Author: Steve Evans

Prošlog vikenda, putovao sam do Bosne i Hercegovine s prijateljima posjetiti Sarajevo i Mostar. Sarajevo je glavni grad Bosne i Mostar je glavni grad Hercegovine ali oba se nalaze u istoj državi: Bosni i Hercegovini. U ovoj reportaži, opisat ću kako mi je bilo u Sarajevu, kako mi je bilo u Mostaru i što sam naučio o jezicima kroz ovi putovanje.

Sarajevo je divan grad, pun kulture. Vrlo zanimljiva stvar u vezi sa Sarajevom je da se centar sastoji od dva dijela: jedan dio sa istočnim utjecajima, a drugi sa zapadnim. Išli smo u šetnju starim gradom i otkrili da  ima dva djelova jer u jednom periodu, Bosna i Hercegovina je bila pod Osmanskim Carstvom a u narednom periodu, pod Austro-Ugarskom. Zbog toga postoji različite vrste arhitekture po gradom, fakat mi je zanimljivo.

Također, prije devetdesetih, Bosna i Hercegovina je bila dio Jugoslavije. U Jugoslaviji postajali su šest republike: Hrvatska, Slovenija, Srbija, Bosna i Hercegovina, Macedonija i Crna Gora. Nažalost, bilo je rat i ova država je raspala. Što me stvarno zanima je kako svaka zemlja koja je ila dio Jugoslavije prikazaje svoju povijest. U Sarajevo, otvoreni su o ratu i što se sve deselo.

Posjetili smo muzej se zove Galerija 11/07/95, u tome smo učili o genocidu u Srebrenici tijekom rata. Bilo mi je jako teško i tužno naučiti o tome ali mislim da je baš bitno da ne zaboravimo kako izgleda genocida – svi znamo da Oni koji ne pamte prošlost osuđeni su da je ponavljaju.

U svjetlijoj noti, Sarajevo ima prekrasan zalazak sunca. Išli smo gledati sa žute tvrđave, ako se ikad nađete u Sarajevu, podsjećam da gledate zalazak sunca!

Nakon dva dana u Sarajevu, išli smo autobusom do Mostara samo dva i pol sata putovanja. Mostar je također divan grad, manje je od Sarajeva ali ima svoj čar. Samo smo bili jedan dan u Mostaru ali se šetali smo starim gradom s vodićem koji je nas dao odlične priče o Mostaru.

Nisam znao da stari grad je takav novi, vodič nam je rekao da je stari grad star samo 20 godina jer je obnovljen nakon rata, UNESCO je platio za sve i što je fakat zanimljivo je da izvan starog grada, postoje stare, napuštene zgrade iz rata koje nisu obnovljene jer nisu dio UNESCO zone.

Mislim da je najpoznatija ikona mostara stari most. Vodič nam je rekao da predstavlja jedinstvo Bosne i Hercegovine u multietničkom smislu, to mi je jako drago.

Što se tiče jezik, bosanski jezik je stvarno sličan hrvatskom. Zapravo, većina ljuda koje smo upoznali su zvali jezik ‘naš jezik’ umjesto ‘bosanski’ ili ‘hrvatski’. Razlog tome je jer da tijekom vremena jugoslavije, svi su pričali isti jezik se zove sprskohrvatski i sad nakon rata, svaka država koja je bila dio jugoslavije ima svoj jezik iako su srpski, bosanski, crnogorski i hrvatski jako slični. Zbog toga, nitko ne zna u kojim jezik ljudi govore pa zovu ‘naš jezik’.

Dakle, baš sam sretan da sam posjetio Bosnu i Hercegovinu jer sam otkrio koliko su jezici u balkanskoj regiji slični. Mislim da razlika izmedu amerikanskog engleskog i britanskog engleskog je dobar primjer opisati razlika izmedu bosanskog i hrvatskog.

Last weekend, I traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina with my friends to visit Sarajevo and Mostar. Sarajevo is the capital of Bosnia, and Mostar is the main city of Herzegovina, but both are part of the same country—Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this report, I will describe my experience in Sarajevo, my experience in Mostar, and what I learned about languages through this trip.

Sarajevo is a wonderful city, full of culture. A very interesting thing about Sarajevo is that its center consists of two parts: one with Eastern influences and the other with Western influences. We walked through the old town and discovered that it has two sections because, at one point, Bosnia and Herzegovina was under the Ottoman Empire, and later, under the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Because of this, there are different types of architecture throughout the city, which I found fascinating.

Also, before the 1990s, Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of Yugoslavia. In Yugoslavia, there were six republics: Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, and Montenegro. Unfortunately, there was a war, and the country fell apart. What really interests me is how each country that was once part of Yugoslavia presents its history. In Sarajevo, people are open about the war and what happened.

We visited a museum called Gallery 11/07/95, where we learned about the genocide in Srebrenica during the war. It was very difficult and heartbreaking to learn about, but I think it is extremely important not to forget what genocide looks like—we all know that those who learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.

On a brighter note, Sarajevo has a stunning sunset. We went to watch it from the Yellow Fortress. If you ever find yourself in Sarajevo, I highly recommend watching the sunset from there!

After two days in Sarajevo, we took a bus to Mostar, which was only a two-and-a-half-hour journey. Mostar is also a beautiful city—smaller than Sarajevo but with its own charm. We only spent one day in Mostar, but we walked around the old town with a guide who told us amazing stories about the city.

I didn’t know that the old town was so new—our guide told us that it is only about 20 years old because it was rebuilt after the war. UNESCO funded the reconstruction, and what is really interesting is that outside the old town, there are still abandoned buildings from the war that have not been rebuilt because they are not part of the UNESCO zone.

I think the most famous symbol of Mostar is the Stari Most (Old Bridge). Our guide told us that it represents the unity of Bosnia and Herzegovina in a multiethnic sense, which I found very moving.

When it comes to language, the Bosnian language is very similar to Croatian. In fact, most people we met referred to the language as “our language” instead of “Bosnian” or “Croatian.” The reason for this is that during the time of Yugoslavia, everyone spoke the same language, called Serbo-Croatian. Now, after the war, each country that was part of Yugoslavia has its own official language, even though Serbian, Bosnian, Montenegrin, and Croatian are very similar. Because of this, no one knows exactly which language people are speaking, so they simply call it “our language.”

I’m really happy that I visited Bosnia and Herzegovina because I discovered how similar the languages of the Balkan region are. I think the difference between American and British English is a good example to describe the difference between Bosnian and Croatian.

