Crazy week!

After such a crazy week I feel ready to write on my blog again. For the few readers that actually follow the blog, I will summarize my accomplishes and my obstacles for the days I went missing. For those who don't follow the blog, just try to keep up,ok? So, I heard that my skipper's exam was delayed once again. After saying everyday that I'm leaving on the 10th and I really really really have to take the test earlier than that, the school booked the exam for the 26th...I was in total shock! This was absolutely one of the worst thing someone has done to me. After long negotiations and talking with everyone from the school to fix this, the exam was re-scheduled once again, but this time for the 6th of June. Yey for me!!Apparently I'll be doing the exam with another girl,and that's it. The rest of the class is not ready and their exam remains booked for the 26th...Ufffff What a relief,hum? With all the craziness going, I had to keep studying for the exam and, as usual, I didn't take my laptop with me (it's a major distraction!). The result was that every night I had tones of emails from my boss asking for a translation of a part of the company's website in portuguese and italian! The italian part I had to ask a friend to do it, so I also had to email her to check things and to make sure I wasn't taking too much of her time...Well, here's how it turned out: http://arcticwhaletours.com/ There's a picture of me on the website which I hope to replace when I get to Norway and take a better one. I have absolutely no photos at all where I look professional! All my field photos are just messing around with friends and that kind of stuff :) I hope you enjoy exploring the website and hopefully you'll drop by when I'm already working as a guide!

As you can see, it wasn't all bad things! I also got the chance of going to the theatre with a friend to see a comedy & improvisation play (is it still a play if it is all improvised?). It was amazing! Aaaand I got an extra ticket by going to facebook during the play and writting where I was and what I was seeing! So, on Sunday I'm going back there! I also took a boat driving lesson! I felt like I was born to do it :) It was a verrrrry small boat, but driving it was great! And on Sunday I'm going again, but this time in a larger boat!

Wish me luck!

everyday mistakes

I just found out that the guy I told you about in my previous post is far from being the guy I'm going to meet! I got the chance of talking with the guy I'm actually going to meet and it was really embarrassing for me just trying to make a joke about our birthdays and finding out that his birthday is far from being the same as mine. The other guy is still an inspiration though!

Now, changing the subject; today is really hot in Lisbon!!! Unfortunately, I cannot enjoy this warmth very much because this is the worst time of the year for people that have allergies! Pollen is out there, flying like crazy, accompanied by something similar to cotton buds that, of course, comes out of trees and make the eyes sting and the nose start running. This time of the year is great to go to the beach, where there are few people and none of these things, but it is horrible if you have allergies and have to go around town.

This weather thing is going crazier and crazier every year...Climate change at its best!

This reminds me, I really need to start looking for warm clothes to bring to Norway... A nice jacket will have to do, or my suitcase will be filled with warm clothes and nothing else! I wonder how cold it will be there...I'll be working out there in the sea, so I reckon it will be much much colder than in inland. I heard feather jackets are the best, but I need to start looking around before making any judgments on the warmest clothes I can get here in Portugal. And that is another thing...in Portugal we don't have much cold, at least as cold as the summer in Norway I think, so it will be a challenge to find clothes that fit that kind of weather. Maybe during the weekend I'll start shopping. It's crazy when you're going to a different country and you need to be fully equipped for what's coming, but the problem is that you can never be 100% sure of what you're going to need! Let's hope it all goes for the best for me.

I wonder how my friend's chicken is doing? :P

Born to do this?

Aren't you lucky? Two posts of mine on the same day WOHOOOO! (just wait and see how long it will take for me to post another one :P)

I was just looking around online and found this guy, a Portuguese fellow, who is a true inspiration. Take a look at his website and let me know what you think http://www.luis-ferreira.com/#259899/Services. Hopefully, I will get to know him as soon as I get to Norway, as he is one of those persons that you grow up thinking "I want to be just like him!!", after going over the period of wishing to be a dolphin trainer or a barbie of course! The thing is that as soon as I found out my way within marine biology, as soon as I truly found what I love most in the sea; things like exploring this guy's website become a true treat and really make me wonder why the hell am I sitting in this chair writing a blog! And to make things even better, something completely unexpected came up: this fellow's birthday is the same as mine! As a very wise man (my Yoda) once told me: "Pisces must be the star sign for all the best whale watchers" (although he doesn't have many sea pictures). By the way, totally out of context, a friend of mine just saved a little baby greenfinch and took care of it in her house! hurray for the future chicken! Let's cross our fingers for it to learn how to fly before fitting in the plate.

What goes around comes around

After a path of pebbles and marbles, I should say that finally things have been getting much better. I submitted my paper in a nice journal (still waiting it to be accepted though), my laptop has finally come and everything is set for my trip to Norway. Now, the challenge relies on having a great mark on my skipper's exam! I kind of exhausted my motivating talks, but I think you get the idea of "what goes around comes around". Call it Karma, call it nature's forces or whatever; the truth is that you are always rewarded or penalized for the things you do. Doing good things always makes us feel good about ourselves and it isn't in an egocentric kind of way, it's rather like being happy for making other people happy. The same goes for the other way. Don't think that this is all about voluntary work, helping the elders and misfortunate; it is more than just that. Somehow when people work hard, when people are true friends and are willing to take chances/sacrifices for their own sake, in spite of how difficult it is; the world always finds a way of returning the "favor" sooner or later. Isn't it funny? Well, when you do good for a long time, when you struggle everyday, and it takes long for nature to answer back, it's not funny at all...But let's keep ourselves positive and think that the D-day will come. A similar thing is what happens with animals that have these appendixes or members they don't use at all which will eventually loose in a few centuries or millennia. So cross your fingers for your compensation to come no longer than 10 years! Nature has strange ways, but it is up to us to make the best of its ways and to do the best for us and the ones around us.

(Seems that I still had some motivational ideas here after all!)

Birthdays and presents

Every year most of us have to get a new calender and write all our friends' birthdays and hope not to forget any. When the time comes, if we didn't forget about it, our minds just get filled with questions about the right present to give, what to do to make it special, book a dinner with friends? or simple go out? (my birthday is long gone, so don't get any crazy ideas about it) bla bla bla. That is why some people just don't fancy birthdays that much and think they are a silly excuse for others to get presents. Of course, every day should be a celebration, but the problem is that not every day is. So, birthdays, mother's day, father's day, valentine's day, and so on, are just a small break from the daily stress that reminds us to take life easy and enjoy it (although, all except for the birthdays are just commercial strategies). Back to the presents' issue, it is very tricky to buy the right thing to the right person, but it is all about knowing the other person. Otherwise, a postcard and some chocolates/flowers would be enough. Some people like expensive, some like practical, some like creative and some just like to take the day off. My advice is: if you know the person well, then don't buy something just to have something to give. Make the effort of taking the next step and reinventing the concept of presents; fold a piece of paper, draw on it and simply write what comes to your mind inside; go to the beach and draw a cake on the sand; be different. Everybody loves presents, that is a sure thing, but things that come from the heart instead of a shop are so much better and so much valuable! Even if you think you should buy something, because that person needs it, just try to make it different from what anyone else could have done. So, today -mother's day here in Portugal- I just made my mother a breakfast in bed. I did one for my father as well (he deserves it too for taking care of her for so long) and found out that it was his first breakfast in bed!!! Write your comments and let me know what you did for your mother today and what was your most creative gift so far :)