Already 2 Months Passed

... and this was the best moment:



I was waiting for Radiohead for 5 years, so I was really lucky to be able to see them on the 2nd week I arrived in Prague. I've already seen dozens of concerts but this was the best.

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The cold arrived in Czech Republic... while you (the portuguese people) have 30 degrees in Portugal, I'm facing -4 degrees in Czech Republic (and it's going down).

Lots of things are bad with this cold weather and I think they're pretty obvious, but surprisingly there are also some good things.
I think that listenning to music, writing, reading, watching movies now feels better. It's weird but it's true. Ah, I'm also smoking less than I was smoking in the summer... it's hard to go out for a smoke with a cold wind and rain (and snow in a few days) like this.

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These first 2 months of Erasmus (yes, exactly 2 months 'cause I arrived on the 13th of August) were awesome but now it's time to settle down a little, start to work and have some kind of routine.

I think I've already chosen my Final Project (Thesis)... that means that I have to start looking more seriously to the lessons. I already started to study for some Subjects, and it feels good... to be partying all the time can become boring - I think I enjoy more a party when I have the sensation that I've been working and that I deserve partying because of that.

Now abut my project - it looks like a big project that is being developed for 2 or 3 years and will end in another 2 years, at least. I'll just try to develop a little bit this simulation area of the project (which is very important). I'll have a lot of work and I think I'm motivated, for the first time I'll be working by myself, this is going to be like a test for me.

My Thesis will be about... hmmm, I think most of you who are reading this blog won't understand what I was going to write so I'll tell just that the name of the Thesis is something like "Determination of Pulverized Coal Thermokinetic Properties".
As you can see, the name is very charming ;)). Seriously, this looks very interesting (and hard)... it's about Energy, Efficiency of Coal in the Production of Energy, Environment... bla bla bla. I'll have to develop a mathematical model and make some simulations with a software called Fluent.
Probably I'll start working on my Thesis on the Winter Semester because it looks kinda complicated.

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Well, gotta go now, I have a birthday party.

Good night and good luck.

I need my Erasmus Grant...

... to go to Regina Spektor's concert in Vienna, on the 17th of December.

Pros and Cons here in Czech Republic

Hi.

Today I was studying alone in a small Café called.. hmm something Mozart and that thought came into my mind - "What are the pros and cons here in Czech Republic?"

Pros

- You can smoke inside almost all the pubs and Cafés, like we could, some years ago, in Portugal.

- Almost everything is chiper when compared to Portugal. Not so much cheaper, but a little bit, for sure. At least the beer, cigarrettes and housing.

- Location. It's really easy to visit some great cities, Czech Republic is really well placed.

- Culture and History. You can find monuments (huge monuments) everywhere... well, not in Ostrava, but everywhere else. I went to Olomouc last Sunday and I was really surprised - how can a small city have so much to show? And I certainly don't have to talk about Prague... this city speaks for itself.

Cons

- I'm Portuguese so I have to say the weather. Jesus, today was so cold... it already feels like Portuguese winter. Next week we'll have, in Ostrava, temperatures around 2 degrees... WTF? It's October!

- The food. Mediterranean food it's the better so I'm used to the best. Czech food is weird, heavy, "untasty"... bad, trust me. I miss so much my mother's soup! I never though I would miss a soup.

- The trains! Talking about it makes me nervous. I went to Prague 2 weeks ago, 9 hours of train travel, 6 and a half of them standing up... unbelievable.

- The weather and the food, again.

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As you can see, the balance is quite positive... I just have to cook, wear warmer clothes and use bus instead of train! :p

It's all for today.

Good night and good luck.