Author: Steve Evans

第二学期已经开始了，时间过得真快。虽然我很享受寒假带来的旅行机会，但我也非常期待这个学期能带来新的机会。最好的是，我的朋友们都回来了。从沙门到成都，朋友们从中国各地赶来。在寒假期间，我去看了些朋友，但很多朋友我已经有一个半月没见了！真是太久了！
这个学期的第一天恰好是我的生日。我和一些朋友一起去了一家新疆餐馆。新疆菜超级好吃，尤其是一种牛肉面。我们一边吃饭一边开心地聊天。因为很久没见面，我们有很多话要聊。坐在桌子上有六个人。虽然我的朋友们都认识我，但他们不一定认识彼此。所以，这对他们来说也是一个认识新朋友的机会。
我计划的是我请朋友们吃饭，这其实是中国很常见的习俗。如果一个人邀请朋友吃饭，他们通常会付钱。我是付了钱，但我还是觉得朋友们破费了。令我惊讶的是，他们都带来了礼物。从小说到蛋糕，我被这些礼物感动得无以言表。
朋友们的热心让我很感动。六个月前，我还没有认识这些人，而现在我们已经渐渐成为了好朋友。在这些六个月中，我们分享彼此的文化和背景故事，如果遇到问题，他们都也毫不犹豫地帮我，让我很快适应了在中国的生活。
我们吃完饭后，分享了一个朋友带来的精致蛋糕。那个蛋糕特别好吃，入口即化。另一个朋友送了我一束娇艳的玫瑰花。还有两位朋友送了我小说，另一位朋友则送给我他家乡的地图，并说将来可以去找她。他们真是太用心了，送了我这么多礼物，太感动了！
那天我特别开心跟我朋友们相处。我常常觉得留学有时候并不容易，尤其是远赴中国。这也是我第一次没有家人一起庆祝生日，但没关系，我过得非常开心。那一天给我留下了深刻的印象，我会一直珍惜我们的友谊，并继续享受在中国的生活。

The second semester has already started, and time flies so quickly. Although I really enjoyed the travel opportunities that the winter holiday brought, I’m also looking forward to the new opportunities this semester will bring. The best part is that all my friends are back. From Shamen to Chengdu, my friends have come from all over China. During the winter holiday, I visited some of my friends, but there are many others I haven’t seen in over a month and a half! That’s such a long time!
The first day of this semester also happens to be my birthday. I went to a Xinjiang restaurant with some friends. The Xinjiang food is incredibly delicious, especially a type of beef noodles. We ate while happily chatting. Since we hadn’t seen each other in a while, we had a lot to catch up on. There were six of us at the table. Although my friends all know me, they don’t necessarily know each other. So, for them, this was also an opportunity to meet new people.
I planned to treat my friends to dinner, which is a common custom in China. If someone invites friends for a meal, they usually pay. I paid, but I still felt that my friends had spoilt me. To my surprise, each of them brought me a gift, from novels to cakes, I was lost for words.
I was really touched by my friends’ kindness. Six months ago, I didn’t know these people, but now we’ve gradually become good friends. We share our cultures and backgrounds with each other, and they always help me without hesitation, which made it easy for me to adapt to life in China.
After dinner, we shared a beautifully decorated cake that one of my friends brought. The cake was especially delicious and melted in my mouth. Another friend gave me a beautiful bouquet of roses. Two other friends gave me novels, and another friend gave me a map of her hometown, saying that I could visit her in the future. My friends had all been really thoughtful. I was moved by their kindness.
I was especially happy that day spending time with my friends. Studying abroad is not easy, especially when you’re in a faraway country like China. This was also the first time I celebrated without my family, but it didn’t matter; I had an amazing time. I’ll never forget that day. I will continue to treasure our friendship and enjoy my time living in China.

Bon mois de mars ! Vu qu’il ne me reste que quelques mois de mon année à l’étranger, je me disais que j’écrirais sur trois différences que j’ai notées entre la France et le Royaume-Uni depuis mon arrivé ici en

septembre. Même si j’ai trouvé que les deux pays sont relativement similaires à propos de la mode de vie et de l’emploi du temps moyens, il existe toujours des aspects de la vie quotidienne qui sont notamment différents. Évidemment, ces différences sont basées sur mon expérience de vie à Leeds (en Royaume-Uni) contre à Grenoble (en France).

Premièrement, j’ai remarqué une grande différence entre les supermarchés français et anglais. Les horaires d’ouverture sont beaucoup plus limités là en France, où la plupart de supermarchés se ferment vers 20h. Je trouve souvent que je manque de temps pour faire les courses après une journée de l’enseignement, ce qui ne se passerait jamais au Royaume-Uni grâce à l’existence incroyable de Tesco Extra ! Non seulement les supermarchés britanniques ont les meilleurs horaires d’ouverture, mais ils ont également une meilleure variété de produits. Des tablettes de chocolat aux articles pour la maison, et des chips aux sachets de thé, je dirais que le Royaume-Uni est le gagnant !

Ensuite, j’ai vu une grande différence dans les transports en commun entre les deux pays. Dans les plusieurs villes que j’ai visitées en France, il y avait toujours un excellent réseau de tramway qui relie la ville. Cette réalité existe certainement à Grenoble, où il y a cinq lignes de tram, ainsi qu’un vaste éventail de bus qui relie le centre-ville aux grandes montagnes. Même si beaucoup de bus existent à Leeds, je trouve que le choix de transports publics à Grenoble est beaucoup plus efficace et ponctuel. Cela est surtout évident quand je prends les transport en commun avec ma coloc française, car je suis toujours impressionnée par un temps d’attente de huit minutes, pendant qu’elle pense que c’est une éternité !

Enfin, j’ai trouvé qu’il y a une différence dans la vie nocturne. Au Royaume-Uni, moi et mes amis sortent normalement vers 21h. Pourtant, quand je suis arrivée à Grenoble, j’ai vite compris que la vie nocturne commence bien plus tard, après que ma coloc m’ait suggéré de quitter notre appartement à minuit. Même si le résultat est une journée assez longue le lendemain, le mélange de classiques français et de tubes européens qui sont passés en ville créent une super soirée !

English translation:

Happy March! Given that there are only a few months left of my year abroad, I thought I would write about three differences that I’ve observed between France and the UK since my arrival here in September. Whilst I’ve found that the two countries are relatively similar in terms of average lifestyles and routines, there still seems to be aspects of day-to-day life which differ notably. Of course, this is based on my experience of living in Leeds (UK) vs Grenoble (France).

First of all, I have noticed a big difference in French and British supermarkets. The opening hours are a lot more limited here in France, with most supermarkets closing at around 8pm. I often find myself running out of time to do a food shop after a day of teaching, which would never happen in the UK with the incredible existence of Tesco Extra! Not only do UK supermarkets have better opening hours, but they also have better variety of products. From chocolate bars to homeware items, and from crisps to tea bags, I’d say that the UK is the winner!

Next, I’ve noticed a great difference in public transport between the two countries. In the various cities I’ve travelled to in France, there has always been a great tram system connecting the city. This is especially true for Grenoble, where there are five tram lines, as well as a huge array of buses which connect the city centre to the vast mountains. Whilst many buses are available in Leeds, I find Grenoble’s range of public transport much more efficient and punctual. This is especially evident when using public transport with my French flatmate, as I’m always impressed with an eight-minute wait-time for the bus, whilst she thinks that that’s ages!

Finally, I’ve found that there is a difference in the night life. In the UK, my friends and I normally go out at around 9pm. However, when I arrived in Grenoble, I quickly learnt the night life starts a lot later, after my flatmate suggested we left our flat at 12am. Whilst this makes for quite a long day the following day, the mix of French classics and European hits played in town certainly makes for a great night out!

Une économie de guerre

Le 5 mars, Emmanuel Macron a fait une adresse aux citoyens français. Dans son allocution d’une dizaine de minutes, dans son manière bien sérieux et nationaliste, il a déclaré ses projets de préparation pour une économie de guerre. Macron a insisté sur la nécessité d’une paix solide et durable en Ukraine, et a affirmé le soutien de la France dans cet effort. Il a annoncé une augmentation du budget militaire, qui atteindra 50 milliards d’euros cette année. Pourtant, il a assuré que ces nouveaux investissements ne nécessiteraient pas une hausse des impôts. Après 3 années de ce conflit, le chef d’État prend position contre la Russie, tout en condamnant le retrait de soutien à l’Ukraine de Trump. « Nous entrant dans une nouvelle ère » dit-il. Est-ce qu’il a raison? 

Pendant la semaine, en anticipant cette adresse, le narratif répandu parmi mes collègues de travail était unanime : qu’on entre dans une époque effrayante, et qu’ils ont peur du monde dans lequel leurs enfants grandissent. Un pays qui se prépare pour une économie de guerre maintenant, pourrait facilement devenir un pays qui appelle sa jeunesse à l’armée. De plus, mes colocs ont beaucoup discuté de l’impact économique de cette initiative de Macron, surtout la hausse des impôts. Est-ce que ces inquiétudes sont valorisées ? On va entendre le 20 mars le plan de bataille du ministre de l’économie Eric Lombard, et on découvrira la réalité de comment le gouvernement va atteindre ces objectifs budgétaires. 