태국에서 서울까지: 겨울 여행

저는 태국에서 두 주 동안 따뜻한 날씨를 즐기고 한국에 돌아왔어요. 한국에 돌아왔을 때, 북극에서 불어온 차가운 바람이 한반도를 덮치고 있었어요. 서울의 거리, 카페, 건물들이 하얀 눈으로 덮였고, 기온은 -14°C까지 떨어졌어요. 태국에서 망고와 파인애플, 수박을 먹고 있었던 저는, 서울에서 하얀 눈에 덮인 차가운 도시에서 초콜릿을 마시고 여러 겹의 옷을 입으며 추위를 버티는 일이 너무 달랐어요. 그 순간, 태국과 서울의 날씨 차이가 정말 크게 느껴졌어요.

 그때 제 영국에서 온 사촌이 한국에 처음으로 방문했어요. 그녀는 저를 만나고, 한국을 보고 싶어 했어요. 한국에 익숙한 저는 사촌에게 한국의 궁궐도 보여주고, 한국 음식을 함께 먹으며 서울 거리를 걷는 것을 도와주었어요. 그녀는 처음 보는 한국의 아름다움에 매우 감동했어요. 우리는 서울에서 유명한 장소들을 많이 방문하며 즐거운 시간을 보냈어요.

첫날 저녁, 저는 사촌을 고급 소고기 BBQ 레스토랑에 데려갔어요. 고기와 사이드 디시를 고르는 방법, 고기를 굽는 방법, 그리고 고기를 자를 때 가위를 사용하는 법을 가르쳐줬어요. 사촌은 처음에는 조금 어려워했지만, 결국 고기를 상추에 싸서 먹는 방법을 익혔어요. 그녀는 정말 맛있다고 하면서 기뻐했어요. 배부르게 먹은 후에는, N서울타워로 가서 케이블카를 타고 눈 덮인 산을 올라갔어요. 정상에서 서울의 전경을 바라볼 수 있었고, 특히 많은 눈 덕분에 서울이 마치 얼음처럼 아름답게 보였어요.

다음 날, 우리는 국립중앙박물관에 가서 동남아시아의 역사에 대해 배웠어요. 박물관은 정말 크고 인상적이었고, 도자기, 그림, 조각상, 책, 도구 등 많은 중요한 유물들이 전시되어 있었어요. 우리는 하루 종일 박물관을 돌아다니며 다양한 유물들을 보았지만, 너무 많아서 모든 것을 볼 수 없었어요. 제가 가장 좋아한 부분은 기증된 유물들이었어요. 각 유물에는 기증자와 기증한 이유, 그리고 그 유물에 담긴 역사적 의미에 관한 이야기가 담겨 있었어요. 유물들을 보며, 사람들이 역사에 대해 얼마나 깊은 관심을 가지고, 그 지식을 다른 사람들과 나누고 싶어 하는지 느낄 수 있었어요.

 

마지막 날, 우리는 한국의 궁궐을 방문했어요. 궁궐은 정말 아름다웠고, 마치 역사적인 K드라마의 한 장면 같았어요. 궁궐의 지붕에 하얀 눈이 덮여 있었고, 처마에 고드름이 매달려 있었어요. 바람이 불 때마다 눈이 공중에서 춤추듯 날아가며 궁궐의 뜰과 정원을 덮었어요. 제 사촌은 한국의 고풍스러운 아름다움에 정말 놀랐어요.

이번 달 날씨는 매우 추워졌어요. 한국의 많은 지역에 기상 경고가 발령되었고, 밤새 많은 눈이 내렸어요. 아이들은 눈사람을 만들며 겨울을 즐겼어요. 서울의 겨울은 정말 아름다웠지만, 그만큼 추워서 힘들기도 했어요. 그러나 그 추위 속에서 친구들이랑 따뜻한 음료를 마시며 이야기를 나누는 시간이 정말 소중했어요.

한국의 역사, 문화, 자연의 아름다움은 저와 제 사촌에게 정말 특별한 경험을 선사했어요. 태국의 따뜻한 날씨와 서울의 눈 덮인 겨울 풍경은 너무 다르지만, 둘 다 정말 기억에 남는 경험이었어요. 이 여행을 통해 한국에 대한 사랑과 자부심을 느꼈고, 제 사촌도 한국을 사랑하게 되었어요.

다음 달에 뵙겠습니다, 안녕히 가세요!

From Tropical Thailand to Snowy Seoul: A Winter Trip

I spent two weeks enjoying the warm weather in Thailand and returned to Korea. When I came back, cold winds from the Arctic were sweeping across the peninsula. The streets, cafes, and buildings in Seoul were covered in white snow, and the temperature dropped to -14°C. The warm climate in Thailand, where I had been eating mangoes, pineapples, and watermelons, felt so different from the cold city of Seoul, where I drank hot chocolate and wore many layers of clothing to endure the cold. The sudden change in temperature felt so dramatic, as if I had travelled between two completely different worlds.

During this sudden cold snap, my cousin from England visited Korea for the first time. She wanted to visit me and see this fascinating East Asian country. While I was already familiar with Korea, it was her first time seeing a Korean palace, trying Korean food, and walking the streets of Seoul. She was really impressed by the beauty of Korea, and we visited many famous places in the city, spending a great time together.

On the first evening, I invited my cousin to a high-quality beef BBQ restaurant. I taught her how to choose meat and side dishes, how to grill the meat, and how to use scissors to cut it. At first, she found it a little difficult, but she eventually learned how to wrap the meat in lettuce. She said it was really delicious and was excited to try everything. After eating our fill, we went to N Seoul Tower and took the cable car up the snowy mountain. From the top, we had an amazing view of Seoul. The city looked especially beautiful because of the snow, as if it was wrapped in ice.

The next day, we went to the National Museum of Korea to learn about the history of Southeast Asia. The museum was huge and impressive, and it displayed many important artifacts, including pottery, paintings, sculptures, books, and tools. We spent the entire day exploring the museum, but there were still so many things we didn’t have time to see. My favorite part was the donated artifacts. Each artifact had a story about its donor, how it was donated, and its historical significance. It was inspiring to see how passionate people were about history and how they wanted others, even foreigners like me, to learn from these objects.

On the last day, we visited the Korean palaces. The palaces were incredibly beautiful, almost like a scene from a historical K-drama. The roofs were covered in white snow, and icicles hung from the eaves. Whenever the wind blew, the powdery snow would swirl through the courtyards and gardens, creating a magical scene. My cousin was amazed by the old-fashioned beauty of Korea.

