The Six Million Dollar Man

Things are quite different now compared to what was going on when I last posted something here on my blog. No wonder really since it has been a while already. Let's try to catch up with all the stuff that has been happening to me lately. This sure is going to be a lengthy post, but bear with me, ok? Sadly, not all of it is going to be pretty...

My last post (A Day to Remember) was about me getting engaged in November 2011. After my trip to Portugal, where I proposed to LP, I again had to focus on my studies at UC3M. Or, I SHOULD have focused on my studies. Instead... I dunno really..? Something just happened. To tell you the truth, something had been happening even before that. I mean, I've considered myself the type of guy who gets things done. (No laughing, please!) Still, during my time in Spain I was kind of... numb? It was hard for me to get ANYTHING done. (see My Spanish Buddy and a Weird Weekend... for more 'details') And where did that lead me to? I'll tell you where. Nowhere. Here's a sort of a list you should take a look at:

1. I had to drop out from one of my UC3M courses (Biomechanics) because I lacked any interest in the subject and was unable to force myself to study it.
2. I spent all of my time in my beautiful prison cell (a.k.a. my apartment) in Leganés, totally separated from the rest of the world.
3. There were lots of days during which I spoke to NOBODY. And then, there were at least as many days during which I spoke only to LP on Skype.

[EDIT: I think I should still point out a few things in my own defence. First of all, I lived alone in Leganés, a place where no students live because it's so boring. Furthermore, there were very few exchange students studying at the Leganés campus of UC3M. Why is that a problem? I studied in English anyway, right? That wouldn't have been a problem if the Spanish students would have been more willing to talk to me in English. But the truth is that most Spaniards, even the ones who speak English, prefer to stick to their native tongue. I can't really blame them, can I? I mean, to me it seems like a very natural code of conduct. Do that which is easiest. And it's all fine, except when it comes to lonely exchange students. Aha! I hear a voice in the crowd yelling 'Why didn't you go to one of the ERASMUS language courses at your university, jackass?!?' Well, the reason is that all the courses were taught at a different campus. I wouldn't have been able to study my engineering things if I had taken a Spanish course at UC3M. On top of that, well... They don't even give you credits for those courses at UC3M. So, there you have it: no language courses for me.]

I guess it's not hard to understand that when the holidays were starting to close up and it was time to visit my friends and family in Finland I was more than happy to leave Leganés...

Luckily my stay in Finland was filled with laughter and joy, so to speak. No wonder, since my family and friends are all awesome. But, on the 5th of January it was time once more to take a plane to Spain. This time I wasn't leaving alone, though. LP came to Madrid with me! She didn't have to go back to Lisbon before February, so she was able to spend most of January with me in Spain. Thank you, love! It really was an amazing month. We had so much time just for the two of us that we almost ran out of things to see in Madrid! On top of that, we also visited the astonishing city of Barcelona. Despite the terrible (read 'freezing cold') accommodation the trip was fantastic. But, back to businness. Let's focus on my studies for a second.

My spring semester started with a bunch of tests. You know what? I failed one of them. I've NEVER failed one single test in my whole life (except for one geography quiz on 8th grade). And to make it even worse, the course was on basic university-level chemistry. Can you believe it? I sure as hell still can't. But there's no denying it 'cause that's what really happened. Well, at least I got something done although 12 ECTS credits is not a score to be cheerful about. (The goal for a single semester is around 30 credits.) To look at the bright side of it all, I got sort-of-ok grades from the two courses that I passed. And on top of that, I scored around 95% from my two oral biochemistry presentations. (Actually, what that really means is that I was one of the few people in our group to speak proper English. Sorry guys, but let's face it: it's true.)

And then what? Well, here comes the big news. I quit. I left Madrid. Totally, utterly. And where am I now? Ha! You guessed it:

I'm in Lisbon!

I won't go now into details about all the administrative mess I still have to sort out. Instead, I could tell you about my general 'plans' for this spring:

1. I'll stay in Lisbon until the 19th of May. (I already have my flight booked.)
2. During my time here I'm going to study biochemistry-related topics for work. I'll continue working at Micronova on the 21st of May, more or less.
3. I'm going to be in pro-athlete shape by the time I come back to Finland. (We bought gym cards for the whole spring.) You know, I was kind of startled by the fact that my body fat percentage was very close to the ideal 15% for guys. It was actually 15.3%. So, the only thing left for me to do to look PERFECT is to generate muscles. And I mean it literally. I can't just 'grow' them. I truly have to generate new muscles, from scratch.

And how has my life been here in Lisbon so far? Not bad. I mean, I've met a lot of people, I live in the same apartment with LP (and four other people), and I've already been robbed. So, it's all good.

So, I guess that's it. Now that I got this 'post gap' covered with this scribble I can finally continue posting on a more or less regular basis. Until later then, suckers!