Par ailleurs, la scène mondiale a récemment été dominée par les actualités interpersonnelles des chefs d’État, qui m’a fait beaucoup comparer le style de leadership de chacun. Prenons les stratégies de diffusion d’information sur les réseaux sociaux par exemple. D’un côté, on a Trump qui annonce des menaces contre le Hamas sur son réseau social à lui, en utilisant des majuscules et du langage typique d’un tweet et pas d’une déclaration gouvernementale. D’autre côté, on a les publications sur Insta de Macron, avec tout le drame et la gravité d’un révolutionnaire. Je serais intéressé de faire une analyse sur le comportement sur les réseaux sociaux des figures politiques – son évolution, la variation des styles, et son impact sur le monde politique – mais ça c’est un autre sujet. 

Pour conclure, j’ai remarqué en France ces derniers temps une forte parole contre les États Unis, ainsi qu’une peur véritable pour l’avenir. L’esprit européen s’éloigne tellement de celui des électeurs de Trump, et c’est évident qu’on craint ce qu’on comprend pas. Dans les journaux et pendant les pauses café au travail, j’ai l’impression que l’homme dangereux n’est plus Poutine, c’est Trump. Je trouve très intéressant d’être en France pendant ces événements politiques. Même si les discussions se penchent sur des sujets dépressifs, je me focus sur le côté intéressant d’entendre les perspectives variées des autres. Cette année à l’étranger m’a sorti de ma bulle étudiante privilégiée, et rencontrer des gens d’âges, héritages, et vues politiques différentes que moi a été très intéressant.

A war economy

On the 5th of march, Emmanuel Macron addressed the citizens of France. In his speech of around 10 minutes, in his typical serious and nationalist manner, he declared his plans to prepare for a war economy. Macron made clear the need for a solid and durable peace in Ukraine, and confirmed France’s support in this effort. He announced a military budget increase, which will reach 50 billion this year. However he assured that these investments will not require an increase in taxes. After 3 years of this conflict, the head of state took a stand against Russia, while also condemning Trump’s withdrawal of support for Ukraine. “We are entering into a new era”, he said. Is he right? 

During the week, in anticipation of his speech, the narrative amongst my work colleagues was unanimous : we’re entering into a frightening period, and they are scared of the world their kids are growing up in. A country that prepares for a war economy now, could easily become a country that calls its youth to the army. Also, my flatmates have been talking a lot about the economic impact of Macron’s initiatives, specifically a rise in taxes. Are these concerns well-founded? On the 20th of March we will hear the battle plan of Eric Lombard, the economic minister, and we’ll discover the reality as to whether the government will reach these budget objectives.

Moreover, the world stage has been dominated as of late by the personal interactions between world leaders, which has led me to make lots of comparisons between each one’s leadership style. Let’s take the strategies of sharing information on social media for example. On the one hand, we have Trump who announces threats towards Hamas on his own social media platform, whilst using all caps and language typical of a tweet and not a governmental declaration. On the other hand, we have the Instagram posts of Emmanuel Macron, with all the drama and seriousness of a revolutionary. I would be interested in doing an analysis of political figures’ behaviour on social media – its evolution, the variety of styles, and its impact on politics – but that’s for another time.

To conclude, I have noticed a strong discourse against the United States in France lately, as well as a real fear for the future. The European mindset is so far removed from that of Trump’s voters, and it’s obvious that we fear that which we do not understand. In the newspapers and during coffee breaks at work, I get the feeling that the dangerous man is no longer Putin, it’s Trump. I’ve been finding it really interesting to be in France during these political events. Even though the conversations are often about depressing subjects, I am focussing on the interesting aspect of hearing the varied perspectives of others. This year abroad has popped my privileged student bubble, and meeting people of different ages, heritages, and political views to mine has been really interesting.

We were unfortunately not blessed with great weather this month; for over 2 weeks there was constant heavy rain which reminded me a lot of home, so on the rare sunny days, I took to escaping the city by going on a couple of day trips, one to Alcalá de Henares by train (Cercaniás Renfe) and I finally visited Toledo by bus, which I would definitely recommend to anyone visiting Madrid with a free day. Luckily, as a student with the abono joven (discounted monthly travel for under 26 year olds), both trips were included in the fee since they were still within the zones permitted.