This month, the weather became very cold. A weather warning was issued for most areas of Korea, and heavy snow fell overnight. Children made snowmen and enjoyed the winter weather. The winter in Seoul was truly beautiful, but it was also so cold that it was tough to endure. However, the time spent with friends, drinking warm drinks and chatting, was really precious.

The history, culture, and natural beauty of Korea gave both my cousin and me a truly special experience. The warm weather of Thailand and the snowy winter landscape of Seoul were so different, but both were an unforgettable experiences. Through this trip, I felt a greater love and pride for Korea, and my cousin also came to love it.

Until next month, goodbye!

我不知不覺一個月就過去了！ 最近來一個月的進步令我很滿意。原因在於我不用再浪費時間申請工作了，可以專心致志地學習中文了。換句話說：我被錄取了！俗話說：找工作真是個全職工作。其實，與其說我被錄取了不如說我終於被錄取了來得更確切。 從開始申請工作的9月份到目前為止，連一個星期都沒停申請工作職位。我不要分享準確的數字為的是不要被老闆發現，要不然他可能會覺得我不欣賞這個職位。其實，這個遠不如事實。我縱使不能說這位工作是我唯一申請的，卻我至少得承認是在夢想的工作職位。因此我自己相信的是：凡是以前申請工作的經驗都是令我到達這裡，而且都對我的面試技術和行業知識有貢獻。我還是應該承認。

除此之外，最近一個月都挺正常的。我有一個在愛丁堡大學認識的中國朋友來到台灣拜訪她在中國高中認識的一些台灣朋友。她邀請我與他們一起吃晚飯，因此我們到了公館夜市去，首先在一個泰式餐廳吃點，其中我最喜歡的一向是木瓜沙拉，然後在路上逛逛試試台灣夜市裡常常有的食物。其實，雖然越南麵包並不算是台灣夜市的食物，不過只是要是你去公館夜市，這個算是一家非吃不可的越式餐廳，是台北的第一名。我到底是個很簡單的愛吃三明治的英國人。Ellie 吃了台灣炸的食物 – 它的名字我都不知道。即使我以前住在台灣一年了，我還是分辨不出來好多菜單上的食物。我之前以為重視認識菜單上的菜只是個瑣碎的可以忽視的分辨，我以為沒有努力記住的必要。我現在卻發現要是我在中國或台灣與同事一起吃晚飯，或是公司邀請我把重要客人吃晚飯，如果我掌握華人的基本菜單食物的話，不但可以表示我對他們的尊重，而且可以拉近我們之間的關係。再加上，一定會讓我日常生活容易得多！我希望能要吃什麼就吃什麼，不要再像目前拿出來手機查一下幾個字或是隨機地點菜然後後悔。

綜上所述，收到了好的工作通知後，我終於轉注意力到我的生活中其他剩下的缺憾，其中重要的包含：我還沒掌握好華人餐廳的菜單！

A month has passed without my realising it! I am very satisfied with my progress in the last month. The reason is that I don’t have to waste my time applying for jobs anymore and I can concentrate on my Chinese studies. In other words, I’ve been hired! As the saying goes, finding a job is a full-time job. In fact, saying ‘I have been hired’, isn’t as accurate as saying ‘I have finally been hired’.  From the time I started applying for jobs in September until now, I haven’t stopped applying for jobs for even a week. I don’t want to share the exact figures because I don’t want my boss to find out, otherwise he might think that I don’t appreciate the position. In fact, this is far from the truth. Even though I can’t say that this is the only job I applied for, I have to at least admit that it is my dream job.  So what I believe for myself is that all of my previous job applications have led me here and have contributed to my interviewing skills and knowledge of the industry.

Other than this, the last month has been pretty normal. A Chinese friend of mine from Edinburgh University came to Taiwan to visit some Taiwanese friends she knew from her high school in China. She invited me to join them for dinner, so we went to the Gongguan night market. First we ate at a Thai restaurant, my favourite is, as always, the papaya salad, and then we wandered around trying some typical food from Taiwanese night markets. Actually, I had a Banh Mi.  Although Banh Mi is not really a Taiwanese night market food, you cannot go to Gongguan Night Market and not get the Banh Mi, it’s the best in Taipei. I’m a simple sandwich-loving Brit, and Ellie ate Taiwanese fried food – the name of which I don’t even know. Even though I lived in Taiwan for a year before, I still can’t tell a lot of the food on the menu. I used to think that the importance of knowing what’s on the menu was just a trivial, and I didn’t think there was any point in trying to memorise it, but now I’ve realised that if I’m having dinner with colleagues in China or Taiwan, or if my company invites me to take an important guest to dinner, if I have a good grasp of the basic Chinese menu, it’s not only a way to show them my respect, but also a way to bring them closer to me and to my colleagues. Plus, it would definitely make my daily life much easier! I would like to be able to eat whatever I want, instead of having to take out my mobile phone to look up a few words or order at any time and then regret it.

To summarise, after receiving a good job offer, I finally got to turn my attention to the other remaining imperfections in my life, including the important one: I still haven’t mastered the Chinese restaurant menu!

 

 

新春快乐

今年春节很特别。一月二十五号我跟一个同学上飞机。三个小时之后我们到了。今年我去重庆，成都和延安过年。

首先，重庆是一座在中国的西南方充满活力的山城。特色的地形造就了层叠的道路和错落的建筑。重庆最具特色的城市景观之一是轻轨穿楼而过。.

第二天，我们见了一个北大同学一起吃火锅（重庆以麻辣火锅而闻名）。她是重庆人。对于不了解的人来说， 火锅是一种中国传统的饮食方式。在锅中加热汤底，接着把各种食材放入锅中涮后食用，一边煮边吃。一般来说，热汤麻麻辣辣。幸运的是，两锅热汤中，第一锅是麻辣底料，第二锅是西红的。食材非常丰富，从蔬菜到鲜肉，老少皆宜。

除夕（一月二十八号）那天，我们坐火车去成都。成都市是四川的首都。从杜甫草堂到大熊猫研究基地，这座城市景点众多。第二天我们见了另一个北大同学，然后我们整天一起玩了一整天。因为她是一个成都人，她就像一个私人导游，她对成都了如指掌，对每条街都门儿清。

