Don't Panic!

Saw this in a shop window while wandering in the old city... Thought it was fitting for this entry. And also funny but weird. 

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3. 5. 2012

The mind is a curious thing. Maybe this is why I'm interested in studying the brain, but I just can't imagine what kind of physical chemical processes are going on, that make the mind go totally bananas. And by bananas, I guess I mean worry. Worry, panic, stress, what is the point? I guess from a biological standpoint, one could argue that we worry because we care. If we don't worry, and don't care, then our motivations cease to exist and we wouldn't have any desires for development in our lives. Of course, worrying is a very nonproductive way of showing that we care, but it happens nonetheless. We can't seem to stop ourselves. Why is it that such a detrimental habit is so automatic?

But I digress.

Last night was my first bad night. Maybe it was because I was homesick. Maybe it was because I stayed up waaaaayyyyy too late playing a game on the computer, hoping that eventually I would be sleepy. Maybe it was because I was scared to face the next day, when I would be on my own in the city for the day. It was probably a combination of all these things. Well I ended up falling asleep around 4:00 AM, and had the worst nightmare I have ever had, but at least I got to sleep till 9:30. I can actually do pretty well with 5.5 hours of sleep.

Once I was actually out, it was cake. How complicated can a tram line be? Not complicated. This town was made for walking, and even though I probably could have ridden the tram further, it was pleasant to walk and get a taste of the Old Town when it's not the weekend. I made my way to the Admissions Building at the University of Heidelberg, to inquire about evening German classes. The University of Heidelberg is quite prestigious, but lucky me, since I'll be working for the Cancer Research Center, I fall under the category of "Members of University affiliated research organizations", which means getting into the program will be easy, and it is cheaper at the University than other language courses offered in town, but probably a million times harder to get into, normally.

The birds kept me company for lunch, as I wandered around the now almost deserted streets of the most popular tourist attractions. During the week the tourists seem to go into hibernation. I still feel like a tourist here, but at the same time I'm in no rush to run around snapping pictures of the buildings and the sites. I have a sense of peace in the fact that I'll have so much time here, time enough to get to know the city.

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In other news, I got an exciting email from my sister a few days ago. I would have announced it sooner and gushed but I wanted to make sure she was okay with it. She's ENGAGED, whoohoo! I couldn't be happier for the two of them. I was suspecting this trip would bring the good news, but it was still a total surprise, especially to see a picture of her ROCK! I don't know what it is about women and diamonds, maybe this is just me, but they tug at something in my soul. Is that materialistic? Meh, what can I say. I know out of all my friends I am probably the most old-fashioned when it comes to jewelry and whatnot, but man oh man I love diamonds. Whenever I try and argue my point, I like to say that more than the rock itself, it's a representation of the relationship. An unbreakable stone, and unbreakable marriage, I think there's something really romantic about that. Of course I don't agree with many of the methods of obtaining diamonds, it's really truly horrid sometimes, but if it was a perfect world, I think everyone would have diamonds on their fingers. (This love definitely started in my childhood, when I used to want to change my name to "Diamond Jewelry Ruby Treasure" or something like that. Perhaps that was the first sign that I liked shiny things). 

So. My sister is engaged and I love her and he isn't so bad so yay! Just kidding, he is actually awesome and I know they will be very happy. 

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3. 6. 2012

Two days in one! Today I go to the lab at the Cancer Research Center to meet my new boss, meet the members of the lab and find out what I'm actually going to be doing here. Hurrah! German classes start in a month, so I have some time to get back in the swing of speaking it to the best of my ability. My sister and her boyfriend are coming this weekend to see Heidelberg and then a couple days after that, we'll be in Frankfurt for a couple days to see my dad receive the Paul Ehrlich Prize, the most prestigious German award you can receive in molecular biology research. Go dad! 

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