Yesterday we had sun in Riga. The weather was basically the best thing ever. I also had my first day in the office yesterday - I got a quick tour of the office area, learned some names I'd probably forget if it weren't for the past 5 months of working with these people – with their names, at least. So it was more of a name-to-face thing. Then I was seated at my new deskish area – a computer by a functioning wiiiindoooow (read that and think sing-song)- and then told to wait a bit. Then I got my first proofreading job of the day, then another, and then another. All due more or less by 5 p.m. that afternoon. I finished them all with time to spare (an hour and a half of idly sitting at my desk half afraid I'd get some gimongous project right before I intended to leave and half afraid someone would come in and yell at me for not doing anything)! I was asked by someone later how many people worked in the office - I guesstimated 20, give or take a few. Most of them seem to be project managers, and those seem to keep multiplying. I met one of the ones previously unknown to me yesterday when I was handed one of the jobs to proofread, bringing the total of project managers known to Kaija to nine. My first day in the office was "normal" (a popular Latvian answer to almost anything) - no drama, no overworkedness, no tears. When I was first brought around to meet some of the other employees already in for the day, a few of them were all "Kaija? Oh good, you're finally here! Nice to see you in person."
Recap of my day + what came after:
Come in to work at 9, work until 3:30, sit and wait for 5 to roll around, then after work head off across the street to Gastronome, an absolutely tasty gourmet deli-type place. They have an actual restaurant attached to the deli/store part, but I don't care about it. Picked up some Greek salad, penne pasta salad with duck (the duck tastes weird, but the pasta and veg bits are good), and small French bread rolls for some good eating later on. Then I went and visited with one of many relations on this side of the world and her kids (to those who know them, Amanda and Co.), and got home around 10 with an hour to do absolutely whatever my little heart desired until 11 when it's bedtime. I feel like an 8th grader. But hey, in bed by 11:30 the latest, up at 7:30 - I can't say I don't feel great in the mornings; I'm probably earning some health points along with walking almost everywhere.
As of now I’ve had two small jobs to do today: one about thealine, which is an amino acid found in tea leaves (most commonly green and black teas) that makes the alpha waves in the brain’s cortex go ooey-ooey, making the mind and body alert yet relaxed, and the other regarding some recording or taping studio and its service list. And then there’s nothing. It looks like I may be done for the day. That leaves…3.5 hours until I can go home without feeling guilty about whatever!
And yes, my computer’s still broken. I was able to get it running a bit last night and this morning by applying some pressure to the left side of the track pad, which apparently makes the connection between the motherboard and whatever existent. Other options for do-it-yourself fixes (which are invasive as opposed to pressure application) include (but are not limited to) placing a burning tea light+ some fuels on the motherboard once you've cracked your computer open. I'll pass.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Back for Round Two!
For those of you who did not receive my succinct and detail-less e-mail, I've arrived back in Riga, ready for round two of "Can She Become a Temp. Resident?"
The flights were normal enough, save for the semi left-body-disabled Russian man sitting next to me from Chicago to Frankfurt. Because I was able to sleep more than usual on planes, I didn't have to ask him to let me out so I could use the toilets. And in a move not reciprocating my sensitivity to his physical situation, my bladder and I got to wait with him and the overly perky flight attendant until 95% of all people on board were off the aircraft and someone finally found his cane for him, which ended up being right next to his backpack where the flight attendant had placed and then forgotten about it.
I understand, I understand, the man was elderly and had physical difficulties. But I sat with my legs crossed for 8 hours respecting that; I guess I thought he'd at least shuffle over to the seat across the aisle and chill out there, letting me get past and on with my travels. No such luck.
Side note: between the evening I began to write this post and now, my computer crashed once more, and appears to be out of commission until i can find a trustworthy person on this side of the ocean to fix it. Sadness for me - but thanks to the goodness of my flatmate's heart, I can use her computer to take care of business.
My first half day in Riga I spent time running around the city looking for an LMT store, only to discover later that the mall 10 minutes from our apartment has a branch store located right in it. I didn't get a chance to meet up with my friends due partly to not having a working SIM chip for my phone, and partly because around 17:30 I was BEAT. I almost fell asleep on the bus ride back home. Then I got back in the evening and got my computer to work for at least two hours, during which time I was able to call my mother, my father, and my friends (to let them know I was done for the night and to ask what they were doing tomorrow - to which one of them answered, "Oh, you're coming to the ballet with us!" Many more ballets will be seen in the coming weeks, as it seems they bought tickets to all the shows running until May) via Skype. Skype - cheap telephony that works! Then I straightened up my room, actually put everything away, and went to bed.