I went to Alcalá de Henares in late February, the birth town of Miguel de Cervantes who wrote ‘Don Quixote’ and was a mixture between medieval history whilst being enough of a modern city. From the train station walking into the city, the sight of the University of Alcalá was actually amazing, I could tell why this place was given the title of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it felt unreal to be in a place that was the world’s first planned university city. I did not have much of a plan when visiting, but was content with walking around and enjoying the surroundings and taking a break in Plaza de Cervantes, and it was only this day that I realised Madrid’s very own “Puerta de Alcalá” was connected to the fact that Alcalá de Henares also had a “Puerta de Madrid” that served as a route linking the two cities. I also visited the ruins of the ancient Roman city, Complutum, which is conveniently what my exchange university was named after (Complutense) and it was interesting seeing the floor plans and structure of the city, plus it was free to visit.

I was so impressed on my day trip to Toledo, it is a city that links Christian, Jewish and Muslim culture by having various religious sites within a single place and I managed to walk through pretty much everywhere within 5 or 6 hours, and it was the perfect escape from Madrid. I personally loved el Puente de San Martin and getting lost in the cobbled streets of the city, I managed to stumble upon some Arabic bath ruins after speaking to an elderly couple who were curious as to what I was doing after coming out of a smaller street, to which I responded that I was doing a loop of the city and they suggested for me to walk about 5 minutes down the road. It offered a stunning view of the river Tagus with very few tourists and I could see why they said that they enjoyed going there to sit and take in the sun.

On the 8th of March, it was International Women’s Day and there was rain all day, with several events happening in the city. I attended the march in the evening with a few of my friends and we all dressed in purple and joined the thousands of citizens who marched from Plaza de Cibeles to Plaza de España, and it felt so powerful and liberating to be part of such a strong force of women and also among supporters of feminism. I even saw children attending with their parents and holding signs hoping for a better future where women can achieve equality with men. On another rainy day, I decided to go to the Prado museum, which is free for students if you get the ticket in person and show proof of university ID, and I definitely understood why it was one of the most popular ones to visit, with so many collections from the most renowned artists and it took several hours to take in all of the amazing artwork and was a perfect way to spend an afternoon indoors.

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Tuvimos muy mala suerte de no contar con buen clima este mes; durante más de dos semanas hubo lluvias constantes que me recordaron mucho al Reino Unido. Por eso, en los raros días soleados, aproveché para escapar de Madrid con un par de excursiones, una a Alcalá de Henares en tren (Cercanías Renfe) y, finalmente, visité Toledo en autobús, lo cual definitivamente recomendaría a cualquiera que visite Madrid y tenga un día libre. Afortunadamente, como estudiante con el abono joven (el abono mensual con descuento para <26 años), ambos viajes estaban incluidos en la tarifa, ya que aún estaban dentro de las zonas de la Comunidad de Madrid.

Fui a Alcalá de Henares a finales de febrero. Es la ciudad natal de Miguel de Cervantes, autor de Don Quijote, una mezcla de historia medieval con el ambiente de una ciudad moderna. Desde la estación de tren hasta el centro, la vista de la Universidad de Alcalá me pareció increíble. Pude entender por qué este lugar recibió el título de Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la UNESCO, y se sentía irreal estar en la primera ciudad universitaria planificada del mundo. No tenía un plan específico para mi visita, pero disfruté caminando, explorando los alrededores y descansando en la Plaza de Cervantes. Ese día también me di cuenta de que la “Puerta de Alcalá” en Madrid estaba conectada con el hecho de que Alcalá de Henares tenía su propia “Puerta de Madrid”, que servía como una ruta que unía ambas ciudades. Además, visité las ruinas de la antigua ciudad romana de Complutum, cuyo nombre curiosamente inspiró el de mi universidad de intercambio (Complutense). Fue interesante ver los planos y la estructura de la ciudad, y lo mejor es que la entrada era gratuita.

Mi excursión a Toledo me impresionó muchísimo. Es una ciudad que une la cultura cristiana, judía y musulmana, ya que alberga diversos sitios religiosos en un mismo lugar. En unas cinco o seis horas pude recorrer prácticamente todo, y fue la escapada perfecta de Madrid. Personalmente, me encantó visitar el Puente de San Martín y perderme en las calles empedradas de la ciudad. En una de esas caminatas, después de salir de una calle pequeña, una pareja mayor, curiosa por lo que estaba haciendo, me preguntó adónde iba. Les conté que estaba dando una vuelta por la ciudad y me recomendaron caminar unos cinco minutos más adelante. Gracias a su consejo, descubrí unas ruinas de antiguos baños árabes con una vista impresionante del río Tajo, casi sin turistas. Pude entender por qué ellos disfrutaban ir allí para sentarse y tomar el sol.