我们首先一起去一条传统购物街，那里遇到一种叫“三大炮“的传统成都小吃。三大炮是一种糯米制成的甜点，因制作过程中独特的“弹射”方式而得名。制作过程如下，轮流拿一个糯米团，用力往案板上摔，让它弹起来！！顾名思义，连续摔3次。最后裹上黄豆粉，淋糖浆，美味可口！除了吃小吃以外，我们在成都参观了杜甫草堂、大熊猫基地、还看了川剧变脸。成都太棒了！最后，三十一号我一个人晨早起床被送机，飞到延安(我的同学回北京)。

在延安，我跟另一个北大同学和她的中国家人一起过年。早上8点半我朋友的爸爸来接我。有意思的是，他不会说普通话或者英文，只说延安方言。幸运的是，延安方言和普通话差不多，但有时候难以听得懂! 那天我朋友的家人和亲戚一起吃午饭。因为春节，我们吃各种各样的延安小吃，大饱眼福！那天我朋友需要写完一张论文，所以她爸爸带我们游览了这座城市。晚上在停车场里我们点燃烟花，砰然炸响，五彩斑斓的光芒在夜空中绽放。

在延安，我们参加了街上的活动、参观了博物馆、吃了多美食，比如延安沾沾[1]、还欣赏了璀璨夺目的烟花。二月三号晚上，我累死了。终于坐上绿皮车回北京。坐车时，我一边听着火车在铁轨上哐当哐当地驶过，发出低沉的轰隆声，一边渐渐入睡。我感到十分满足。我不仅游历了三座中国城市，还和中国家庭一起过年。我觉得我对中国的理解更加深刻。

Happy New Year!

This year’s Chinese New Year was special. On the 25^th of January I took the plane with a classmate. Three hours later we had arrived. This year we were going to Chongqing, Chengdu and Yanan to celebrate new year.

First, Chongqing is a south-western lively mountainous city in China. The unique terrain creates layered roads and staggered buildings. One of Chongqing’s special city features is the metro that cuts through building blocks.

On the second day, we met up with a friend from Beijing University and ate hotpot (Chongqing is famous for its spicy hotpot). Our friend is from Chongqing. For those that do not already know, hotpot is a traditional style of Chinese cuisine. In a pot you brew a base soup and then briefly boil all types of ingredients, cooking and eating as you go. Typically, the soup is numbingly spicy. Luckily, of the two base soups, the first one was spicy, but the second one was tomato flavoured. There was a range of ingredients (to boil), from vegetables to fresh meet, something for everyone.

On New Year’s Eve (28^th January), we took the train to Chengdu. Chengdu is Sichuan province’s capital. From Dufu’s[1 ] thatched house to the national Panda Research Centre, the city has many attractions. On the second day in Chengdu, we met up with another friend from Beijing University. We spent the whole day out together. Because she is from Chengdu, she was like a private tour guide, she knew Chengdu like the back of her hand, and familiar with every single street.

We first went to a traditional shopping street, where we encountered a traditional Chengdu snack called ‘Three big explosions. Three big explosions is a type of sweet snack of glutinous rice. It is named after its unique ‘catapulting’ method in the making process. The process is as followed, you take turns taking a ball of glutinous rice and then thrown it hard onto a board, letting it bounce up. As the name suggests, you do this three times in a row. In the end you envelop it in soybean flower and drizzle syrup over them. It’s so delicious! Besides eating snacks, in Chengdu we also visited Dufu’s thatched cottage, the panda research institute and watched the Sichuanese opera’s traditional performance of face changing. Chengdu is great. Finally, on the 31^st I got up early in the morning to go to the airport and flew to Yanan (while my classmate returned to Beijing).

In Yanan, I stayed with another friend from Beijing university and her family. 8.30 in the morning her dad picked me up from the airport. Interestingly, he cannot speak Putonghua[2] or English. Luckily, the Yanan dialect and Putonghua is not too different, but sometimes I did find it hard to understand! That day we ate lunch with my friend’s family and her relatives. Because it was new years there were all types of Yanan delicacies, a feast full of food. My friend had to finish an essay that day, so her dad took us around Yanan to see the sights. That evening we sent off fireworks in a parking lot, with loud bangs, their colourful light lit up the sky.

In Yanan we participated in many street activities, went to museums, ate lots of delicacies including Yanan Zhan Zhan[3] and enjoyed more dazzling fireworks. On the 3^{rd of} February, I was so tired. I eventually got onto the night train. Taking the train, I listened to the clanking noise of the train on the tracks and gradually fell asleep. I feel really satisfied. Not only did I experience three Chinese cities, I also experienced spending new year with a Chinese family. I feel that I have come to understand China much better.

[1] Dufu is a famous Chinese poet from the Tang dynasty (7^th century).

 

[2] Standardised Mandarin. Because China is so big, often different regions use different dialects. The majority of people however also speak standardised Mandarin (the Beijing dialect) particularly the youth.

[3] Like hotpot but with skewers and cumin spice.

Der letzte Monat ging schnell, aber die Höhepunkte sinf mir noch frisch in Erinnerung. Ich wurde am 20. Dezember zum Grünkohl Essen bei dem Ruderclub eingeladet. Es bestand schon wieder die Möglichkeit, uns schick anzuziehen und eine Tradition zu feiern, die tief mit Norddeutschland verbindert sei. Wie gezeigt im beigefügten Bild aßen wir Würste, Bratkartoffeln, Räucherschinken, Senf und natürlich Grünkohl. Zusätzlich wurden Weißbier oder Wein uns angeboten.
Der vorherige Tag bin ich im Achter mit der U23 Trainingsgruppe auf die Alster gerudert, um unsere Großboot Fähigkeiten zu entwickeln. Es lässt sich nicht leugnen, dass es eine schwierige Einheit war, wurde es allerdings viel Spaß gemacht. In dem dunkelen Abend zu rudern kriegt man besser in Großbooten hin, insbesondere bei dem kalten Wetter. 20km war zuerst unser Ziel, jedoch hat unser Trainer uns im Motorboot auf dem Wasser begleitet, deswegen dürften wir um den beleuchteten Weihnachtsbaum in Mitte der Binnenalster rudern. Ich saß am Schlag im Boot vor der Steuerperson. Der Weihnachtsbaum sah so schön aus im Vergleich zum schwarzen Himmel und Wasser, auf dem die Lichter von dem Baum gespiegelt wurde. Solche kulturelle Gelegenheiten hätte ich nicht erlebt, wenn ich nicht Mitglied des Ruderclubs wäre.