Sunday I got up, made a dash for the mall, got a phone chip, let people know about it, and met my friends in the city centre for a late breakfast before the ballet. The ballet was a comedy, with elements of Shakespeare love triangles and concealed identities/dressing up as a member of the opposite sex to play tricks on people, and would have all probably made more sense if a) one of us had sprung for a programme or b) we could read the banner held up in the first scene of the ballet that had large white RUSSIAN words printed on it. At half-time we went to the refreshments room and half-jokingly I said we should get champagne (also as kind of a welcome-back-Kaija-celebratory-item) and they said "Why not, we've done it every other time we've come here!" WELL! So, 12 o'clock noon, let's say, and there we were, sipping champagne among other audience members doing the same and laughing like silly women.
I also learned that, while you can civilly sip your champagne during the intermission, when the bell dings for calling the audience back to the auditorium, it's time to CHUG. That was equally entertaining to the Trockadero-like part of the ballet - the bell goes 'ding' and the three of us stop sipping and stop chatting and just tip glasses back. The second half of the ballet was more amusing, and not just because of the champagne.
Today I got a hold of the person I was supposed to get a hold of and determined that today I'm going to spend some time trying to figure out a way to get my computer fixed, and that tomorrow I'll be going in to work. For the first. Time. Everrrrrrrrrr.
The flights were normal enough, save for the semi left-body-disabled Russian man sitting next to me from Chicago to Frankfurt. Because I was able to sleep more than usual on planes, I didn't have to ask him to let me out so I could use the toilets. And in a move not reciprocating my sensitivity to his physical situation, my bladder and I got to wait with him and the overly perky flight attendant until 95% of all people on board were off the aircraft and someone finally found his cane for him, which ended up being right next to his backpack where the flight attendant had placed and then forgotten about it.
I understand, I understand, the man was elderly and had physical difficulties. But I sat with my legs crossed for 8 hours respecting that; I guess I thought he'd at least shuffle over to the seat across the aisle and chill out there, letting me get past and on with my travels. No such luck.
Side note: between the evening I began to write this post and now, my computer crashed once more, and appears to be out of commission until i can find a trustworthy person on this side of the ocean to fix it. Sadness for me - but thanks to the goodness of my flatmate's heart, I can use her computer to take care of business.
My first half day in Riga I spent time running around the city looking for an LMT store, only to discover later that the mall 10 minutes from our apartment has a branch store located right in it. I didn't get a chance to meet up with my friends due partly to not having a working SIM chip for my phone, and partly because around 17:30 I was BEAT. I almost fell asleep on the bus ride back home. Then I got back in the evening and got my computer to work for at least two hours, during which time I was able to call my mother, my father, and my friends (to let them know I was done for the night and to ask what they were doing tomorrow - to which one of them answered, "Oh, you're coming to the ballet with us!" Many more ballets will be seen in the coming weeks, as it seems they bought tickets to all the shows running until May) via Skype. Skype - cheap telephony that works! Then I straightened up my room, actually put everything away, and went to bed.
Sunday I got up, made a dash for the mall, got a phone chip, let people know about it, and met my friends in the city centre for a late breakfast before the ballet. The ballet was a comedy, with elements of Shakespeare love triangles and concealed identities/dressing up as a member of the opposite sex to play tricks on people, and would have all probably made more sense if a) one of us had sprung for a programme or b) we could read the banner held up in the first scene of the ballet that had large white RUSSIAN words printed on it. At half-time we went to the refreshments room and half-jokingly I said we should get champagne (also as kind of a welcome-back-Kaija-celebratory-item) and they said "Why not, we've done it every other time we've come here!" WELL! So, 12 o'clock noon, let's say, and there we were, sipping champagne among other audience members doing the same and laughing like silly women.
I also learned that, while you can civilly sip your champagne during the intermission, when the bell dings for calling the audience back to the auditorium, it's time to CHUG. That was equally entertaining to the Trockadero-like part of the ballet - the bell goes 'ding' and the three of us stop sipping and stop chatting and just tip glasses back. The second half of the ballet was more amusing, and not just because of the champagne.
Today I got a hold of the person I was supposed to get a hold of and determined that today I'm going to spend some time trying to figure out a way to get my computer fixed, and that tomorrow I'll be going in to work. For the first. Time. Everrrrrrrrrr.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Back from Vacation
This afternoon I got back from my week-long trip to Germany. I stayed in the Rheinland-Pfalz region and mostly in the same city where I studied abroad two years ago. Luckily I didn't have to pay for a hotel room, because one of the students studying at the Uni Landau this year from my former college let me stay with her - she'd gotten an air mattress from one of the German students we both know. It was more like a mattress with hydraulics; every time someone gets up from it it pops up, but very slowly and at random times. I was able to meet up with some of the students who had studied at my college last year, some of the students I had met during my year in Landau, and the family (and friends) whose 15 yr old I tutored. One week is too short... already the morning before I had to leave I was bummed out. It would be easier, it seems, if I could just live there.
A friend and former Coe exchange student drove me from the airport to Landau, which was extremely helpful considering the railroad strikes. I think the strike didn't actually start until my second day in Germany, but it was nicer traveling in a private vehicle. As soon as we got into Landau we went to the apartment of another friend and former Landau-classmate of mine, where we had a five-hour dinner, wine, and conversation evening. Later on the two exchange students from Coe joined us. There's something very European about just showing up at someone's house for dinner and staying for hours and hours, and having other people show up throughout the night and doing the same. I say this mostly because I've never done something like that with friends my age back in the U.S.A. Maybe it's time I start a new trend.
Thursday I walked around the Landau city center, took note of a few things that have changed (there's a new apartment building being built in one area, several old stores have been replaced with new ones), and generally just "was." It was awesome being back. I actually felt more like I had finally returned home, rather than feeling like a visitor. It's a feeling I definitely don't mind. Friday I went to Neustadt and walked around, did a bit of shopping, then came back to the good ol' Wohnheim and crashed. I haven't been able to take a nap on weekdays in a long time and my brain was thankful. Stasi, the student I was staying with, had classes (duh), so I was able to be on my own and not bother her with having to take me around and show me everything. It probably helped that I already knew my way around :-) However, the first train I tried to take to Neustadt was cancelled due to the strikes. Other than that, travel went on without a hitch.
Saturday Stasi and I eventually made it to Karlsruhe (I say eventually because neither of us woke up very early) and had an afternoon of walking around, checking out some stores, buying CD's, and waiting around the local Starbuck's for free samples of something, which we didn't end up getting. We also hit up a small Imbiss I know of on the main street, which is kind of an old-German style kiosk nestled in between modern things. They serve great bratwurst, currywurst, pommes, and beer. I also like the fact that the outdoor seating is topped off with heat lamps, so that even in the winter, you can enjoy your goodies in the fresh air.
Sunday was spent mostly in Speyer, where Chris (friend, former Coe-exchange student, and chauffeur extraordinaire) gave us a concise city tour. Carrie, the other Coe student at Landau this year, hadn't been in Speyer before, either. We saw the Speyer cathedral, which, according to Chris, is the widest cathedral in Europe. We also saw some lesser known "ruins" in the city, and had lunch at a touristy-yet-loved-by-locals restaurant in the city center. I had Sahneherringfillet, which is basically pickled herring on a dish and not cut up into bits. I like picked herring, but I don't think I've ever eaten that MUCH pickled herring in one sitting. Three fillets, albeit small ones, is a little more than I can handle. Later that evening I had a mini-reunion with the family I had tutored for then went along with the mother and her friends to their Sunday night Stammtisch (they all get together twice a week and go out to eat and visit, each time in a different local restaurant throughout the nearby suburb-cities of Landau). This time Stammtisch was up in the hills at a really nice restaurant, St. Annenberg, I think. The only weird part was the row of animal skulls along the top of one wall. I couldn't figure out what kind of animal it was...
Monday I headed by train to Heidelberg (*heart*) and just walked around the city center, in and out of shops, to the river, etc., for five or so hours. I'll never get sick of that city. I didn't go up to castle this time, but I did take a few minutes to stop and watch the river do its thing.