El 8 de marzo (8M) fue el Día Internacional de la Mujer, y aunque llovió todo el día, hubo varios manifestaciones en el centro de la ciudad. Por la tarde asistí a la marcha junto con algunas amigas; todas vestimos de morado y nos unimos a los miles de ciudadanos que marcharon desde la Plaza de Cibeles hasta la Plaza de España. Fue un momento muy poderoso y liberador, al estar rodeada de tantas mujeres y personas que apoyan el feminismo. Incluso vi a niños con sus padres con carteles que expresaban su esperanza por un futuro mejor, donde las mujeres puedan alcanzar la igualdad con los hombres.

Otro día cuando también llovía, decidí visitar el Museo del Prado, que es gratuito para estudiantes si consigues la entrada en persona y muestras la identificación universitaria. Finalmente entendí por qué es uno de los museos más visitados, con tantas colecciones de artistas reconocidos. Pasé varias horas admirando las increíbles obras de arte, y fue una manera perfecta de pasar la tarde bajo techo.

In den letzten zwei Wochen bin ich nach Erba, Italien, gefahren, um an einem Trainingslager mit der U23 Trainingsgruppe des Bundesstützpunkt Allermöhe teilzunehmen. Am Sonntag um 5 Uhr morgens ging die 14 Stunden Reise mit einem großen Boot-Anhänger, einem kleineren Gepäck-Anhänger für die Fahrräder und vielen müden Sportler:innen los.
Insgesamt verbrachten wir 13 Tagen bei dem Centro Remiero Lago di Pusiano, wo wir in gemütlichen Zimmern nach Kabinen aus Holz übernachteten und unser Essen für uns von dem Centro und einem Restaurant in der Nähe versorgt war. Demozufolge konnten wir uns auf den Rudern konzentrieren und dafür unsere Mühe geben, ohne dass wir uns selbst um unsere Ernährung kümmern mussten.
Außerdem wurde meine Sprachkenntnisse zusätzlich verstärkt und entwickelt, da es ständig zwischen Deutsch, Englisch und mangelhaften Italienisch umgeschaltet wurde. Ab und zu war ich als Dolmetscherin für meinen deutschen Trainer tätig, weil der Trainer beim Centro nur Italienisch und Englisch konnte. Trotz der englischsprachigen Fähigkeiten meiner deutschen Kollegen wären schnell zu lösende Probleme oder Anliegen von unnötigem Dauer gewesen worden, wenn ich nicht da gewesen wäre, Missverständisse zu erklären.
Auf dem Rahmenplan für das Trainingslager standen viele 120 Minuten Rudern Einheiten auf dem Wasser, ein paar Ergo Belastungen, Kraft Trainings und Rennrad fahren. Nachdem wir einen starken Start in der ersten Woche hatten, fehlt die Motivation in der zweiten Woche wegen des Unwetters ein ganz bisschen. Nichtsdestotrotz sind wir erfolgreichen Belastungen im Boot und auf dem Ergo gefahren, da dieses Trainingslager uns auf einem Test Wochenende in Leipzig vorbereiten sollte. Es finden in zwei Wochen am Samstag ein 2 Kilometre Ergo Test und am Sonntag eine 5 Kilometer Langstrecke auf dem Wasser statt.
Für mich hat dieses Test Wochenende keine Wirkung in Hinsicht auf die deutsche nationale Rangliste, jedoch fahre ich im Zweier (Bootsklasse 2-) mit einer Frau, Lene, aus der Allermöhe Trainingsgruppe, um ihren erhofften Einsteig in die deutsche Frauen Riemen Mannschaft zu ermöglichen. Im Verlauf des Trainingslagers wurde die Möglichkeit eingeplant, Belastungen gegen die anderen zwei Frauen Zweier zu fahren. Sie sind schließlich unsere Konkurrenz deswegen wollten wir die Chance nicht verpassen, Sparring gegen sie zu fahren.
Mit Lene bin ich vorher nur eine Einheit im Zweier gefahren, die gar nicht gut lief. Schwierige Einheiten zeigen mir, dass Rudern nicht nur um Kraft und Technik geht, sondern auch miteinander gut anzukommen. Zueinander anzupassen im psychologischen Sinne bringt manchmal der größte Fortschritt und baut eine stabile Grundlage auf, aus der man eine Mannschaft weiterentwickelt und ausarbeitet.
Obwohl Lene und ich am Anfang ziemlich zynisch waren, verschwunden unsere Befürchtungen mit der ersten Einheit zusammen im Trainingslager. Die folgende Tagen ergab sich die Möglichkeit, uns in den Belastugen anzustrengen und mit höheren Schlagfrequenzen zu arbeiten. Darüber hinaus deuten meine persönliche Leistungen darauf hin, dass ich in den nächsten Wochen in der Lage bin, einen Bestwert von unter sieben Minuten beim Ergo Test in Leipzig zu erreichen. Die letzten Wochen vertieften mein Wissen von technischen Rudernvokabeln, als wir die Boote und die Stemmbrette und den Innenhebel der Blätter verstellten.

