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!