In This Post I… Recap Some Busy Weeks

Hej! Long time no see!

I have settled into a routine here in Aarhus and unsurprisingly, it’s a busy one. But I promise I didn’t forget about this blog!

In case you were wondering, here’s what I’ve been up to the past few weeks!

Research

In lab, I’ve been performing multiple mice surgeries every week! These operations usually take around four hours each, and result in the mice having a small glass window implanted in their skull so that I can see directly through to their brain! I’ve also been allowing the mice to recover from this procedure and tracking their progress and the return of circulation in their brains over the course of a few days. This is all still serving as practice, though, because eventually I will be working with the mice for up to a month following an operation. 

I’ve also become closer with my coworkers. I went to a horror movie with Lisa, made apple butter out of the apples Jane gave me and shared that with everyone in the lab, and started listening to an audiobook with Line while we’re operating.

Also, just as a fun note, if you thought the above names were pronounced in the typical American way, you’d be wrong! Lisa is pronounced “Lee-zuh,” Jane would be said “Yan-eh,” and Line is “Leen-ah.” 

I also attended a research symposium last week celebrating the 70th birthday of a professor who works with Vladimir, my research mentor. We heard lectures given by researchers from all around the world, enjoyed delicious food throughout the day, sang a Danish birthday song celebrating the professor’s major research achievements, and looked at embarrassing old photos of all the professors in the department.

In Aarhus

I’ve been enjoying my weekday evenings at home, reading Dune (I’ve now made it to Children of Dune, which is the third book in the series), watching movies with my roommates, and going on runs around the nearby reservoir. We’ve also had more visits from our landlord and his two adorable dogs, and I planned an American BBQ potluck for my roommates!

Recently, my roommates and I visited the lake behind our house and enjoyed sitting at the cafe on the lake and also walking around the trails. There were cows and goats in the land surrounding the lake and they were so cute! It looked very much like somewhere you might find in the Midwest.

Carissa and I have continued exploring the city, visiting coffee shops, going through small shops and flea markets, and even babysitting! Another Fulbrighter in Aarhus, Michael, is here with his wife and three daughters. Carissa and I took charge of the two older daughters, the youngest being only 9 weeks old, and spent a few hours with them at the library while Michael and his wife went on a date! It was so much fun spending time with the girls but they tired Carissa and I out. After climbing up slides with them and running around the library, we both went home afterwards and took naps!

The weather has gotten much colder now, and it has also begun raining. Last week, it poured for nearly 48 straight hours, so biking to and from work became quite challenging! Although I have a nice and dependable rain coat, it became clear immediately that I also need rain pants! Hopefully I will be adding those to my wardrobe soon!

Outside Aarhus

Last weekend I went to Odense to visit Henri, a Danish exchange student who I met many years ago when she came to Wisconsin for High School! She is studying law at Southern Denmark University, so I took the train to visit her and we spent the day getting coffee and walking around Odense. 

I had been to Odense once last summer when I was studying in Copenhagen, but I mostly did the very touristy things. Odense is well known in Denmark for being the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, so there are many museums and attractions celebrating his life and works. This time, my visit was much less touristy and we spent time chatting in the big city park and getting lunch at the delicious food market. It was so much fun visiting her!

So there you have it! That’s what I’ve been up to these past few weeks!

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