Demnächst fahre ich ein zweites 5k Ergo Test, um hoffentlich meinen Bestwert zu verbessern. Nach einem 10-tagigen Trainingslager in Schottland bin ich ziemlich erschöpft geworden, trotzdem muss man durch und ich vorbereite mich vor der harten Arbeit der kommenden Wochen. Die Uni geht auch jetzt weiter. Bald werden die Noten meiner ausgewählten Kursen mit mir geteilt, obgleich muss ich noch ein Stundenprotokoll zum Thema Emotion in Sprache schreiben. Der Kurs hat uns viel über den wissenschaftlichen Unterschied zwischen Emotionen und Gefühlen, und die kognitiven sowie die sprachliche Bedeutungen dieser Begriffe(n) beigebracht. Auf die Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) als ‚Werkzeug der Zukünft‘ wird auch viel Wert von Uni HH gelegt, zudem hat die Uni Hamburg ihre eigene Version von ChatGPT, UHHGPT, entwickelt. Es ist mir klar, dass die Uni sich positiv an KI stellt, was eine produktive Einstellung und einen Schritt in Richtung der Zukunft beweist.

This last month has gone by very quickly but the highlights remain fresh in my memory. I was invited to the Kale Eating at the rowing club on 20th December. Once again, we had the opportunity to dress up and celebrate a tradition that is deeply connected with northern Germany. As shown in the attached picture, we ate sausages, roast potatoes, gammon, mustard and of course, kale. We were also offered wheat beer or wine.
On the previous day I rowed in the eight with the U23 training group on the Alster in order to develop our big boat skills. There’s no denying that it was a difficult training session, but it was a lot of fun. Rowing in the dark evening is better done in big boats, especially in the cold weather. Our initial goal was 20km, but our coach accompanied us on the water in a launch, so we were allowed to row around the illuminated Christmas tree in the middle of the Inner Alster. I sat in the boat at stroke seat, in front of the cox. The Christmas tree looked so beautiful against the black sky and water, on which the lights of the tree were reflected. I wouldn’t have experienced such cultural opportunities if I wasn’t a member of the rowing club.

I’m doing a second 5k ergo test soon to hopefully improve on my PB. After a 10-day training camp in Scotland, I’ve become quite exhausted, but I still have to get through it and prepare myself for the hard work of the coming weeks. University is continuing now too. The grades of my courses will be shared with me soon, although I still have to write a report on the topic of emotion in language. The course has taught us a lot about the scientific difference between emotions and feelings, and the cognitive and linguistic meanings of these terms.The University of Hamburg also places a lot of importance on artificial intelligence (AI) as a ‘tool of the future’, and the university has developed its own version of ChatGPT, UHHGPT. It’s clear to me that the university has a positive attitude towards AI, which demonstrates a productive attitude and a step towards the future.

Bonne année ! 

Bonjour et bonne année ! Nouvel an, nouveau moi ? Cette année je n’ai pas trop pensé sur les bonnes résolutions puisque un de mes objectifs) depuis longtemps vient de se réaliser : je fais un stage à Lyon ! Après des mois de recherche, quelques entretiens, une soixantaine de candidatures (dont la plupart était laissée sans réponse), j’ai enfin trouvé un stage qui correspondait avec mes critères et même surpassé mes attentes. Avec une date de début du 6 janvier, le seul objectif de l’année 2025 que j’ai en tête en ce moment, c’est de réussir dans mon stage. Cela signifie de bien intégrer dans l’entreprise, d’oser faire des échanges pour créer des connexions avec mes collègues, même si j’aurais du mal avec la langue parfois, de réaliser mes projets (de marketing digital) d’une hausse qualité, etc. Je sais très bien que ça ne va pas être facile. Il faut que je maintienne confiance en moi et mes capacités même si je rencontre des difficultés. J’ai beaucoup à apprendre dans le métier, mais j’ai trop hâte de faire l’apprentissage à côté d’une si bonne équipe.

Le 6 janvier était la journée parfaite pour commencer, puisque c’était La fête des Rois et presque tout le bureau est rentré le même jour. Il y avait une ambiance très conviviale, surtout quand on a tous vu la douzaine de galettes offertes par l’entreprise ! Après avoir savouré la galette – et pour certains découvert la fève et couronnée le Roi – les fondateurs, père et fils, ont pris la parole pour souhaiter à tout le monde une bonne reprise après les vacances.

Après une petite pause pendant Noël, je suis contente de revenir à Lyon. Les guirlandes lumineuses sont toujours suspendues dans les arbres de mon quartier, il fait froid mais très ensoleillé, et ça m’a fait du bien d’ être réuni avec mes colocs. On a passé plusieurs soirées “cocooning” ensemble, en regardant la télé, en sirotant des boissons chaudes, et en organisant notre weekend de Ski en Février ! De plus, l’objectif de rester à Lyon même si j’ai changé d’activité, est que je peux profiter de la vie sociale que j’ai construit pendant le semestre dernier, en profitant de ma nouvelle vie dans le monde du travail. J’avoue que ca été un peu difficile de trouver la bonne routine pour arriver au juste milieu, mais ça va prendre du temps. Le weekend dernier je suis allée à une fête à l’ENS, dont le thème était “rave”. Malheureusement la musique était plutôt du genre pop, mais j’ai quand même passé une très bonne soirée en retrouvant des amis de mes anciens cours. Ce weekend il y a un gala à l’ENS, et le thème est l’antique ! Il y aura un menu à thème comme des pizzas “grecques”, du spanakopita, du houmous et autres apéritifs méditerranéen. De plus, il y aura toutes sortes de boissons avec les noms comme “l’élixir de Zeus”, “la fureur de Toutatis” et “la potion des druides”. J’ai trop hate pour la soirée !

Happy new year!

Hello and happy new year! New year, new me? This year I’ve not thought much about New Year’s resolutions since a big goal of mine that I’ve had for a while has just come true : I’m doing an internship in Lyon! After months of searching, some interviews, around sixty  applications (from most of which I got no response), I finally found an internship that matched my criteria and even succeeded my expectations. With a start date of the 6th of January, the only goal for the year that I’ve got in mind right now is to succeed in my internship. This means to integrate well into the company, to dare to have conversations and create connections with my colleagues, even if I struggle sometimes with the language, to create high quality projects (in digital marketing) etc. I know very well that it won’t be easy. I must remain confident in myself and my abilities even if I encounter difficulties. I have lots to learn in the domain, but I am really looking forward to learning it all alongside such a good team.

The 6th of January was a perfect day to start, since it was ‘la Fête des Rois’ and almost all of the office came back on the same day. There was a really convivial atmosphere, especially when we all saw the dozen cakes offered by the company! After having savoured the galette – and for some discovered the ‘fève’ and crowned the king – the founders, father and son, gave a speech to wish everyone a good return after the holidays. 