Tuesday... what happened to Tuesday? Tuesday Chris and Isa (friend, former Landau classmate) drove out with me to Germersheim, where I met with the Translation department representative. There I got information about the program itself, some pamphlets about the school, and more documents to fill out. After Germersheim we drove to Ludwigshafen-Oppau on a mission of mine to find some elusive hair conditioner. Which I found. And duly bought. Then Chris took us to what he called a "free zoo," but which turned out to be the coolest pet store EVER. They sold gigantic Koi fish (at €2300 a pop), small sharks, star fish, giant clams, coral, a flying squirrel, mice, and so on and so forth. The water-creature section was definitely the most developed and interesting. There's one kind of fish that basically looks like a skeleton. I also found it amusing that the parakeets being sold were FAT, at least in comparison to the skinny and sad looking parakeets sold in stores in the U.S.A. These things were rolly-poly, well fed. No need to clip their wings, 'cause they ain't goin' no where. Oh right, and Tuesday morning I sat in on a poetry class taught by Coe's contact professor in Germany. Afterward I stopped by to talk to him and found out that he had seen me sitting in the back of the class and was a bit thrown off by it because he wasn't sure what was going on.
Wednesday I bought what had to be 6 kilo worth of chocolates and Haribo candies to take home to give as gifts. That's right, nothing for me. Gifts for other people. Then I met for coffee with a student who had been at Coe last year, then finished the rest of my gift shopping in Landau. Later Carrie joined up with me and we headed over to Isa's for a Christmas themed farewell dinner. The Christmas theme comes from the fact that I will have just missed the opening of Christmas market season in Germany (it starts on the 26th), and they all know how much I love the markets. At least I'll be able to see the one in Riga on opening day! Then I got back to the Wohnheim, packed, and (once again) talked with Stasi until one of us passed out. It was like having a sleepover every night - I generally talk to my flatmate during the day or when she's not studying, so it was different but nice having someone to talk to almost all of the time.
Today, Thursday, I had a good flight back home, had a good lunch from Lufthansa (laugenstange bread with ham, lettuce, and tomato - now THAT'S a sandwich!), and a good time unpacking all the things I bought not for myself. My flatmate got home and hung around in my room for an hour and half or so (she had a bad week, and I think she's a bit grateful that there's someone unbiased to her world of university studies and to whom she can complain to), and then I made it out to buy groceries. Now I'm back in my cold room, waiting for my new Hello Kitty (ask no questions... they were cheap and soft at H&M) sweat pants to dry (hallelujah, clean laundry!). Tomorrow I go back to the basement of the Museum of Occupational History and watch and transcribe more movies. And then weekend!
Side note: it's much colder here than in Landau... I already started missing it as soon as I got out of the car at the airport (the mother of the kid I tutored drove me up this morning), but ended up being too tired to shed any more than 5 or so tears. Alas, exhaustion. Also, it's mandarine oranges from Spain season in Riga, which means endless supplied of tastiness for me. I loves them, I really does.
A friend and former Coe exchange student drove me from the airport to Landau, which was extremely helpful considering the railroad strikes. I think the strike didn't actually start until my second day in Germany, but it was nicer traveling in a private vehicle. As soon as we got into Landau we went to the apartment of another friend and former Landau-classmate of mine, where we had a five-hour dinner, wine, and conversation evening. Later on the two exchange students from Coe joined us. There's something very European about just showing up at someone's house for dinner and staying for hours and hours, and having other people show up throughout the night and doing the same. I say this mostly because I've never done something like that with friends my age back in the U.S.A. Maybe it's time I start a new trend.
Thursday I walked around the Landau city center, took note of a few things that have changed (there's a new apartment building being built in one area, several old stores have been replaced with new ones), and generally just "was." It was awesome being back. I actually felt more like I had finally returned home, rather than feeling like a visitor. It's a feeling I definitely don't mind. Friday I went to Neustadt and walked around, did a bit of shopping, then came back to the good ol' Wohnheim and crashed. I haven't been able to take a nap on weekdays in a long time and my brain was thankful. Stasi, the student I was staying with, had classes (duh), so I was able to be on my own and not bother her with having to take me around and show me everything. It probably helped that I already knew my way around :-) However, the first train I tried to take to Neustadt was cancelled due to the strikes. Other than that, travel went on without a hitch.
Saturday Stasi and I eventually made it to Karlsruhe (I say eventually because neither of us woke up very early) and had an afternoon of walking around, checking out some stores, buying CD's, and waiting around the local Starbuck's for free samples of something, which we didn't end up getting. We also hit up a small Imbiss I know of on the main street, which is kind of an old-German style kiosk nestled in between modern things. They serve great bratwurst, currywurst, pommes, and beer. I also like the fact that the outdoor seating is topped off with heat lamps, so that even in the winter, you can enjoy your goodies in the fresh air.
