(Web) Surfing

Things have been crazy in the lab! I have been so busy with my experiments that I had often come home late at night, feeling absolute exhausted. I am greeting the weekend with open arms after I have had delivered hard-work for merely being slapped in the face by science upon receiving disappointing results. Though, sometimes even the weekends can become a little intimidating here. The high amounts of free time to spend with myself, in the absence of social obligations, can become pretty overwhelming to me. My thoughts are exhausting me! No wonder I have the annoying tendency to talk to everyone around me. I can't stand having to be the listener to my thoughts all day. In the mornings I run in the park, while thinking; noontime I go sightseeing, while thinking; at night I read books and drink wine, while thinking. The reason I went out clubbing here is to flee the presence of me. Dealing with too much time with myself, the subsequent introversion of my extrovert existence, have made me drown in self-reflection and consequently in CH3-CH2-OH containing beverages, to stay in scientific terms. I need a break, a distraction from me! Therefore, the last couple of days I have done some intensive thinking to come up with a potential hobby to keep me busy in weekend times. Surely there must be something to do here in the vibrant Sydney life! I have had googled loads of terms; guitar lessons, singing lessons, dance classes, yoga sessions - It seems like everyone in Australia practices yoga, especially the variant Bikram Yoga in which you perform poses in a heated room appears to be very famous in Sydney. But it all just did not felt compatible with me. I even desperately threw in the search engine the sentence: What to do in Sydney when it's raining, leading to several interesting forums in which the best rain-proof activities were heavily debated, sadly enough, but slighly more saddening for the corresponding websurfers. And it was right there when it had hit me. Websurfers. Why surfing the web if I could be surfing the waves!? I had crooked a childhood like smile when I thought of me, overcoming my shark-phobia, taming the biggest waves of Australia. That should ought to silence my thoughts for a while! Honestly, it could not be just merely coincidence that I have been aspiring a surfer's haircut for the last few years now. This could be my calling! So, eagerly I had found a surf school on the web who's instructors will pick you up at Bondi Beach, take you in their van and drop you off at a very quiet beach (sounds peculiar so far), in order to teach you surfing in a suitable environment, unable to inflict damage to yourself and your surroundings (Ah; No murderer's intention after all). That had sounded perfect!

However, just when I thought that I have had found myself the ultimate distraction for the coming weekend, my crooked smile vanished like snow for the sun when I had checked the weather forecast. Rain all weekend, with potential thunderstorms! I caught myself browsing the depressing rain forums again. Loaded with the knowledge that the only thing I'll be surfing this weekend is the internet, I'd better add a Single Malt to my shopping cart.

My first Animal attack

I have become victimized by my first animal attack, to a species I never would have guessed...

I was walking down the road, minding my own business, heading towards the supermarket Coles to buy some groceries. I passed some beautiful trees while humming to my favourite songs from my MP3 player. When suddenly, out of nowhere, a bird descended vertically and bashed right onto my head while whistling particular aggressively. At first I thought the bird accidentally flew against me, by making a judgemental error on the angle it was trying make or something like that. I mean, I wouldn’t know, but to me flying seems like a hard thing to do. Birds make mistakes; they fly against windows all the time. So I continued my journey and tried to make a comeback with my singing, as I missed the second verse of the song I was listening to. A few meters ahead from the incident my ad lip I was just about to burst changed into a scream for help as a second attack was provoked by the killer bird. Two attacks in such a short period of time could not be a coincidence. This bird did not fall accidentally on my head twice. It was after me! I increased my pace as I was feeling haunted by the bird. I looked helplessly around, scanning the trees, hoping that I could see a possible third clash coming. Unfortunately, this bird on a mission completed the attacking spree by a third assault. This is not normal! Birds don’t attack people in Europe! I tried to seize my panic and I did not wanted to walk around passively waiting for this sadistic bird to strike again. I choose to take control, bearing in mind what birds could be capable of after seeing the horror movie called Birds (1963). I grabbed one arm of my backpack with both of my hands willing to use it as a weapon. We will see who has the last whistle. The bird probably, and wisely, noticed my dedication and fled. Nevertheless, I must add that I deliberately took a different route back home in order to avoid a potential second rendez vous, which could have ended much uglier. Hysterically, but also heroically, I told my housemates about this strange experience I just encountered. They unexpectedly cried out laughing upon hearing this epic story. So it seems that this particular bird belongs to the species Magpies. They have the reputation of being extremely territorial and spring in Australia is magpie breeding season. They then can become aggressive and swoop and attack those who approach their nests. They now also have been spotted in Europe. Think about that when you’re walking in a park and unexpectedly hear a strange whistle of their complex vocalization….