After a little break over Christmas, I am very happy to be back in Lyon. The fairy lights are still hung in the trees in my neighbourhood, it’s cold but very sunny, and it has done me good to be back with my flatmates. We have spent several cosy nights-in together, watching TV, sipping hot drinks, and organising our ski weekend in February! Also, the objective of staying in Lyon even though I have changed activities, is that I can make the most of the social life that I built during last semester, whilst enjoying my new life in the world of work. I admit that it has been a bit difficult to find the right routine to arrive at a happy medium, but that will take some time. Last weekend I went to a party at ENS, of which the theme was ‘rave’. Unfortunately the music was more of the pop genre, but I still spent a great evening reuniting with friends from my old classes. This weekend there is a gala at ENS, and the theme is antiquity! There will be a themed menu like “Greek” pizzas, spanakopita, hummus and other mediterranean aperitifs. What’s more, there will be all sorts of drinks with names such as “zeus’ elixir”, “the fury of toutatis” and “the druids potion”. I am so excited for the evening!

Bonjour et Bonne année à tous!

Le mois dernier au Québec, l’hiver était bien installé. La neige est partout, j’ai bien utilisé mes vêtements thermiques et mes bottes d’hiver. C’était aussi la période de Noël. J’ai passé Noël avec la famille de mon colocataire. C’était mon premier Noël québécois et j’ai essayé plusieurs plats locaux. J’ai mangé des plats comme un fondue avec les viandes fumées de Montréal, la tourtière et pour dessert, une bouche Noël. La famille était très accueillante, on a échangé les cadeaux le 24 décembre, puis le 25 on a ouvert les bas de Noël. On a passé les vacances en jouant les jeux de société en français, je leur ai même fait découvrir des jeux britanniques comme le Jenga (mais avec une touche spéciale Britannique). Il va de soi que j’ai passé des vacances incroyables et c’était certainement un Noël inoubliable.

 De plus, pendant les vacances, j’ai aussi fait les sports d’hiver comme du ski et de randonnée en raquettes. J’ai profité de la piste du Mont Sainte Anne, juste quelques minutes de chez moi. Ayant grandi en Angleterre, je ne connais évidemment pas du tout les sports d’hiver, ceci étant dit, mes compétences en ski nécessitent beaucoup de travail… Cependant, si je continue de suivre du ski ici, je vais améliorer mes compétences (je dis avec un peu d’espoir…).

En outre, j’ai fait une résolution du Nouvel An de mieux comprendre la politique et les lois du Québec. En particulier, la loi sur la protection de la langue française qui a été créer pour augmenter et protéger la langue française dans la province. La loi impose l’utilisation du français dans tous les domaines. Dedans tous les services gouvernementaux au Québec vous devez parler en français et si vous êtes un immigrant de plus de 6 mois vous n’avez pas le droit d’utiliser le service en anglais. Pour moi, une étudiante qui apprends le français, je le trouve vraiment utile car ça persévère mon français.

Il existe plusieurs mesures pour éviter l’anglicisation des termes. Mon préféré c’est quand le gouvernement change les marques internationales en français. Par exemple, au lieu de « KFC », on utilise « PFC » pour « Poulet Frit Kentucky ». Ces efforts assurent que le français reste vivant et dynamique dans un monde qui est constamment menacé par les anglicismes.

Je vise à apprendre et créer une liste des mots québécoises qui remplacent les anglicismes et les partager avec mes amis européens francophones.

Hello and Happy New Year everyone!

Last month in Quebec, winter was well and truly here. Snow is everywhere, I made good use of my thermal clothing and winter boots. It was also Christmas time. I spent Christmas with my flatmates family. It was my first Christmas in Quebec and I tried several local dishes. I ate dishes like fondue with Montreal smoked meats, tourtière and for dessert, a bouche Noël. The family was very welcoming, we exchanged gifts on December 24th, then on the 25th we opened Christmas stockings. We spent the holidays playing board games in French, I even introduced them to British games like Jenga (but with a special British twist). It goes without saying that I had an incredible holiday and it was certainly an unforgettable Christmas.

In addition, during the holidays, I also did winter sports like skiing and snowshoeing. I made use of the Mont Sainte Anne ski hills, just a few minutes from my home. Growing up in England, I obviously don’t know anything about winter sports, that being said, my skiing skills need a lot of work… However, if I continue to do skiing here, I will hopefully improve my skills.

Moreover, I made a New Year’s resolution to better understand the politics and laws of Quebec. In particular, the French Language Protection Act which was created to increase and protect the French language in the province. The law requires French to be used in all domains. In all government services in Quebec you must speak French, and if you are an immigrant who has been in Quebec more than 6 months, you are not allowed to use services in English. For me, a student learning French, I find it really useful because it pushes my French.

There are several measures to avoid anglicising words. My favorite is when the government changes international brands into French. For example, instead of « KFC », they use « PFC » for « Poulet Frit Kentucky ». These methods ensure that French remains alive in a world that is constantly threatened by anglicisms.

I aim to learn and create a list of Quebecois words that replace anglicisms and share them with my French-speaking European friends.

我最近搬回了我大三時來留學的台北！這次我專門來ICLP語言學院力讀兩個學期的。重新回到台北真讓我好快樂。由於我對這裡已經非常熟悉，那我直接適應了這個課程的節奏和作業份量。我每天得準備4個小時。原因在於每天每一個小時的課都最少要求一個小時的準備。每天的4門課其中三個是與3學生進行的，一個小時是單班課。簡直而言，我十分忙碌。再加上，我還在找工作的路上。所以我不是在家找工作，就是在上課，我不是在上課的路上，就在回去家去找工作的路上。

我這個星期還有參加了在香港進行的面試。雖然我以為我好好準備了，面試官還有問我以前想都想不到的問題！我努力試圖處之泰然不過，我回答一些問題時免不了方寸大亂！總而言之，雖然我對自己的表示不是百分之百滿意，我到達申請過程的第5個最後關的事實還是讓我挺滿意的。現在我就是求宇宙體現一個好的結果!