In the past two weeks I travelled to Erba, Italy, with the U23 training group from the regional performance centre at Allermöhe to take part in a training camp. The 14-hour journey began on Sunday at five o’clock in the morning with a large boat trailer, a smaller baggage trailer for the bikes, and many tired athletes.
In total we spent 13 days at the Lago di Pusiano Rowing Centre, where we slept in cosy rooms in the style of log cabins and our food was looked after by the centre and a nearby restaurant. As a result, we could concentrate on the rowing and put our efforts into that, without having to sort our own nutrition out.
Furthermore, my language skills were reinforced and developed since conversations constantly switched between German, English, and fairly deficient Italian. Now and again I acted as a translator for my German coach, because the coach at the centre could only speak English and Italian. Despite the English skills of my German colleagues, problems that could have been solved quickly would have become unnecessarily lengthy if I hadn’t been there to clear up any misunderstandings.

The plan for the training camp consisted of 120 minute rowing sessions on the water, a few erg pieces, strength and conditioning, and road bike sessions. After a strong start in the first week, we lacked a bit of motivation in the second week due to the bad weather. Nonetheless, we successfully pushed ourselves in the boat and on the Ergo, as this training camp was intended to prepare us for a test weekend in Leipzig. In a fortnight there will be a 2 kilometre Ergo test on Saturday and a 5 kilometre long distance on the water on Sunday.
For me, this test weekend has no effect on the German national rankings, but I will be racing in the two-man (boat class 2) with a woman, Lene, from the Allermöhe training group, to enable her hoped-for entry into the German women’s oars team. In the course of the training camp, the possibility of racing against the other two women’s pairs was planned. After all, they are our competitors, so we didn’t want to miss the chance to spar against them.
I’d only done one session with Lene in a pair before, which didn’t go well at all. Difficult sessions show me that rowing is not just about strength and technique, but also about getting on well together. Adapting to each other in a psychological sense sometimes brings the greatest progress and builds a stable foundation from which you can further develop and work out a team.
Although Lene and I were quite cynical at first, our fears disappeared with the first session together at the training camp. The following days gave us the opportunity to push ourselves harder and work with higher stroke frequencies. In addition, my personal performance suggests that I will be able to achieve a best time of under seven minutes at the Ergo Test in Leipzig in the coming weeks. The last few weeks deepened my knowledge of technical rowing vocabulary as we adjusted the boats and the footplates and the inboard length of the blades.

La verdad es que no sé ni por donde empezar con febrero. Ha sido un mes de caos absoluto sin parar; de hecho, aún escribo desde el escritorio de la oficina de mi jefa en trabajo… un domingo por la tarde. He sacado suficientes fotos para crear un album, y he vivido tantos acontecimientos que podría escribir un informe separado por cada semana. Pero bueno, pues, empecemos desde el principio…

A comienzos de mes, tuve el placer de ver la obra anual de las luces de Casa Batllò, un espectáculo especial marcado por un proyecto de 10 minutos de patrones a la fachada, creando una estimulación cerebral única e incomparable, la que destaca de forma impresionante el genio arquitectónico de Gaudí. Para seguir con la asimilación cultural, cociné este mismo fin de semana patatas bravas caseras en el piso. Salieron absolutamente brutales con el air fryer que nos dejó Ivan, el mexicano, cuando se fue del piso. ¡Mis compañeros de piso las galardonaron 5 estrellas!

La semana siguiente estuvo marcada por otra defensa de tesis de mi compañera de doctorado, y como es costumbre, va de la mano con mucha comida, y bebida en la celebración. Por ser italiana, disfrutamos una variedad de comida italiana, incluyendo la pana cotta. Su defensa de mecanismos moleculares de la aparición y progresión de PD se dio impactante y nos sentimos muy orgullosos de ella. Este día coincidió con el cumple de mi amiga Ali, y la llegada por la noche un amigo estadounidense quien estudia temporalmente en Roma. Así que, depués de la fiesta me levanté temprano como superheroe para poder asumir mi nuevo puesto de guía turístico de Barcelona… Le enseñé a mi amigo Paseig de Gracia y todas las zonas más emblemáticas del sur de la ciudad. Paseamos por la playa de Barceloneta y subimos por teleférico a Montjuic. Visitamos el Estadio Olímpic – donde me quedé con los amigos del mes pasado para ver el partido – y cerramos el día con tapas catalán al centro de Eixample. Yo pedí para los dos para que pudiera probar de todo, e incluso probamos calçots, esa comida catalana tradicional a la parrilla que se come con una salsa roja especial. Llenos y felices, terminamos la noche en “una mansión”, que en realidad no era tan épica que sonaba. El domingo fui al lab para cuidar a los organoides, y, después del turno del infierno, logré salir justo a tiempo para ver el atardecer en los Bunkers del Carmel.

