Moving, mid-term tests and new toys 29/3 2010

Last week I faced my first mid-term test, and the second was on this morning. It sure is a different way of assessing us used here compared to what I have been used to in Denmark. No aids, no nothing but a pencil, a non-programmable calculator and the 16 pages of answer sheets supplied at the test. The tests themselves have not been too hard, with a lot of open ended questions. The challenge is then to try and figure out what the lecturer wants to hear, and how much time it is worth spending answering each question. For the first time ever I failed to answer all questions satisfactory in a test today due to shortage of time; I have of course answered questions wrong or too short previously, but as far as I can remember I have always had the time to come up with a proper (guess of an) answer. Today it was all rushed and with no time for drinking water or try and let everything come together by taking a short break. But I am pretty sure that I did decently well, and it was sure nice to try out this form of tests before the final exam (even though the test results are part of the final grades, the exam counts for a lot more).

Thursday I changed room from my too noisy and dirty five-bedroom to a small two-bedroom apartment with exactly the same facilities as the bigger one. Same lousy kitchen, but at least I have room in the fridge now! And my new flat mate, a Maori guy studying education is nice, tidy and clean, as well as very friendly and in general much nicer to live with than the ones in the five bedroom unit. The catch is that it has become even more ridiculously expensive to stay here; a room in a private flat can easily be found at half the price of what I am paying to stay here, but they have cut me down to a one-semester contract without having to pay the penalty of 8 weeks rent it would cost me to get released from my original one-year contract now. I still have a few issues to solve with the accommodation office, but I feel so much more at home in the new apartment. If it wasn’t for the cost, I might even had considered staying the full year here, but since I can get my own one-bedroom apartment at the same cost I am out of here as soon as possible.

Moving between the rooms was carried out with the aid of a shopping trolley – so now I know what it must be like being a tramp, at least for four times 50 meters.

After having changed room it has started making sense to get stuff for my room again (I was getting a bit apathetic before since I did not feel comfortable in the room), which has resulted in a set of decent computer speakers, a bad-ass Japanese kitchen knife and the biggest set of LEGO I could possibly find. This was partly to celebrate surviving the two mid-term tests, partly to celebrate my tax refund and partly just because I felt like getting this stuff! The LEGO set should keep me busy for a few nights, since it includes four booklets with instructions on how to build the damn thing – I am SO looking forward to it!

Oh, and the last GREAT thing that happened this weekend was that Nic (my aunt’s partner) made me proper Danish rye bread to take home – my stomach and taste buds are absolutely thrilled! That, on top of another wonderful weekend at The Paddock means I am ready for the last week before my three week April break (where I have to do some studying though…)

First tramp with CUTC – Lewis Tops

This weekend I went tramping with the university tramping club (CUTC) for the first time, and it will definitely not be the last time I go. 14 of us went to Lewis Pass to do a tour up Lewis Tops, hoping to make it to the summit of Mt. Technical if the weather was kind. It turned out not to be, so we settled with “The Apprentice”, the second highest summit in the area (and a VERY straightforward walk in spite of the somewhat awe-inspiring name).

We met Saturday morning at 8AM, got our packs in the three cars and headed for a 2½ hours drive to Lewis Pass. The starting point of the tramp was St. James car park, and while putting on boots and gaiters, I managed to snap one of my shoelaces. As far as I remember, this is the first time that I have actually needed the spare laces that I always bring myself – usually someone else is relieved that I bring them along on every tramp. After a quick change to the spare we headed off, starting out on the Lewis Tops Route just on the other side of the road. The first hour or so went through birch forest, climbing steadily on a well marked track. Above the tree line the wind soon picked up, making windproof jackets and warm hats a necessity; quite a contrast to the warm start in the forest where the struggle was to avoid dripping with sweat.

As usual, the views from above the tree line were magnificent while the clouds stayed off the mountains we were tramping on. It did not last for long though, and soon we found ourselves walking in clouds, following a ridgeline without a track. Still, it was a fairly straightforward tramp without any major difficulties on the first day. Around 5PM we reached the Brass Monkey Bivvy, and had a brief discussion on whether to head on towards another hut or to stay. We decided to stay, not knowing exactly what was to expect further ahead, and it turned out to be a clever decision. Tents were pitched, my new gas cooker was initiated (it turned out to be a lot slower than expected, next time I might try it out indoors where the wind can not blow away all the heat…), and after a well deserved hot meal – a freeze dried pasta dish – I spent an hour or so in the tiny bivvy talking to some of the other guys on the tramp. Space was limited, but it we had a good time nevertheless while it turned dark outside. I decided to go to bed around 8.30PM, but finding the tent proved to be a bit of a challenge. We had set up camp around 50 meters from the bivvy, but the fog was so dense that I could only see a few meters ahead, and the light from my head torch was almost blinding. I did not get lost, but it was a slightly scary experience nonetheless, reminding me how sudden things can turn into custard here. It sure is something else than tramping in Denmark (which day two was to prove as well).

