22nd July, 2011
Hello everyone,
Yesterday I wrote the last exam of this Semester! Not sure when I will get results but I´m sure what I did try, I got right. Students have gone home for holidays and the Uni feels nice and empty. I don´t dislike students. I just prefer it when I have enough choice of space for eating at the Mensa or parking my bike. Speaking of which, I have felt lonely without my bike for the past two days because I haven´t had time to fix the flat tyre. I hope I will get time later today or Monday worst case scenario.
All my sincere studying hasn´t prevented me from socialising. Last Friday there was a department ´End of Semester´ garden party. There were lots of kids and all workplace related familiar faces. It felt really good to sit there, eating cakes and pesto pasta and talking to everyone, taking pictures with other people´s cameras, sharing some anti-british comments with the Germans (both our histories warrant that :)), the only light after sunset from the full moon and the well placed candles. Picture perfect. The garden was also well laid out and colourful flowers had bloomed. It had been pouring all morning but just at the time of the party it cleared up.
Two days ago it was a combined birthday Pizza party at a friend’s house where we debated the meaning of home and yesterday was Star Trek night at another friends house. We watched episodes from the first season of Original Series. After finishing ´Lie to Me´ of more recent times I had to readjust to the pace again.
To keep my head clear for the exams I stopped taking the antihistamines and it turns out the pollen has gone down considerably and I feel more alert, awake and active. I do sneeze occasionally but I prefer this to being consistently drugged. I heard from a friend (American) that one of his friends does Jalanethi (called Nasedusche in German – literally Nose shower) every morning and night with warm salt water after she brushes her teeth and that she never gets sick or allergic. I was particularly surprised that it was not a uniquely Indian solution and that some of my own colleagues had the instrument for it at their apartments.
Meanwhile my Youtube Favourites list has become more European. And I´ve been listening to a lot of peppy Spanish music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqvsBA9UKjI
I will be home soon 🙂 20 days left! That´s it from me for now. Hope you are all doing well.