Epical nights and progress

The weather down here is incredible! I get news from home about several cms of snow, but here in heidelberg the temperature is almost reaching 20 degrees at most. It certainly doesn't feel like it, but its autumn and christmas is drawing close. I am really looking forward to the christmas market which is due to start on the 24th november, maybe with some snow at least (doubt it)?

Well, a little recap on what's happening. The past two weeks I have been working a lot with my project, and the program I am currently writing is in its finally stage of basically looking for bugs and making sure everything is working as it should. Tomorrow I have a meeting with both my supervisors, and hopefully I can begin doing real research on the project and thinking about my first paper to publish! Wow, that would be awesome going home for christmas with the first paper already finished (it is not a requirement but preferable that PhD students have published a number of articles before they finish their studies, around 3-5 at least). Yeah!

This week has contained loads of fun also. Every thursday all us new PhDs meet for some beers, and we happened to walk into a pub offering two shots for the price of one. The party cranked up really quickly I can tell you. We had fun all night and laughed, until we went home since there was still one day more of work left to be done for the week. On friday evening a couple of us rejoined for some bowling also, less hysterical than the day before but still lots of fun.

And today came the grand finale. There is an international film festival going on in heidelberg-mannheim right now, and yesterday they showed a swedish movie called "Till det som är vackert" or "Pure" for the english title (no direct translation of course). I was really surprised by it, I had imagined it being just an ordinary love story. But with all the twists in the story and good acting I was amazed by it. I went together with some old and new swedish acquaintances we went to the movie.

After the movie I met with some of the friends from friday and we went out taking a beer and later a disco. At the disco I also met one of the swedish acquaintances again, and we all dances until late late. At about 4.30 in the morning I walked home, in a t-shirt only because the weather is really crazy down here.

That should tell you how much I enjoy being here in heidelberg. But I have booked my ticket home for sweden on the 20th december, and plan on staying over new year's eve.

Veselina, Aga and Sladjana on our pubround at thursday.

Dario and Bala ready to hit some balls at the pooltable

Hello from germany!

Wow, time really flies when you are having fun. Well, since I got here it hasn't been all joyous and easy, especially in the beginning, but now it is beginning to ease on to me and I can start enjoying doing my work here. Most of all paperwork that is needed is completed, and I can focus on work and filling up my apartment with stuff.

To bring you up to date on everything, I have been on two research meetings; one in Eisenach with the laboratory research group, and in Löwenstein recently with the Planet and Star Formation (PSF) group. At the Löwenstein meeting I held my first presentation, where I mainly talked about my bachelor and master's thesis, and a bit about what I am currently doing with my PhD project. In between all this I have a few classes, and a lot of work with the project. That basically sums it up.

It is soon time for christmas again, and I am starting to think about planning on my home trip to Sweden. Since so many people will certainly also be going home at that time, I should do that as soon as possible. Since I am having so much fun here I haven't really started longing back home. Sure I miss my family, but I try to keep in contact with them as best possible. Meanwhile I am getting to know a bunch of new people here.

Apart from getting to know the girls in my office well, I also attend the IMPRS (internation max-planck research school) where (at least most) of all new PhD students attend, and we get to know each others. Mostly over a couple of beers together. Really, Lund seems so far away right now (time-wise, not geographically of course). I have already embraced Heidelberg as my new home, and it is a warm, wonderful place I expect to grow many happy memories.

Walking around a lot around the city, and in the thick forests around the outskirts I have understood that I need to buy a new camera since my old one in the mobile phone just does not cut it anymore. At least not for the colorful nature around here. Back in Sweden I might have time to go searching for some, my brother knows about this and I should ask him for some tips.

In the coming days I will try to write a description of my PhD project, what I will do the coming three years here, in case someone was wondering. But for now, I am gonna sit down and enjoy the evening with a movie. I'll finish up with a picture I took a few weeks ago. Isn't the scenery wonderful? You should come visit and experience it yourself!

Almost one week to go, and then I am in Heidelberg again, for good this time. Or well at least three years worth of eternity. My friend Fredrik and his girlfriend have already moved there, and they are getting acquainted with the new city. It seems like they have found an apartment finally also (fingers crossed) which is not that very far from me.

But before then I have a bunch of paperwork to finish, at least I finally handed in my exam for the java course today so that is finished. I should really clean up at the top floor where most of my stuff from the move from Lund still is, I should go through it and throw away the uneccesary stuff. Well I have one week to do it, shouldn't be that difficult right?