Day two started out as day one had ended, misty and damp. Breakfast was eaten, packs got packed and we headed off around 9.20AM. The plan for the day was to cross the saddle we had camped just beneath, and then head down the valley on the other side where there was supposed to be a track. The descent was a bit of a challenge, through some slippery slopes as well as speargrass and spaniard, two quite nasty, stinging native plants. The pace was not exactly fast the entire day, but we made our ways down to the stream in the valley, only to find that the track was nowhere to be found. This lead to some hours of river crossings, tramping through untouched forest following your best guess on what would be the easiest way through. At the same time it started raining, and it pretty much kept raining the entire afternoon until we drove out of the Lewis Pass area around 5PM. In all, day two turned out to be pretty much all I had heard and expected from tramping in New Zealand. Soaked boots from river crossings, changing weather (luckily it stayed quite warm and with no wind, so raincoats were optional) and missing tracks. I was glad not to be alone in this terrain, and it was fascinating to see how ten meters distance was enough to loose track of the person in front of me at some places where the forest closed in on us.

Around 2.30PM we reached Nina hut and had our lunch break. From here on there was a track down to a car park where a car had been strategically placed the day before, and the last two hours were spent on an actual track, taking us back to the civilisation.

This tramp was my first since Silkeborg Højskole, and it was a very different experience not to be out with close friends again. It was still fantastic to be tramping, but it did set of a bit of homesickness to be back in the outdoors. However I did meet some pretty cool people, who I might gain a lot from talking to about other places to go tramping. I am definitely going with the club more times, but for now my next trip will be a solo tramp in the three week Easter break over 4 or 5 days. I am choosing to go solo to get an opportunity of reflection upon my first months in New Zealand, and I have had good previous experiences with going solo, although only for one or two nights. I will probably do Harper Pass in the Arthur’s Pass National Park, which seems remote enough for me to feel the solitude I am looking for, but still busy enough to be safe in case I need assistance for some reason (and is not in need in terms of activating a Personal Locater Beacon, summoning a helicopter).

Oh, I almost forgot the big call for Danish ingenuity on the tramp. One of the guys went in boots so old that the glue holding the soles on started to loose its grip. First one heel loosened, then the other came along, and even duct tape could not hold the soles in place. I do not know how I thought of it, but I got the idea of punching two holes in each sole, and then tie the soles to the boot with a piece of string. It accommodated a few comments, my favourite being “Oh my God, that is SO MacGyver”. Eventually both the soles came off, but my solution did manage to keep the soles working for 24 hours after they started coming off, and even the engineers (one PhD student and one PostDoc) could not think of a better idea. So there you go, when in need, call your local Danish physicist!

Getting a feel for my research project 16/3

After a week and a half, today I finally managed to get a feeling of where to start on my honours-project. I have known for some days now what it is all supposed to end up with, but the starting point was somewhat blurred, perhaps because my supervisor does not really know the software that I will be working with, doing Monte Carlo simulations. I have spend around 9½ hours at uni for the past two days, but I have actually enjoyed staying late in spite of major computer issues (that I have now given up on, and written an email to the computer guy at the department). Next week I have my first mid-term test, things are getting serious now, and time management will be quite crucial for me if I want to spend a week or two off during the April break (2-25/4). It should all be possible though, and my supervisor told me today that he was confident that I would do well, especially since I am concerned about my time management. Apparently this is not a common thing to worry about after three years of tertiary studies here, which seems a bit strange to me. Who knows, maybe I am just way too serious about my studies…

I have been working on being released from my contract at the Ilam Village, since I do not see the point in staying here when I can rent a one bedroom apartment for the same amount of money as I am paying to stay here. It turns out that this is a major thing, and could cost me a penalty of up to 8 weeks rent plus $500, which would add up to something just short of $2500. I am meeting with the community manager on Thursday to figure out what options I have; he said today that it might be possible to be released by the end of the semester without having to pay the penalty. The ridiculous part of the whole thing is that every case is considered individually, and the penalty can differ with each case. I am thinking about consulting the student association to ask them whether they know of similar cases; being new to the country and the standard practice of renting property does not make it any easier to tell if I am being treated unreasonably (or even illegally), and I might just as well take advantage of the student association being present with the sole purpose of helping out students.

