Mondays are never boring January 14, 2009

When I am in Belgium, I try to be as active as possible in meeting friends and in being productive in my phd. However, my Mondays are usually very tiring. Last monday was one of the most extreme days I experienced.

First of all, there was the flight to Brussels on which I met an old partner-in-crime, who took a seminar with me while I was on Erasmus. We talked and chatted, and it was very nice to see each other again. In Brussels, I actually made it to the train station in time, so that I was in Leuven around 11. I quickly tried to do some work, but very soon, my new office mate arrived from Spain. Jose is a very nice guy and we went out to arrange some things for him.

When we arrived at the office again, it was time for the meeting of the group, in which I would do a try-out of my presentation for the conference next week. It was ok, but the presentation still needs some work. Afterwards, I asked my supervisors to have a meeting with them alone, to discuss my current progress in the research that I am doing.

The meeting was good, and I felt really high afterwards, but I took a lot of my strength. Meeting with very bright people demands a lot of you, because you have to stay alert all the time. Then, my old office-mate passed by, and invited me and some collegues for drinks. I joined them, after eating “koninginnenhapje”, an all time favourite!

The drinks were good and we had a very enjoyable time in the pub, but I had to cut it short to go to the Big Band. The normal conductor was absent, so I was asked to get things started until 9 o’clock, because then, a backup conductor would arrive. I had a great time making music with my friends, but sadly, I had to catch a bus.

Around 10 in the evening, I arrived at the parents of E, where I would stay for the night. It was very cosy and warm, and we stayed downstairs, chatting until past eleven! I rushed into bed, because I had to rise and shine the next morning at 6 in the morning, to be in the office on time for a community service I had to do.

Mondays are never boring.

A wonderful visit January 3, 2009

The past days, E. and I had two friends over for Silvester. It was lovely! Apart from the “Tour Touristique” in Berlin, we were able to do most of the nice little things that we like to do in Berlin. A number of fun things did not take place because of time limitations, but that ensures their come-back!

Wonderful visit

A small world December 8, 2008

Belgium, Berlin, the world… In that order. Moving to Berlin has made my circle of mates, “gelijkgestemden” and friends a lot bigger. Perhaps it is better to say that it has made me aware of the amount of connections that one has. I am not speaking about having 250+ friends on Facebook, but about actual people you encounter in streets, shops or… in the airport.

The spark that set off this idea was the unexpected meeting with an old study buddy (well, he studied, I was the buddy) from my attempt at becoming a world-famous physicus, at the airport gate to Berlin. We lived and now work in the same city, yet we never encountered each other because he is over in Heverlee, and I am in the city center, seperated by no more than 5 km. But when we both have the same goal that is 800 km further away, we meet each other.

When I landed in Berlin, I called a French friend who also migrated to Berlin. He told me that a shared mate was also in Berlin, and that we could have dinner together. So we went to the “Mount Everest” at the Kreuzberger Markthalle, and there I met S., a second connection that day that I just bumped into.

Markthalle

And this just happens so often, lately. I live in two worlds with two large circles of people that I met and remember. A very small number of people belong to both circles, but they are not necessarily my best friends. My best friends are those that understand the difficulty of meeting each other every day, and that try – from both sides – to bump into each other sometimes.

Even if they have to travel 800 km.