下個禮拜就是農曆過年，因此沒有課。在這段時間裡台北就感像一片空間。大多數的人回家鄉與家人過年。畢竟，這是華人最重要的節慶之一。我第一次來台灣，我以為找到一個願意請你與他們家人過年的台灣朋友會是保障的！其實，談何容易。要是我換座位，我邀請幾乎陌生的人來到我的家鄉過聖誕節應該是低可能性的。因此我們在這個禮拜所有的是時間，怎麼辦？ 幸虧永遠有E7Play，這個娛樂中心是二十四小時全天候。我可以邀請我剩下的台灣朋友一起去。何況，個價格只是按照時間算的，因此，我們可以帶來自己的食物飲料，玩到累喝到醉。除此之外，我在放假的下個星期都會預備期中演講的。
我祝你們新年快樂，恭喜你發財！

Recently I have returned to Taibei, where I studied abroad during my third year of university! This time I have come specially to the ICLP for two semesters. Returning to Taipei has made me really happy. Since I am really familiar with the place,  I immediately adjusted to the rhythm and workload of the course here. Every day I have to prepare for four hours. The reason is that every hour of class requires one hour of preparation at minimum. Three of our four classes are with three other students, and one hour is a one on one

class. To put it simply, I am really quite busy. Furthermore, I am also on the search for a job. So when I am not at home looking for a job, I am in class, and when I am not on my way to class, I am on my way home to look for a job.
In the last week I also attended a job interview in Hong Kong. Although I thought I had prepared well, the interviewers still asked me questions I had never thought of! I tried my hardest to take it in my stride, but when I answered a few questions I couldn’t help but get quite confused. All in all, although I am not 100% satisfied with my performance, the fact that I have even managed to get to the fifth and final round of the application process still makes me pretty satisfied. Right now, I am just asking the universe manifest a good outcome!

Next week is the Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year CNY) and so there is no class. In this period, Taibei is an empty place. Most people go home to celebrate the new year. After all, it is one of the most important festivals for people of Chinese culture. The first time I came to Taiwan, I thought that finding a Taiwanese friend who was willing to invited me to celebrate CNY with their family would be a guarantee! That’s easier said than done. If I were in their shoes, I think there is a low possibility that I would invite an almost strange home for Christmas. And so, in this short time, what is there to do? Fortunately there is always E7Play  (a pun on the words E and 7 which sound like 一起 meaning ‘together’, so ‘together play’). This activity centre is open 24/7. I can invite my remaining Taiwanese friends to go with me. Not to mention, the price is calculated only on time, and so we can bring in our own food and drink and play till we are tired and drink till we are drunk! Aside from this, the holiday week is all going to be about preparing mid-term presentations. I hope you have a happy new year! Congratulations, Make a Fortune (literally).

下面我貼了一些最近拍的照片：
Below I post of few recent photos:

我上個週末去陽明山健行。 沒想到離城市不到1個小時半在眼前會有這麼壯觀的美景。 Last weekend I went up Yangmingshan to hike.  I didn’t expect that less than 1.5 hours from the city you could have such beautiful views right in front of you.

J’ai enfin quitté Paris ! Après trois mois géniaux dans la ville, j’étais prêt pour un changement. Avec mon emploi du temps chargé et les examens, je n’ai pas pu explorer le reste du pays. C’était le moment de faire une pause. Ma famille et moi avons décidé de passer Noël à Nice. Ils étaient déjà là depuis quelques jours quand j’ai fini mes examens, et on m’a offert des fruits de mer délicieux pour fêter ça.

I finally left Paris! After three great months in the city, I was ready for a change. With such a busy schedule – and exams to study for – I had not had any opportunities to explore the rest of the country. It was time for a break. My family and I decided to spend Christmas break in Nice. They had been there for a few days by the time I was finished with exams, and I was welcomed with some really good seafood to celebrate.

On prenait notre temps, et j’ai pu découvrir le côté culturel de Nice. La ville a plein de musées et galeries. On les visitait petit à petit, un par jour. Mon préféré était le musée archéologique, à côté d’un amphithéâtre romain. Il y avait aussi une belle expo avec les photos de Vivian Maier. Et enfin, le musée Matisse, le plus connu des trois. J’ai beaucoup aimé une affiche célèbre que Matisse a faite pour attirer les touristes à Nice.

Taking things slow, I had plenty of time to take in the cultural side of the city.

Nice is filled with museums and galleries, which we gradually ticked off, day by day. My favourite was the archeological museum, which was next to a Roman amphitheatre. There was also an excellent exhibition of Vivian Maier’s photos at the photography gallery. Last but certainly not least was the Matisse museum, which was by far the most popular of the three. I particularly liked this poster Matisse designed to boost tourism for Nice – it’s since become very famous locally.

Nice est aussi une ville qui a accueilli des écrivains célèbres. Tchékhov y a écrit Trois Sœurs. Nietzsche a aussi passé du temps ici et a écrit Ainsi parlait Zarathoustra. Plus loin, il y a un chemin qui s’appelle le CHemin de Nietzsche. On l’a fait, et on a vu une vue incroyable.

Nice has also been home to a number of writers. Chekhov spent summers here, writing Three Sisters. As did Nietzsche, who wrote Thus Spoke Zarathustra in the Riviera sun. Further along the coast is a hiking path called Nietzsche’s footpath, which we of course did. It led to a great view.

Par hasard, un ami de Sciences Po est de Nice. J’ai passé le Nouvel An avec ses amis, dans une station de ski qui s’appelle Auron, à quelques heures en voiture. J’ai goûté la raclette pour la première fois, et c’était meilleur que je pensais. Juste avant minuit, on est allés en ville pour voir les feux d’artifice et danser. Le lendemain matin, j’ai commencé l’année dans les montagnes.

By chance, a friend from Sciences Po grew up in Nice. I ended up spending New Year’s Eve with his school friends, in a ski town called Auron, a few hours drive from the coast. This was my first experience with raclette, which was better than I expected. As the new year approached, we went into town. There were fireworks; everyone was dancing in the square. And the next morning, I began the year in the mountains.

Como se acercaba la Navidad, entramos en el periodo del año más intenso en el laboratorio. Había una prisa subyacente por terminar todo lo necesario antes de irse para las vacaciones, y me puse a trabajar con aún más determinación. Ayudé en más que un proyecto, y aún empecé a planificar el nuevo año. Al regresar a España hace unos de días este plan se ha puesto en marcha. Ahora, la jefa me quiere metido en mi propio proyecto, en el de un estudiante de doctorado y, además, en otro proyecto sobre Parkinson de una investigadora postdoctoral. ¡Me parece que este año me va a tener bastante ocupado!