Well, we will see.

Good to be home!

After approximately 6 hours drive me and my parents arrived back in Vargön, my dearest of home. It took a lot of effort and time to clean the apartment, but now it is finally empty, I have handed in the keys and said my goodbyes. It feels wonderful, the chapter is closed and I feel liberated. Now all that is left is to meet one final time with friends and family, and then prepare to move to germany. August 26 is drawing close, only 17 days from now! Luckily most of the things I have to do before the trip is already done, basically what I have to do is pack my bag and finish my java course for my last 7.5 points to get my degree finally!

But just yet I don't have to worry awfully much about the move, instead I am looking forward to friday when we will have the chance to visit the beauty of a meteor shower as the Perseids reach their maximum. If you haven't already seen it sometime else I urge you to take this chance, it is a beautiful show you will be sorry to miss! It is advisable to go find a dark spot to view it from as it will allow you to more clearly see the meteor shower and not having it clouded by light pollution from surrounding city-lights or whatever. Make sure to add some patience as the event rate is not very high, but it will be an amazing event to witness nontheless!

See you out there under the (hopefully) starry skies!

Closing this chapter

In but a few days I am moving away from Lund, where I have spent 5 years filled of adventures meeting new people and learning a bunch of new things, and preparing for my journey to germany. Before that move I spend about two weeks at my parents place to meet my friends and family one last time.

It breaks my heart as I pack down things and see five years flying away in heaps of papers from lecture notes and more. But still, I am happy to go somewhere else, Lund has amused me long enough and its time for something new. 26th of August my flight leaves for Frankfurt airport, and three years as a german begins. Awesome! Now let's get packing!

Time and more

I should write here more often now, but with summer it is hard not to fall for the temptation to go out and enjoy the sun. It looks to be an incredible summer so far! Most of what I do now is generally preparing to move away from Lund and to Heidelberg. That means basically finish off every thing I have to do, send in my final version of the report, create a nice package with all programs that I have used throughout the project, and yeah basically end everything. It will be so good to leave all this behind. Although I have many pleasant memories from Lund, it is going to be nice with a new place, new people and above all new accomplishments and adventures!

Three years ahead the adventure might begin anew, but until then I am going to live life to the fullest and make the most of my time in germany!

Farewell for now

With a warmth in my heart that it is not so long left until I return to Heidelberg, I arrived to Lund last night again. It has been an increadible adventuare for me and I am longing until I eventually now am moving down there. As I've said, people have been so friendly and kind during my visit. I have met so much new people, just from a week's visit, and I am sure to befriend a lot more as soon as I move there.

Right now I need to work on the java course I am doing over the summer to get my last points for the exam, and also collect the comments of my examinators on the report so I can fix them and then send off the report for a print out.

For the sunday I had decided to travel up one of the mountains that surround Heidelberg city, and it was too boring to go up the one where the institute is situated so I chose the northern one called "Heiligenberg". It was still very hot outside, so I made sure to bring a lot of water.

Up at the mountain where several old relics to investigate further. A long time ago a settlement of celts resided apparently in the mountain. Several small towers where lined along the mountain edges, and two monastery ruins. Between those ruins were also a amphitheatre, which wasn't so old apparently as it was constructed in the 30's. It has over the years been used for many different occasions, amongst unders by the nazis around world war II. Crazy what history you can find by just walking up a mountain. But by time I returned to the hotel I had walked for some 4-5 hours and actually (kind of) "climbed a mountain, awesome!

I finish with some pictures from my mountainwalk and also from yesterday.

Some friendly japanese tourists helped me take a photo of myself, this is as I am walking down the mountain and I seem a bit tired in the photo :)

From the stage of the amphitheater and looking towards the audience seats. Room for quite a few butts on those bricks. As I was taking the photo, two guys were running around the amphitheater, and later tried to run up the stairs in a high pace. I got the impression they had been running for a while so they only managed to go half the way, but man am I gonna train to be in enough good shape to at least run up and down stairs a few times :D

The entrance (or well exit for me) as I left the hotel and headed for the train station and began my long journey home :( I felt a bit sad there, one wonderful week was at its end and I just longed to get back again. But august is soon here, and with that my move down to Heidelberg for three wonderful years in service of science!

I was not alone during my stay, and I was given a chair and place to work at during my visit, and I was not alone. From the left we have Dading, Natalia and Gabriel. I learnt a lot about living in Heidelberg and studying at MPIA from them, and I hope to meet them again as I return for more friendly encounters.