Hair on fire
"I'm running around with my hair on fire!" - Sandra Brooke
I met Sandra, the source of the quote above, on a research cruise in 2013. She was one of the chief scientists on board and therefore had a lot of things to take care of. She was constantly running around from place to place, solving problems, talking to people, making plans, and trying to process specimens at the same time. I always giggled when she got to the breaking point and declared her hair to be on fire - it was quite the image.
Now that I'm back in Stavanger, I've got to admit, I feel a lot like Sandra must have on that cruise. I only have a short amount of time left in Norway before I move out and embark on another adventure. (For the record, I'm still "in Norway" until April 1, but in 2 weeks, "Norway" will be a research ship in the Pacific. Andrew invited me on the cruise, so it still counts as part of my fellowship experience. More details later.)
Anyway, I've got a lot of things to worry about: cruise preparations, countless logistical issues, trying to schedule a meeting for when I get back to Oregon, editing a paper, processing more data, and on top of all that, I'm trying to soak in my last few weeks here with my friends.
I'm so incredibly blessed to be at this point in my life, when I'm traveling, researching, and embracing incredible opportunities. I just can't help but think about how little time I have left in this beautiful country - and how much of it I'll spend on things like liability insurance and the transport of hazardous materials. Bleh.
Be prepared for some emotional posts in the next two weeks. I'm definitely not ready to leave Norway. For now, though, I'll just pause, take a deep breath, gaze up to the beautiful Norwegian sky, and try to keep my hair from catching fire.
I met Sandra, the source of the quote above, on a research cruise in 2013. She was one of the chief scientists on board and therefore had a lot of things to take care of. She was constantly running around from place to place, solving problems, talking to people, making plans, and trying to process specimens at the same time. I always giggled when she got to the breaking point and declared her hair to be on fire - it was quite the image.
Now that I'm back in Stavanger, I've got to admit, I feel a lot like Sandra must have on that cruise. I only have a short amount of time left in Norway before I move out and embark on another adventure. (For the record, I'm still "in Norway" until April 1, but in 2 weeks, "Norway" will be a research ship in the Pacific. Andrew invited me on the cruise, so it still counts as part of my fellowship experience. More details later.)
Anyway, I've got a lot of things to worry about: cruise preparations, countless logistical issues, trying to schedule a meeting for when I get back to Oregon, editing a paper, processing more data, and on top of all that, I'm trying to soak in my last few weeks here with my friends.
I'm so incredibly blessed to be at this point in my life, when I'm traveling, researching, and embracing incredible opportunities. I just can't help but think about how little time I have left in this beautiful country - and how much of it I'll spend on things like liability insurance and the transport of hazardous materials. Bleh.
Be prepared for some emotional posts in the next two weeks. I'm definitely not ready to leave Norway. For now, though, I'll just pause, take a deep breath, gaze up to the beautiful Norwegian sky, and try to keep my hair from catching fire.
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