Sitting on a big, red rock at Clovelly Beach

Thankfully, I had a great first weekday at the Garvan Institute! However it did drain a lot of my energy and I was looking forward to a relaxing, fun weekend. I went out Friday night with my two Kiwi (= citizens from New Sealand) female friends, whom I met last weekend, to a foam party in club Arq. The girls: Sofia; colourful sex kitten, and Jovana; sophisticated pretty gal. Both of them are loaded with style and personality, and wherever we’d go they’d never come unnoticed. Five minutes in the queue of the club and everyone already knew them, or had wanted to know them, badly. Inside club Arq, I was a bit suspicious when the girl from the cloth room asked me, upon receiving my jacket, whether that was the only clothe piece I was going to give in. Was I expected to take of my jeans and shirt!? As I entered the club room I was shocked.

A huge foam machine on the ceiling poured massive amounts of soap and bubbles over the almost naked party people. It was crazy. The blokes and gals were only wearing their tiny swimming outfits, and the entire atmosphere had a very sexy vibe. We were a bit overdressed with wearing clothes. Nevertheless, we owned the place and it was such a relief to be able to bust out some dance moves!

Saturday was such a lovely day.

The sun was shining and I felt like going for a walk along the coast line. So I grabbed my bike and let the wheels roll down the hill to the end of the road to get to Clovelly beach. I could not believe that it was still so peacefully on a sunny Saturday at 2 P.M, in contrast to Hoek van Holland in summer time.

The coastline was so beautifully, as I headed north by walking on big huge rocks on a cliff where the waves roughly collided against. As I sat on a comfortable big, red rock overviewing the sea and the giant cliffs bordering Australia, no-one else in vicinity, my mind just went empty. It was unbelievable realizing that this was really happening. That I was really physically present in Sydney, and that it wasn’t simply a fantasy. It started to kick in my conscience. I sat there at that spot for a couple of hours enjoying the peace, enjoying my inner peace. I just sat there thinking about lots of things. Things you usually don’t take time for to think about in the routine of life. It is like your life is placed on hold and that you’re enabled to observe it as an outsider. It puts things in another perspective. All the decisions you’ve made, experiences you’ve gained, family and friends you love. It was nice. Sorry for blogging this philosophical and softy. Maybe I am just suffering from a sun stroke.

Nevertheless, I am so grateful for that I have been given the opportunity to be here. When I finally got fed up with thinking, I started to do something practical for Sydney society.

Because from the point I was sitting at, I had a great overview of the sea near the popular beaches of Sydney. Therefore, I started scanning the ocean for the presence of sharks. So then I could do my citizen’s duty to report it to Sydney’s life guards. Really, just because it’s the right thing to do, …and not because they happened to be very hot.

p.s. click here if you want to see pictures of my accommodation. (it's on the blog underneath this one)

Pictures accommodation

Garvan Institute of Medical Research

I just finished my first three days of internship at Garvan Institute and I already like it so much! I have my own desk, computer, lab bench and even my own mug. The people at the institute are all really friendly and I get along perfectly with my supervisor. She’s a funny, goofy woman who likes to laugh, is laid-back and she knows what she’s doing. I also met the Prof. Dr. Jonathan Sprent, head of the Immunology department at Garvan, with a huge reputation on that particular field with many high impact publications in prestigious journals such as Science and Nature. I felt like meeting a celebrity! I also got to read medical articles as background information for my project and I felt like I was in my comfort zone. Who would have thought that reading medical articles would make me feel comfortable and secure. I mean, everything here down under is different: scent of Sydney, cheese, bread, people, milk, thickness of rain drops, ducks (really, they’re weird with long beaks!), etc. But medical articles will always be medical articles. I am so happy that my internship started, because it puts so much more meaning to my stay here.