Sunday was spent mostly in Speyer, where Chris (friend, former Coe-exchange student, and chauffeur extraordinaire) gave us a concise city tour. Carrie, the other Coe student at Landau this year, hadn't been in Speyer before, either. We saw the Speyer cathedral, which, according to Chris, is the widest cathedral in Europe. We also saw some lesser known "ruins" in the city, and had lunch at a touristy-yet-loved-by-locals restaurant in the city center. I had Sahneherringfillet, which is basically pickled herring on a dish and not cut up into bits. I like picked herring, but I don't think I've ever eaten that MUCH pickled herring in one sitting. Three fillets, albeit small ones, is a little more than I can handle. Later that evening I had a mini-reunion with the family I had tutored for then went along with the mother and her friends to their Sunday night Stammtisch (they all get together twice a week and go out to eat and visit, each time in a different local restaurant throughout the nearby suburb-cities of Landau). This time Stammtisch was up in the hills at a really nice restaurant, St. Annenberg, I think. The only weird part was the row of animal skulls along the top of one wall. I couldn't figure out what kind of animal it was...
Monday I headed by train to Heidelberg (*heart*) and just walked around the city center, in and out of shops, to the river, etc., for five or so hours. I'll never get sick of that city. I didn't go up to castle this time, but I did take a few minutes to stop and watch the river do its thing.
Tuesday... what happened to Tuesday? Tuesday Chris and Isa (friend, former Landau classmate) drove out with me to Germersheim, where I met with the Translation department representative. There I got information about the program itself, some pamphlets about the school, and more documents to fill out. After Germersheim we drove to Ludwigshafen-Oppau on a mission of mine to find some elusive hair conditioner. Which I found. And duly bought. Then Chris took us to what he called a "free zoo," but which turned out to be the coolest pet store EVER. They sold gigantic Koi fish (at €2300 a pop), small sharks, star fish, giant clams, coral, a flying squirrel, mice, and so on and so forth. The water-creature section was definitely the most developed and interesting. There's one kind of fish that basically looks like a skeleton. I also found it amusing that the parakeets being sold were FAT, at least in comparison to the skinny and sad looking parakeets sold in stores in the U.S.A. These things were rolly-poly, well fed. No need to clip their wings, 'cause they ain't goin' no where. Oh right, and Tuesday morning I sat in on a poetry class taught by Coe's contact professor in Germany. Afterward I stopped by to talk to him and found out that he had seen me sitting in the back of the class and was a bit thrown off by it because he wasn't sure what was going on.
Wednesday I bought what had to be 6 kilo worth of chocolates and Haribo candies to take home to give as gifts. That's right, nothing for me. Gifts for other people. Then I met for coffee with a student who had been at Coe last year, then finished the rest of my gift shopping in Landau. Later Carrie joined up with me and we headed over to Isa's for a Christmas themed farewell dinner. The Christmas theme comes from the fact that I will have just missed the opening of Christmas market season in Germany (it starts on the 26th), and they all know how much I love the markets. At least I'll be able to see the one in Riga on opening day! Then I got back to the Wohnheim, packed, and (once again) talked with Stasi until one of us passed out. It was like having a sleepover every night - I generally talk to my flatmate during the day or when she's not studying, so it was different but nice having someone to talk to almost all of the time.
Today, Thursday, I had a good flight back home, had a good lunch from Lufthansa (laugenstange bread with ham, lettuce, and tomato - now THAT'S a sandwich!), and a good time unpacking all the things I bought not for myself. My flatmate got home and hung around in my room for an hour and half or so (she had a bad week, and I think she's a bit grateful that there's someone unbiased to her world of university studies and to whom she can complain to), and then I made it out to buy groceries. Now I'm back in my cold room, waiting for my new Hello Kitty (ask no questions... they were cheap and soft at H&M) sweat pants to dry (hallelujah, clean laundry!). Tomorrow I go back to the basement of the Museum of Occupational History and watch and transcribe more movies. And then weekend!
Side note: it's much colder here than in Landau... I already started missing it as soon as I got out of the car at the airport (the mother of the kid I tutored drove me up this morning), but ended up being too tired to shed any more than 5 or so tears. Alas, exhaustion. Also, it's mandarine oranges from Spain season in Riga, which means endless supplied of tastiness for me. I loves them, I really does.
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