VKI day one!

Today is the first day of work! First day of a new routine so I create a nice precedent for myself. I wake up at sunrise (5.40AM) and start the day off with some nice exercising and stretching and whatnot (after email checking and such :-) ).

I put on nice clothes and walk to work and make it on time (8.10AM), though I was aiming to be 5 minutes early. So it's more like a 20 minute walk and not 15 I think. I go up and get my badge and am told to wait downstairs. I wait for about 20 minutes and no one comes for me so I go back up to the secretary upstairs, the other one has arrived who can help me, and she shows me to an office where I sign a bit of paperwork.

I am then shown to an office where I get a key and am shown the room I'll work in. I then am to wait for my supervisor, who hasn't come in yet (it's 9am), (I have two and the other is in Italy until Wednesday).

Another professor (not the supervisor) meets me and tells me my supervisor won't be in until later. He shows me to the computer center where they create my account (to be ready that afternoon) and then to the library where I am instructed to start looking up information on my topic. I do so (or try to) for about an hour and then it's 10:00 and time for the morning coffee break.

Eager to get out and meet some people and not sit in the library, I go! My friend's friend spots me and introduces himself: Kan Yang. Very nice guy who introduces me to the other Staggiores that are on break (the name for us in the short training program). He suggests I check out a library book and come to the Staggiore room.

After the break I plan to do this. We run into the other American there (a PhD student there for 3 years now), who is very outgoing. He knows my supervisor and says he saw him on break just now so he takes me in and introduces me. My supervisor complains that he is far too busy now and all day and all week really. He suggests I come by his office after lunch and he'll give me some reading material (oh joy).

I head to the Staggiore room and meet with Kan, who shows me around VKI. After a very nice tour, we head to lunch. Lunch that day consisted of a plate of cheeses, bread, and grapes. Most of the cheeses were pretty good, though I had no clue what was what.

After lunch I go to meet my supervisor but he is not there. I get another book from the library to read and read it a bit and wait. Supervisor still not there. Read a bit, no supervisor. I go on like this every 30 minutes. Finally it's time for the afternoon break, and I go (though I don't see my supervisor).

Finally it's about 4:30 in the afternoon and I'm a bit frustrated with it and don't really know what exactly I should be doing so I head out a bit early for the day and walk back.

I make it to the apartment, discuss laundry with my landlady who usually does it for the tenants, and then head out. I strap on the roller blades and go for a nice ride. It's only two miles to the nearest town (and cell phone dealer), so I make it to Waterloo, and buy a cheap cell phone and pay as you go plan.

After making it back to the apartment with only one fall all day, (my braking is better, but I got sloppy hopping up on a curb), I shower and eat dinner. The landlady returns my laundry, wet as requested. I save 2 euros to not dry it becuase electricity is so exepnsive here. I put them up to dry on a rack (first time ever which is scary), but I think it will work out.

Now it's time for bed! Goodnight everyone!