come. We start work on Monday so I'm excited to get into a routine here and to be able to be more independent.
If you feel inspired to send me something, it'll be expensive I'm sure, but you can send things through the chemistry department:
Ruth Maust
c/o Dr. Frank Uhlig
Institute of Organic Chemistry
Graz University of Technology
Stremayrgasse 16
A-8010 Graz, Austria
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