If I am going to stay here until the end of the semester (which will probably be the solution if the penalty really is $2500), I will see what options I have of moving to another flat. 4 flatmates is just a bit too much for me, often when I go to bed around 23.00, someone is just about to start making diner. The noise is not really keeping me awake, but it is just loud enough to irritate me anyway. Besides, it would make quite a difference being moved away from the ground floor, having to share a tiny fridge with less people, and maybe there is an opportunity of moving in with other postgraduates who are serious about their studies as well. All this is just speculations at this point, Thursday morning I will hopefully be able to make the right, informed choice on what to do.

In the weekend I went bouldering with the university climbing club. This was a slightly strange experience, and I was reminded that bouldering is not really my kind of climbing. Partying until 3 in the morning was not really my thing either this weekend, but people were nice and easy-going, and I got my introduction to the infamous Sheffield meat pies – pretty good stuff, I must say, but not something I could eat every day. After all, I do not think I will be spending much time in the climbing club, but this is perfectly fine since I have signed up for more clubs than the time allows me to get properly involved in. The really cool thing is that I can borrow climbing gear for free as a member, which pretty much justifies being a member even if I do not participate in the trips they organise.

Next weekend I will either be tramping or studying, hoping to do the other thing the following weekend. During the April break I am planning on doing a week of white water kayaking, plus a 4-5 day tramp. I am not sure yet if I will be tramping alone or with somebody, but I promise to stick to one of the great walks (or something equally busy) if I am going solo!

Adding another degree to my programme, 4/3

Big stuff is happening here in Christchurch, less than two weeks into my studies. In the beginning of this week I got the offer from the Director of the Medical Physics programme to do a Bachelor of Science with Honours (BScHons) instead of just the first part of my Masters degree that I have come here to do. After a day or two of thinking about this I accepted the offer, which basically means that I will be doing a research project in my first year, and the BScHons will provide access to doing a PhD after my first year. Whether I am going to do that or not, I have absolutely no idea at this moment, but it opens op a lot of opportunities, and if I “just” want to do the masters thesis as originally planned that is an option as well.

The one thing that required a bit of consideration before accepting the offer was that my workload will increase by 25% in the next six months. However, this increased workload will be within a project which will (hopefully) be more interesting than just doing another theoretical course, and I am absolutely thrilled about the whole thing. Some paperwork is still to be done, but I have agreed with my supervisor to start my project on Monday no matter how far the official process has gone. The rest will follow, I am sure, since I have the support of both the director of the programme (who is also my supervisor) and the head of department. I will have to change my visa and pay some extra fees when changing my degree, but there is just so much more to get out of the first year if I do make this “upgrade” – and besides, just getting the offer is quite a big deal, since only the brightest students are accepted in the honours programmes (the fact that they are slightly desperate to get more research students at the moment is something I choose not to focus too much on…). The curious thing is that my grades were not even considered before I was encouraged to make the change; however they would have prevented me from doing it if they were not at the required level.

The project I will be doing for the next six months is called “Simulation of energy selective computed tomography (CT) projection data”, and it is basically a matter of programming a virtual CT-scanner and seeing whether we are able to discriminate different kinds of tissue irradiated in this virtual scanner. It will all be linked to a PhD project, and nobody has ever published results like the ones we are hoping that I will get. Therefore I have a good chance of getting some results published, that is of course if I get some proper results, but if we did not count on this being the case, there would not be much of a point in doing the project in the first place.

Besides getting this fantastic offer, I am constantly being introduced to new people at the department. It really makes me feel welcome, that almost every time I attend something where my supervisor and somebody I don’t know are present, I am being introduced to whoever he is talking to. So far, it has all been people relevant to my programme here, but it still makes a huge difference that I am getting this introduction to people, who are all very supportive. Maybe they really are quite desperate to have people doing the research project, if not they are just exceptionally good at welcoming people from overseas and making me feel at home at the department straight away. I now have my own desk and computer at the eighth floor of the Rutherford building, sharing an office with two PhD students, one PostDoc and a Masters student who has just handed in his thesis. I sat there today reading, for the very first time, and it is quite amazing how motivating the sounds of other people working in the same room can be – I would never have stayed at the library until 5PM today, if I had not been at my desk.

Tonight we had a department barbeque, nothing big, just a small get together for students (doing at least their third year) and staff. It was really nice to go there with the people I am sharing the office with, getting to talk to them (and others from the department). It seems like the more time I spend around the department at the moment, the more confident I get that this is exactly the right place in the world for me to be at this time (which is a rather nice feeling!).