La semana siguiente fue la última de mi compañera de piso chilena, así que aunque estábamos agotados, nos quedamos con la misión de aprovecharla al máximo. El miércoles hicimos sushi teriyaki casero, el viernes jugamos a las cartas con vino y fuet antes de salir a bailar. y el domingo terminamos en un bar de juegos. El lunes les enseñé a las latinas el restaurante de tapas donde había llevado a mi amigo estadounidense. Una de mis amigas pidió ¡TRES postres!

Con un grupo de 8 personas, fuet, queso, cervezas y vino, el viernes probamos varios juegos e incluso lo de la foto, en el que cada jugador tiene que colocar una nueva carta encima de la tapa de una botella de vino, para que dos esquinas de la carta estén de desplome (sin tocar a nada). Como veis en la foto, ¡saqué justo el momento en que se cayó todo! Desafortunadamente, el miércoles llegó el momento para despedir a mi amiga de vuelta a Chile, aunque por un instante pensé en robarle una maleta para que se quedara (negué el pensamiento intrusivo… esta vez).

Aunque yo pensé que en este momento el ritmo bajaría, la faena en lab incrementó como los organoides empezaron a llegar a los timepoints de interés. Nos tocó arrancar y planear la fase de análisis: inmunocitoquímica, *western blot*, disgregación de organoides para estudiar la morfología de la monocapa, extracción de medios para análisis de citoquinas, fijación de organoides para inmunofluorescencia… Además, había que seguir con el mantenimiento: suplementación, cambios de medio, fotos de las placas para los registros, recolección de *pellets* para *western blot*, y, para sumar algo más a la carga, un doctorando comenzó a enseñarme un análisis de actividad neuronal con calcio. Como cada línea de organoides tiene un día de inicio distinto, nuestra rutina seguirá intensa para los siguientes meses. A pesar de esto, aparte de este domingo (desde que escribo ahora mismo), ya no será necesario venir los findes – ya que, a partir de día 30, los organoides solo necesitan suplementación cada 3-4 días – nos encargamos de esto durante la semana.

El fin de semana siguiente, intenté “descansar un poco”, que significó salir con unos compañeros de otro lab, quienes me invitaron al Espai dArts Escèniques de Can Batlló, una calcotada, y un cumpleaños los tres días siguientes (viernes, sabado y domingo). Can Batlló era, en esencia, un espacio de fiesta con un bar a un lado, y hazañas acrobáticas al otro, con telas, cables y anillos entre más – básicamente un circo de borrachera. Lo más loco fue que nos dejaron probar, y aunque un poco arriesgada la cantidad de cervezas que llevábamos encima, afortunadamente nadie murió. ¡Lo cuento así como un éxito!

El sábado me perdí la calçotada, pero después nos quedamos en un bar local en la parte arriba de la pendiente de Gracia. Por ser la semana de carnaval, el dueño sacó unas mascaras caseras y un amigo tocó la guitarra. Me sentí en este momento totalmente integrado en la cultura española, aunque no conocí a las letras de las canciones para nada… El domingo, a pesar de haber salido la noche anterior, nos quedamos en un vermutería para para el cumpleaños de una amiga de mis compañeros (a quien, hasta ese momento, ni conocía). Tomamos vermut para €2,90, y los españoles pidieron unas piparras a la mesa (pimientos picantes). Según yo, los pimientos picantes están mejor combinados con tacos u otra comida mexicana, no como un fuego para acompañar un vaso de vermut un domingo por la tarde.. pero bueno, no juzgo!

En resumen, probablemente voy a pasar el marzo muerto (..y quizá abril… mayo también..) pero mejor estar en caos que estar con nada. ¡Hasta el próximo!

