Summer Holiday I

It is finally time to relax. Last week was exams. I only had one, but for my other module the entire grade was a group paper. It is very difficult to coordinate 10 people writing a paper. I was the editor, which means I just gave orders, did research, and waited for people to email me their sections of the paper to coordinate. Then I would print out the paper, give it to my group members and we would meet to comment. But nobody read the paper. Most people read parts, but I really don't think that any one person read the entire thing (It did end up being 130 pages, at least 75 of them text, the rest appendices). But I will stop complaining now. Yesterday afternoon it was finally out of my hands. We handed the paper in, and I went to the lake. I got to spend the afternoon lounging in the sun doing absolutely nothing. It was fantastic.

Tomorrow I leave for a two week field trip to Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Luxembourg. After that I promise to post more pictures and stories.

Piece of S*!T Bike Lock

So, this evening, after dance class, I try to unlock my bike. As I turn the key, it snaps off in the lock. The first option is to try tweeze the key out of the lock, but the spare key is already bent. So the only other option is cutting the lock. Which basically means I need to figure out how to steal my own bike. Apparently there is a lock cutter at IHE, but I will not able to access it until tomorrow. So I had to walk home. In the rain.

This whole situation would have been quite entertaining if it had been sunny or warm or my back wasn't still a bit sore. But since it is a windy gray day and I've been taking two Advil every 4-6 hours, it was not. Maybe if the sun is out tomorrow the remainder of the bike rescue will be better. Or at least the photos will have better lighting. The end.

African Night

Last Friday was another cultural night at IHE. This one included goat. African night was a bit different than European-American night a few months ago since the majority of the second year students are now gone due to graduation at the end of April. So African night was totally different because it was almost all first year students and no powerpoint presentations. There was lots of dancing within a concise storyline about the coronation of a queen.

Of course the food was excellent. I found a spot out back in the tent near the grilled goat and was able to grab a piece before it was all gone. There was drinking and dancing until midnight and a few of us went out afterwards. Unfortunately my back was (and is) still sore from something I did on Wednesday night. I don't know exactly what I did, but it's still hurting and I don't think that dancing and playing futbol yesterday helped. Hmmm, I'm boring myself, I'll try writing again later...

Born to Run?

Just got home from a run. I hadn't been running in over a month. That does not mean I have not been active, I have been swimming, biking, dancing, playing futbol and even made it to one capoeira class. But the run today was awful. My right ankle hurts a bit, probably from lack of stretching, but also my left shoulder is sore. I may have used it to block the wind, but that's no explanation for the ache. Maybe I can blame it on the weather, yesterday was the first rain in five weeks, which is a record drought for these parts.

This module (Water Treatment Processes and Plants), which is already half way through, has been quite interesting. It began with a trip to a intake reservoir, which actually was a boat cruise through a nature reserve with coffee (as seen with Mariano) and beer. The rest of the module is centered around a group design of a treatment plant for a fictitious city in a developing country. The concept is nice, but the biggest problem with working in groups is the different attitudes towards what is relevant versus what is not. For example, one person may want to argue the importance of one tenth of one percent in the population growth rate, while others think that it is more important for the figures to be in the correct range but not necessarily precise, is more worthy of discussion. Maybe the MSc in Environmental Engineering comes with an MA in Arbitration...Not that I'm bitter...Time for dinner.

Chicago: How to Spend It

I've been back in Delft for about an hour after a twelve hop across the pond via Zurich. I had an amazing weekend in Chicago. Last Thursday was graduation, so it was a long day of celebrating, but I woke up at 6:30AM the next morning to catch the 7:30AM train to the airport for my 11AM flight. There was no check in line, no security line, no immigration line, my flight arrived in Chicago an hour early, my luggage was waiting for me on the carousel after immigration, and my Dad was waiting for me at the gate. It was the easiest flight I had ever taken. Even as we drive home the process is streamlined. Dad has the menu for our favorite Japanese restaurant in his glove compartment. We call to order, pick it up, and before I know it we're in our kitchen having lunch, then a cup of tea, and of course, some chocolate chip chocolate cake that Mom made for me because she knows I like it for breakfast. It had been six months since I had been home and nothing had changed. Friday night was a nice dinner at home. My parents close friends, the Braun's, and their family trickled in, as did my sister Ruth, her husband Vince, and their dog Roxy (or is it Roxie? I should know, but I never thought about it until now).

Saturday started slow, but I wasn't jet lagged. I dusted off my bike and Mom and I went for a ride in the forest preserve. We only went about 10 miles, but it was perfect. It was a bit cool, but the sun was shining and riding my road bike was divine. I was gliding. I am not looking forward to riding my beast back here in Delft. After the bike ride I was seriously considering bringing the road bike back to Delft, but decided not too after I realized how much time, energy, and money that it would cost me. The bike itself weighs eight or nine kilos, maybe ten. I can easily lift it with one hand and throw it over my shoulder, but taking it apart and putting it in a case to carry back on the train would be miserable.

After the bike ride was a bit of shopping, a family lunch, followed my pedicures for Mom, Ruth, and myself, then back to the house for a doggy play date. Connie and Greg had come over with their pup, Izzy (I can't spell that one either) and Connie's brother Tony (who just started as a pilot, but was a bit unsure of where the The Netherlands was). So all the kids were home. For one brief hour the house was full, but then it was time to go to the city.

Dinner was at BBQ King in Chinatown. They make the best Peking Duck I have ever had (but I haven't been to China, yet). We ate until we could not move, as usual, then went to a bar to meet up with some other friends of mine. There were eight of us at dinner, three were in from out of town (Ruth, Vince, Becky), one had just moved into town but is a pilot so he doesn't hang out there much (Tony), and one was me. So I had dinner with three of my friends that live in Chicago (Connie, Greg, Drew (my ex)), and at the bar I met three of the other four (Vishal (Duke), Blanca (SOM), Aparna (SOM)). We didn't stay out too late, it was a laid back night, just as I had wanted.

Sunday was when I was put to work. I spent the morning at the Shedd Aquarium, testing water. Drew has volunteered there every other Sunday for the past two years in their water quality lab. I knew what he did but had never thought to tag along, until now. Behind the scenes at the aquarium is really cool. We took samples from the dolphin and whale pools and I helped in the lab with the ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite tests for the sea water. I really like lab work. Then it was back to Connie's for some cleaning. We took apart her bed. We have a wonderful domestic relationship, she's a cleaner, I'm an organizer. Neither of us would have survived some previous moves without the other. From there I met Nicole, the final friend in Chicago I had wanted to see (she had another appointment the previous night). She had just moved so I helped hang. It was really nice to see my friends and actual do something useful with them.

That night was an engagement party for some family friends and by the time I got home I was exhausted. Monday was an easy day, up early to ride to the dentist, then I spent about an hour wandering through a book store. Back home to wake up the Kid and get him to take me to buy $12 worth of cheese (which made it through customs) before meeting Dad for lunch. Then a nap on the couch in the sunroom and it was time to say goodbye to Mom and go to the airport. I had such a wonderful time at home but three and a half days is just enough. The excitement wears off, people need to work, and by the end it was just me, the couch and the Financial Times. It was a nice trip, but I felt ready to return to Delft. And 12 hours I was back.