A pesar de la naturaleza exigente de mis tareas laborales, que incluso me ocuparán algunos fines de semana este mes, también estoy planeando hacer unos viajitos por Europa y España, entre más. En Octubre me apunté para subir la montana Kilimanjaro, como parte de una recaudación de fondos para DigDeep Africa, una organización benéfica, que suministra agua potable a comunidades en Kenia. Me inscribí en un momento de locura, en lo cual no pensé en las dificultades de estar en España este año, todavía, poco a poco voy elaborando un plan para recaudar fondos en dos países a la vez. He llegado a crear contenido bilingüe, como pósteres, e intento entablar una caminata de práctica Erasmus por medio de la Universitat de Barcelona, y otra por mi empresa científica. ¡Confío en mi capacidad de ejecutarlo con éxito!

En las dos semanas ante la Navidad, participamos en una variedad de actividades festivas, incluso nuestro equivalente de “Secret Santa”. En españa se dice “amigo invisible”, que tiene razón. Sin embargo, en mi empresa lo hacen más dramático y entretenido con un juego que incluye la posibilidad de robar regalos de otros jugadores. En plan, nuestro juego, denotado “White Tiger” (si, incluso en español se dice en inglés), requiere que cada persona compre un regalito entre 5-15€ y se dejan todos en una caja al centro de la habitación. Secuencialmente, por turnos, sacamos nombres de una gorra y hay que elegir sacar aún un regalo del centro, o por lo contrario, si te gusta más algo que ya se sacó, le puedes robar a alguien. La persona robada por ende vuelve a la caja central para sacar otro regalo. El juego sigue hasta que cada persona tenga un regalo, y se puede robar cada regalo hasta 2 veces antes de que no se pueda más, y en este caso el ladrón le garantiza ser dueño permanente de su artículo. Yo, como estudiante (bastante) nuevo, entré al juego sin intención de robar, por ende saqué mi regalo del centro. Después de unos minutos, un científco con pelo de estilo Einstein me acercó para robar lo que eran juegitos rompecabezas, y cambié de perspectiva en un instante. No realmente me importaba en absoluto los rompecabezas, sino lo interpreté como un señal de los dioses para no volver a ignorar mis deseos. Asímismo, sin culpa, robé una maquina que se corta automáticamente los vegetales y me quedé feliz con este regalo hasta el final. A pesar de los delitos, todo el mundo mantuvo de buen espíritu. ¡Os juro que todavía somos amigos!

Adicionalmente, en mi última semana antes de la navidad me tocó visitar una amiga en Badalona, y experimentar una defensa de doctorado de una colega del laboratorio. En Badalona la gente me vio como si nunca hubiera visto ningún chico rubio en la vida, además por mi falta de necesidad de llevar más de una camiseta en 11 grados (un talento de los ingleses). Nos pasamos unas horas comiendo tapas, y al regresar, casi me quedé atrapado allí porque mi tarjeta TMB quedó vacía, y no tuve tarjeta física para comprar un billete ni recargarla. Las máquinas en el metro no aceptaron pago sin contacto (por móvil o reloj), ni existió ningún aútobus por mala casualidad. Después de pasar varios minutos largos andando en circulos esperando por una racha de buena suerte, una mujer TMB me dio un billete sencillo cuando le expliqué la situación con cara estresada. Logré volver a Barcelona y anduve 30 minutos a casa. La experiencia fue una perfecta ilustración de las ventajas de hablar el idioma local.

El año 2025 sin duda va a traer más locura, caos, y buena experiencia. ¡Hasta la próxima!

As Christmas approached, we entered the most intense period of the year in the lab. There was an underlying rush to finish everything necessary before the holidays, and I threw myself into work with even more determination. I helped with more than one project and even started planning for the new year. Since returning to Spain a few days ago, that plan has been set in motion. Now, my boss wants me to be involved in my own project, a PhD student’s project, and, in addition, another project on Parkinson’s disease led by a postdoctoral researcher. It seems this year is going to keep me quite busy!

Despite the demanding nature of my work tasks, which will even take up some of my weekends this month, I am also planning some trips around Europe and Spain, among other things. In October, I signed up to climb Mount Kilimanjaro as part of a fundraising initiative for DigDeep Africa, a charity that provides clean water to communities in Kenya. I signed up in a moment of madness, without considering the challenges of being in Spain this year, but little by little, I am crafting a plan to raise funds in two countries at once. I’ve even created bilingual content, like posters, and I’m trying to organize a practice hike with Erasmus through the Universitat de Barcelona and another one through my scientific workplace. I’m confident in my ability to pull it off successfully!

In the two weeks leading up to Christmas, we participated in a variety of festive activities, including our version of “Secret Santa.” In Spain, it’s called “amigo invisible,” which makes sense. However, at my workplace, they make it more dramatic and entertaining with a game that includes the possibility of stealing gifts from other players. In our game, called “White Tiger” (yes, even in Spanish it’s called in English), each person buys a small gift worth between €5-€15, and they are all placed in a box in the middle of the room. One by one, we draw names from a hat and decide whether to take a new gift from the box or, alternatively, to steal something that has already been unwrapped. The person who is robbed then goes back to the box to pick another gift. The game continues until everyone has a gift, and each gift can be stolen up to two times before it becomes permanently owned by the current holder.

As a (relatively) new student, I joined the game with no intention of stealing, so I picked my gift from the box. However, a few minutes later, a scientist with Einstein-like hair approached and stole the puzzle games I had unwrapped, and my perspective shifted instantly. I didn’t really care about the puzzles at all, but I took it as a sign from the universe not to ignore my own desires. So, guilt-free, I stole an automatic vegetable slicer and happily held onto that gift until the end. Despite the “crimes,” everyone remained in good spirits. I swear we’re all still friends!

Additionally, during my last week before Christmas, I visited a friend in Badalona and attended a PhD defense by one of my lab colleagues. In Badalona, people looked at me as if they had never seen a blond guy in their lives, not to mention my lack of need for more than a T-shirt in 11°C weather (a talent of the English). We spent a few hours eating tapas, and on my way back, I almost got stuck there because my TMB card ran out of balance, and I didn’t have a physical card to buy a ticket or top it up. The metro machines didn’t accept contactless payment (via phone or watch), and, by sheer bad luck, there were no buses running. After several long minutes wandering in circles, hoping for a stroke of good luck, a TMB employee gave me a single ticket after I explained my situation with a stressed face. I managed to return to Barcelona and walked 30 minutes home. The experience was a perfect illustration of the advantages of speaking the local language.

The year 2025 will undoubtedly bring more madness, chaos, and good experiences. Until the next update!