The nights are tough. They really are. I've noticed it in Finland too, but here in Spain it's definitely even harder. And no, I'm not talking about anything dirty: I'm talking about longing for LP. I know, I'm being a wuss and all that, but... I've grown to like sleeping together with my girl-friend. And now that I have to sleep all by myself, I find myself in front of my laptop at, say, 1:30 AM because I just can't relax and feel comfortable enough to sleep. Is it something to be ashamed of?

'... Yeap, it is. You're a wuss.''

At least there's always Skype. It really is a lifesaver. Anyways, I've just experienced my second day in Spain! [ISTANT RIMSHOT]

After breakfast, we (me, my mom and her husband) took a stroll: we headed to the Palacio Real (the Royal Palace in plain English):


The Palacio Real

 After a tour filled with about a hundred more-beautiful-than-J-Lo rooms filled with extravagant furniture, we continued our tour around Madrid. We took the metro ( a.k.a. the Underground or the Subway) to the Parque del Buen Retiro, or Retiro Park. It really is a must-see, I'm telling you. Here's a few pics:



A fancy fountain, right?



This is what my father calls 'the Duck Pond'.

Why don't people usually build their back yard gardens like this?

Right, now that I've made you guys envious as hell, we can continue with the story. After the park we took a look at the Botanical Garden which was a slight disappointment. Because of its run-of-the-mill appearance I don't have any photos of the place. Sorry.

Then it was time for the must-stuff. I mean, I had to register my courses here at UC3M, and to do that I had to go to Getafe. There's one of the UC3M campuses and about 150 000 people in the cozy satellite city. We took a train to get to Getafe. I have to tell you, the trains are superb: they accelerate incredibly smoothly, they're clean and fast. AND cheap. They are everything you could ever wish for. So, sell your house and start living in one of them. Now.

Um, yeah... Anyways, we got to Getafe in one piece. We even found the UC3M campus very easily because of all the gigantic signs saying 'Hey, dumb-ass! This way!' A few minutes after stepping out of the train I found myself in the middle of the campus asking a friendly, student-looking Spanish guy where I was supposed to go to. He told me to go to building number 10, first floor, rooms 30 and 31. And he even pointed me to the right direction. All in all, everything was going smootly, right?

Registration of courses: a question of life and death. If I got the courses that I wanted, everything would be fine. In other words, even if Earth was conquered by miniature space hamsters, I would be ok. There were about 10 people assisting the university newcomers in the Registration Room (RR). When I entered the RR I was greeted by a smile: a friendly Spaniard pointed me to sit beside him. 'Would you like me to assist you in English or Spanish?' he asked. I thought I was in HEAVEN: 'In English, of course... dumb-ass', I responded (more or less). After a few seconds the guy smiled and said something like: "Please, go to booth number 8." I was starting to get nervous. What's wrong? Oh, f...

There it was, number 8. I sat down in front of a brunette lady in her 30s. She told me that her English wasn't all too great and that's why she would be talking in Spanish. Oh, f..! This was my worst-case scenario: there was something wrong with my courses and I'd have to work my way out of the situation in SPANISH. Sounds bad.

... But it wasn't. I actually surprised myself: I spoke to the lady in Spanish and I even understood most of her mumbling! Haha! Thank you EP, I love you! (Don't get jealous my love 'cause I love you way more.) And then, the lady told me that there was nothing wrong: I had now been registered to all the courses that I had previously selected! Great.

Haha! You were hoping for something juicy, weren't you? Some kind of a 'everything is hell' story, right? Well, here's the thing: everything is fine, except for the constant longing for LP. But that's something only a high dose of amphetamine can cure and I don't do drugs when I'm not high.

Here's a copy of an e-mail I sent to a professor here at Aalto University:

Hei,

Olen toisen vuoden opiskelija Aalto- yliopiston uudessa Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulussa ja pääaineekseni olen valinnut bioniikan. Olen pyrkimässä ensi vuodeksi ERASMUS- vaihtoon Espanjaan (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, UC3M: http://www.uc3m.es/portal/page/portal/home) ja ymmärtääkseni tarvitsisin Teidän hyväksyntänne ja allekirjoituksenne suunnitelmiini.

Olen bioniikan opinnoissani vasta alkutaipaleella: Olen suorittanut bioniikan perus- ja jatkomoduuleihin (S111-1/ S111-2) kuuluvista kursseista vain Elektroniikka I:n ja olen tällä hetkellä kurssilla Dynaaminen kenttäteoria. Näiden lisäksi olen osallistunut Johdatus bioniikkaan- kurssille tänä syksynä. Tarkoituksenani olisikin aloittaa pääaineeseeni syventyminen Espanjassa. Uskoakseni siitä tulisi olemaan minulle enemmän hyötyä kuin haittaa; osaan nimittäin englantia (UC3M:n Medical Engineering- koulutusohjelman opetuskieli) mielestäni todella hyvin, ja akateemisissa piireissä sekä monissa yrityksissä työkieli on ymmärtääkseni usein englanti.