The project is really awesome and I feel like I am going to contribute something useful, which makes me feel useful. Consequently, all my uncertainties prior to my stay here are swept aside now that I enjoy being present at Garvan Institute. Medical research is all about solving puzzles. Once you throw yourself in the matter and start reading background information you become more and more intrigued by the research question that you’re trying to address. Everyone who says: ‘’I don’t want to do medical research because I don’t want to keep pipetting for the rest of my life’’ don’t really get what research is all about. Once you understand the research problem and you’d manage to set up experiments in order to approach it, your pipet becomes your best friend. Okay, for the sake of maintaining my high blog readers count I am gonna stop blogging nerdy.

( I’ll call Lianne later on for some more geeky talk, as our similar Australian mobile provider allows us to make free phone calls! ). I’ll treat the uninterested-in-medical-research audience (shame on you!) with some exciting hot stuff, as an attempt to maintain my loyal readers. ..

Just when I finished my working hours I grabbed my bike to head back home like any other day. I arrived at Centential Park, when suddenly out of nowhere huge, dark clouds speeded up above me with roaring thunder! It was insane! Rain drops in the size of Ping-Pong balls attacked my body and made my bicycle movements S-shaped. I reached a complete state of wetness saturation within 10 seconds. Upon the alarming sounds of thunder I squeaked a girly scream and kicked the bike pedals with maximal force. (Although all the other Australian citizens remained strangely enough calm) Everywhere I looked at lightning bolts were being evoked, and the ground was shaking like a maximal routs per minute centrifuge mode of a dryer machine gone wild.

Mother Nature went mental! I am used to some rain as I am from the Netherlands, where it tends to fall down from the sky in a more chronically fashion. But this was nothing like bad Dutch weather; it was an Australian tropical storm!

I shouldn’t be alive…

Weird duck with long beak

Bondi Beach Bitch

Today I hung out with one of my housemates called Georgina. We decided to chill out at Bondi Beach, the most famous beach of Sydney. From here it is like an hour walk to that particular beach, twenty minutes by bike, or ten minutes by bus. However, as that particular route is an entire descent it costs much more energy to get back, which can be very betraying after lying in the sun all day. Sydney has for that matter many hills and riding a bike here is a full body work-out. (Luckily I took some spinning lessons in the Netherlands, and the muscles required for taming hills were, however severely under recognized, still present in my body somewhere). I’ve been biking here for only a few days now and I already feel shaped up.

Nevertheless, Georgina is not the sporty type and we took a taxi on her costs to Bondi, which I didn’t mind at all. I believe we all need a little luxury in our lives from time to time. I felt like I really got to know her today and we really get along well. She is not the girly girl kind; consequently she mainly has male friends and likes to listen to metal music. I’d say she’s a strong, independent woman who is always in for a good laughter and used to be a huge party animal who straightened herself up. She used to live in Bondi, and we went for a beer at a terrace which overviewed the beach.
Bondi Beach is hot and happening. The blokes (= Australian for guys) are muscular and tanned. The gals (= Australian for girls) are all fabulously dressed. People do not merely go to Bondi Beach for relaxation, but they go there to see and to be seen.
As if they spend their entire free time in the gym and shops for their moments to shine at Bondi Beach. What else was shining was the sun. Temperatures here now reached the 30 degrees and the UV-index is insanely high! They only sell sunscreen starting from protection 30 to upwards, and it is advisable to stay out of the sun during noon time. Though, I had a very pleasant time with Georgina down at Bondi Beach in the heat.Tomorrow my free days are over and I will be starting with my internship at Garvan Institute of Medical Research. I am really looking forward to that! Also, at the moment I still do not have internet at my house. However, I expect to be online here within the coming two weeks.

