Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Back to the old new World


After nearly four years living in the UK, and having finished my PhD, I now return to the new world, my old home, and current base of operations. Celebrating this, I treat you to the official bird from the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the Southern Lapwing, photographed by me in the city of Gramado.
Given the uncertainties of a research career for a neophyte such as myself, I am not yet sure where I will be headed next, but hopefully something good.

As I arrive home, I will at least be able to catch up with some old friends, even from Europe, and hopefully that will offset the blues I get from going away from the place that has been such a welcoming home for me in the past years.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Last weeks in London

From Tower of London

Yesterday I have cancelled my utilities here in London, thus marking the transition from a resident of London to a mere visitor. It felt slightly worse than I had anticipated, since it just sank into me that I am leaving this place, possibly never to come back again. The story between London and I is rather odd, or typical, who knows, but when I arrived here, I felt almost overwhelmed by the number of things that went on around me, given my ADHD. Then, when all of that became background noise, and I started learning about all the cool things that go on in this place, and fell in love with this place. Even the excuse that the things that I like from other countries and places does not hold here. Everything worth buying that exists somewhere can be bought in London. I finish my post with a quotation from Samuel Jonhson, and a picture of my transportation nemesis for these years in London.

"When a man is tired of London he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford."