Cold, but life goes on!

It has been one of the longest weeks of my life, the snow has continued to fall, it is frustratingly cold and to add salt to the injury I have had the flu the whole week with running eyes and running nose and yes I have to attend lectures as I prepare for the second batch of exams. I just realized recently that the gas supply to our hostels is controlled hence during the day it gets so cold and suddenly in the evening it is all warm again, I don’t blame them because I imagine if all the students would have their heaters on during the day the expenses would be much higher.

Anyway, despite my misery with the cold weather and flu, I still had to make it for the practicals. This week we have been focusing on aquaculture that is the cultivation of plants and animals in water. It is really funny to see some of the things that scientist are trying to do to nature in the name of science. Imagine walking out from a temprature of minus 1 degrees to a miniatute tropical room of 30 degrees, oh, it feels great it reminded me of home thinking of the warm sunshine and the white sand beaches. Our course is meant to focus on tropical systems and because we cannot travel to the tropics for all the courses the institute has set up a tropical system within the institution where tropical organisms are cultured for scientific and educational purpose. However, as I said before, it is a pity to see some of the organisms like fish that are adapted to the warm sunshine and temprature in conditioned containers unable to venture out in their natural habitat, science can be so cruel at times.

That incidence with animals cultured in ponds reminded me of how some people behave while away from thier native homes. You see, ever since I came to Germany I have made friends and they keep asking me why I don’t intereact with my fellow country men and women. Well it is true that I rarely intereact with my fellow countrymen but it is all due to the kind of attitude that I get from them. Imagine meeting someone from your country in a foreign land, of course you will be happy unless you are a social freak.

stone fish in an aquarium

However, your desire to maintain contact with this new friend is thwarted because despite exchaning contacts and meeting once in a while you can’t help getting the feeling that you are a bother. If it would have been a single person, I would have simply excused it as nut case, however if this continues not once but more than three times with different personalities then I imagine I am the problem. I don’t want to judge anyone but I can assure you that I fully understand what that fish in the aquarium is going through, I have come to a conclusion, that despite the cold weather and some cold friends life must move on!