Cheers.

SCAM: naive boy goes to the big city

Unfortunately, just when I thought I pulled myself together and started feeling comfortable in Sydney, I had reached the bottom. I became a victim of an accommodation fraud which cost me 1200 AUD (=1000 euro). A mixture of my naivety, need for cheap accommodation and time pressure with a professional set-up made me walk impulsively straight into a trap. Based on false documents which included the landlord’s ID, identification of property and signed lease contract, I decided to hand over one month rent and one month deposit cash through a money-transfer service called: Western Union, upon which I should have had received my keys. Though, the keys had never arrived. I know I have been very stupid and too trusting, and it was a very expensive lesson to learn. I went down to the police-station, but they had said that this was not a police matter, as I voluntarily gave her the money. They had recommended me to take a lawyer if I wanted to continue with the process. But I don’t have the money or time for a lawyer, and I have not much ground to stand on as the documents were highly likely to be false. Also the insurance company couldn’t do anything for me because it concerned a risk I took myself. Many tears had fallen, within a crowded internet café and inside the hostel, but I could not let this put me down for much longer.

Because I was thinking – philosophy alert – that we were all probably born naïve. And as time passes by and life happens to you, bits and bits of that naivety erodes away from our self. Sometimes upon experiencing something nasty, like that accommodation scam bitch, chunks of naivety can be taken away from us. So that leaves me wondering – What will be the end product of this process? What will distinguish happy old people from bitter old people?

Wisdom?

Attitude, perhaps?

I caught myself not smiling, nor singing or whistling the couple few days. I don´t want to end up bitter by society. So I left this scam behind me and came down back to earth with a new found positivity. After all, I came here to chase my dreams and in order to do so I had to take some risks. Sure I could sit on the sofa at my parent's place for the rest of my life: nice and safe. But I didn’t; I took my chances. Back to earth!

I still needed to find an accommodation, and valuable time was slipping by. Luckily, Sean, the landlord of my first found accommodation still had the room available for me. So my wandering days were over and I had left the hostel to move into my new room! (Pictures will follow). I felt such a relief by having my own space here in Sydney (and not sharing a dorm with 5 other loudly snoring men). Finally I could start buying things I need for my stay here. I bought a second-hand mountain bike and I really enjoy riding a bike here, which is a lot cheaper compared with the expensive bus rides. As you may recall from the maps picture of my first accommodation; there’s a huge park separating my house from the Garvan Institute. I tried out the route today and it was such a pleasant bike ride, although I do must bear in mind that I need to stay on the left side of the road. Apparently many foreign students tend to get run over here. I bought a second-hand guitar which I am really happy about since it has great therapeutic effect on me. And I purchased running shoes! I noticed that Sydney is a very athletic city. Everywhere you look at you see people working out, with the coinciding hot, sharpened, and muscular, tanned bodies. I can look right? Sport gear is also very cheap in Australia. I bought qualitative running shoes for only 30 AUD (= 25 euro)!

Therefore, today was a very sporty day: I ran in the park, cycled to the beach and for the first time swam in the ocean! I love the sea here! It is so clear, and blue, and wavy. I must say I kept looking out for sharks and I didn’t dare to go further than only a half meter deep. But maybe next time I can build it up with a few inches and see how it goes (read: not getting bitten by sharks) I am going to try to keep on doing this triathlon for every weekend!

Fortunately, Leiden University gave me reasons to smile again as I have received great news! The two courses I followed in September and October at LUMC, Clinical Research in Practice (statistics e.a.) and Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation and immunomodulation were both graded with a nine! Moreover, my Leiden Universiteit Fonds application has been nominated for the Janneke Fruin-Helb beurs; excellent LUF application grant of 2,250 euro. The results will be announced at November the 15^th. Exciting!

p.s. thanks for all the supportive emails I received. I really appreciate it. Much love. Vincent