Harmi kyllä UC3M:n Medical Engineering- koulutusohjelma on varsin uusi. Tästä syystä heillä ei ole tarjota kuin 1. ja 2. vuoden kursseja. Uskoakseni tämä ei tuottaisi minulle suurempia ongelmia: olenhan itsekin vasta opintojeni alkumetreillä. Olen kaavaillut suorittavani UC3M:n ensi vuoden kurssivalikoimasta seuraavanlaisia kursseja:

15528 Chemistry – VAPAASTI VALITTAVAT OPINNOT 6
15529 Introduction to Bio-Engineering  -ERIKOISMODUULI 6
(Kurssikoodia ei löytynyt) Biochemistry  - VAPAASTI VALITTAVAT OPINNOT 6
(Kurssikoodia ei löytynyt)  Biomechanics of continuum media I (solids)  - ERIKOISMODUULI 6
15532 Cell and Mollecular Biology  - SOLUBIOLOGIAN PERUSTEET 6
(Kurssikoodia ei löytynyt) Biological Systems  - VAPAASTI VALITTAVAT OPINNOT 6
(Kurssikoodia ei löytynyt)  Materials Science and Engineering – MATERIAALITIETEEN PERUSTEET 6
(Kurssikoodia ei löytynyt) Electronic Technology in Biomedicine  - ERIKOISMODUULI 6
(Kurssikoodia ei löytynyt) Biomechanics of continuum media II (fluids)  - ERIKOISMODUULI 6

Listasta näet myös, miten olen alustavasti ajatellut kurssien sijoittuvan tutkintooni.  Osa kursseista järjestetään UC3M:ssä ensi vuonna ensimmäistä kertaa. Näistä kursseista ei ollut kovinkaan tarkkaa kuvausta UC3M:n Internet-sivuilla eikä niiden kurssikoodeja ollut saatavilla. Monet suunnittelemistani kursseista joudutaan varmasti sijoittamaan vapaasti valittaviin opintoihin sekä kandidaatin että DI-tutkintoihini. Osasta kursseja (merkitty ERIKOISMODUULI- merkillä) olen kuitenkin kaavaillut itselleni 20 opintopisteen erikoismoduulia DI-tutkintooni. Tässä vielä nuo kurssit yhdessä:

15529 Introduction to Bio-Engineering  6
(Kurssikoodia ei löytynyt)  Biomechanics of continuum media I (solids)  6
(Kurssikoodia ei löytynyt) Electronic Technology in Biomedicine  6
(Kurssikoodia ei löytynyt) Biomechanics of continuum media II (fluids)   6

Pyytäisin tämän erikoisjärjestelyn lisäksi vielä mahdollisuutta korvata tutkintooni sisältyvät kurssit Materiaalitieteen perusteet (S-113.2110) ja Solubiologian perusteet (S-0.1104) UC3M:n vastaavilla kursseilla Cell and Mollecular Biology (15532, 6 op) ja Materials Science and Engineering (XXXXX, 6 op). Näistä ensimmäisestä löytyy tarkempaa tietoa osoitteessa http://www3.uc3m.es/reina/Fichas/Idioma_2/257.15532.html. Osoitteesta http://www.uc3m.es/portal/page/portal/titulaciones_grado/ing_biomedica/plan_english löytyy tietoa muista kursseista.

Uskoakseni meidän tulisi sopia jokin tapaaminen. ERASMUS- vaihdon hakuaika alkaa 1.2. ja päättyy 1.3. Tästä syystä joudunkin pyytämään Teiltä pikaista toimintaa tapaamisemme järjestämisen suhteen. Olen pahoillani, että olen viivytellyt vaihtosunnitelmieni laatimisen kanssa. Jos olen unohtanut mainita tässä sähköpostissa jotain merkittäviä yksityiskohtia, voitte pyytää minulta tarkennuksia joko sähköpostitse tai tavatessamme. Kysyisinkin siis Teiltä, milloin Teillä olisi aikaa tavata minua?

Jos asia on niin, että olen lähettänyt sähköpostia väärälle henkilölle, ilmoittaisitteko minulle asiasta pikimmiten, kiitos?

Ystävällisin terveisin,
Jope
(Ok, I didn't sign this e-mail exactly like this)


So, a lengthy note to scribble, to say the least. I'm not much of a writer, so writing that took me around two hours. And, on top of that, you can see that I'm trying my best to be as polite as possible (if you understand Finnish, that is). And what do I get in return?


Terve

Tuo paperi minulle, niin allekirjoitan sen.
T: XXX
(Let's not reveal the man's identity...)

Which means:

Hi (See? No comma!) 


Bring me the paper and I'll sign it.
XXX


So, what does all this boil down to?


120 Jope's minutes = 0.5 Professor's minutes   | divide by minute
<=> 120 Jope = 0.5 Professor                              | divide by 0.5
<=> Professor = 240 Jope


=> I want to be a Professor when I grow up.