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English

“One Day, I’ll Get Some Sleep”

Honestly, I don’t even know where to start with February. It’s been a month of nonstop chaos; in fact, I’m still writing this from my boss’s office desk… on a Sunday afternoon. I’ve taken enough photos to make an album and experienced so many things that I could write a separate report for each week. But anyway, let’s start from the beginning…

At the start of the month, I had the pleasure of watching Casa Batlló’s annual light show – an incredible 10-minute projection of patterns across the front of the building, creating a unique visual experience that highlights Gaudí’s architectural genius. To continue my cultural assimilation, that same weekend I made homemade patatas bravas in our apartment. They turned out absolutely amazing with the air fryer that Iván, the Mexican guy, left us when he moved out. My flatmates gave them a 5-star rating!

The following week was marked by another PhD thesis defense from one of my colleagues, which, as always, comes with lots of food and drinks to celebrate. Since she’s Italian, we had a feast of Italian food, including panna cotta. Her defense on the molecular mechanisms behind the onset and progression of Parkinson’s disease was truly impressive, and we were all very proud of her. That same day, we also celebrated my friend Ali’s birthday, and later that night, an American friend of mine, who’s currently studying in Rome, arrived in Barcelona. So, after partying, I woke up early like a superhero to take on my new role as a Barcelona tour guide.

I took my friend down Passeig de Gràcia and through all the major landmarks in the southern part of the city. We walked along Barceloneta Beach and then took the cable car up to Montjuïc. We visited the Olympic Stadium – where I had watched a match with friends last month – and wrapped up the day with Catalan tapas in Eixample. I ordered for both of us so he could try everything, including *calçots*, the traditional grilled Catalan dish that you dip into a special red sauce. Stuffed and happy, we ended the night at “a mansion,” which, in reality, wasn’t as epic as it sounded in the event advert (but still cool). On Sunday, I headed to the lab to take care of the organoids and, after a crazy shift, made it out just in time to catch the sunset at Bunkers del Carmel.

The following week was my Chilean flatmate’s last in Barcelona, so even though we were exhausted, we made it our mission to make the most of it. On Wednesday, we made homemade teriyaki sushi, on Friday, we played cards with wine and fuet (Catalan sausage) before going out, and on Sunday, we ended up at a game bar. On Monday, I took the Latinas to the same tapas restaurant I had gone to with my American friend. One of them ordered THREE desserts!

With a group of eight people, fuet, cheese, beers, and wine, on the Friday we had played several games, including one where each player had to balance a new card on top of a wine bottle cap, making sure two corners hung off the edge without touching anything. As you can see in the photo, I caught the exact moment everything came crashing down! On Wednesday, I had to say goodbye to my Chilean friend as she headed back home. For a brief moment, I considered stealing one of her suitcases so she would stay (I resisted the intrusive thought… this time).

I thought things would calm down at this point, but no… the lab workload ramped up as our organoids reached their key timepoints. We had to kick off and plan the analysis phase: immunocytochemistry, Western blot, dissociating organoids to study monolayer morphology, extracting media for cytokine analysis, fixing whole organoids for immunofluorescence… On top of that, we had to keep up with maintenance: supplementing, media changes, photographing plates for records, collecting pellets for Western blot, and, just to add another thing to the mix, a PhD student started teaching me a calcium imaging-based neuronal activity analysis. Since each batch of organoids has a different start date, our workload will remain intense for the next few months. That said, apart from this Sunday (as I write this), I won’t have to come in on weekends anymore – starting from day 30 (D30), the organoids will only need fresh supplements every 3-4 days, so we’ll handle it during the week.

The following weekend, I tried to “rest a little,” which in reality meant going out three days in a row. Some friends from another lab invited me to Espai d’Arts Escèniques de Can Batlló, a calçotada, and a birthday party over the course of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Can Batlló was basically a party venue with a bar on one side and acrobatic performances on the other – silks, slacks, rings, and more. Basically, a drinking circus. The craziest part? They let us try it. Considering the amount of beer involved, it was definitely risky, but luckily, no one died, so I’d call it a success!

On Saturday, I missed the calçotada, but later that night, we hung out at a small local bar up in Gràcia. Since it was Carnival week, the owner handed out homemade masks, and a friend played the guitar. In that moment, I felt completely immersed in Spanish culture—despite not knowing a single lyric to any of the songs. On Sunday, even after a night out, we went to a vermutería to celebrate a friend’s birthday. I had never met her before, but hey, now I have. We had vermouth for €2.90, and the Spaniards ordered piparras (spicy peppers) for the table. Personally, I think spicy peppers are better paired with tacos or some kind of Mexican dish, not just as a random mouthful of fire with a single glass of vermouth on a Sunday afternoon… but hey, no judgment!

In summary, I’ll probably be dead by March (…and maybe April… maybe May too), but better to be caught in chaos than stuck with nothing. Until next time!