Poland, what a beautiful experience...

Here I am,
sitting in front of the computer I started to use in the las week of October 2008.
In the lab of AGH University of Technology.
Writing probably the last words I would like to say to Poland, Polish people,
to all the people I met during this Erasmus year,
to all the people who was following me in this blog and all the ones who were supporting me during the year.

It is difficult to imagine in the beggining, how much your life will be involved in the Polish way of life,
how your habits change, how even your thoughts change after such a year.

Now, I'm coming back to Spain, to see my family, my friends, my places, my real util October-life.
But I carry a lot from Krakow, a lot of experiences, places, parties, friends, facts that will be in my mind for a long time,
and will influence me for future plans and actions...

Today when removing all the pictures from my bedroom and watching the white walls I realised that I'm really leaving this country.
A country which has treated me with respect in every moment and has given me so much life experience.
I would not like to say it, but I felt sad, really sad to leave this life, these people and culture.

I want to thank many people and I'd like to mention in this post some important names as:

All the Polish people I met:
Olga, Kamila, Kasia, Ewelina, Paulina, Piotr, Renia, Anita
Julita, Ula, Janusz, Prof. Kral, Marcin, Szymek, Michal, Lucja...

All the clubs I've been enjoying in:
Cien, Frantik, Kistch, Lubu dubu, Midgard, Kulturalny, Rdza, Prozak, Uluisa, Spolem, Alchemia, Singer, Afera, Awara, Lizard King,

All the key names I'll remember from Krakow:
Kazimierz, Kopiec Kosciuski, Nowy Kleparz, Julisza Slowaszkiego, Dluga, Emilii Plater, Wroclawska,
Szewska, Florianska, Grodzka, Tomasza, Basztowa LOT, Galeria Krakowska, EMPIK, Biedronka, Kefirek,
Barbakan, Brama florianska, Rynek Glowny, Poczta Glowna, AGH C3, Miasteczko Studenckie.

All the Erasmus students I met, especially:
Alberto, Andy, Arnaud, Aurelien, Artur, Jeelan, Emi, Mar, Nacho, Denis, Claire, Antonio, Elias.

All the visits we received in Emilii Plater:
Veronika, Pelayo, Luis, Katri, Karoliina, Jael, Paula, Vallina, Mario, Nicanor, Camanio,
Lucia, Alvaro, Jose, Eszti, Kata.

All the Polish cities I've visited:
Krakow, Wroclaw, Rzeszow, Raniszow, Warszawa, Gdansk, Gdynia, Sopot, Krynica, Zakopane.

And thanks to Alex, my roomate during all this time, sharing a very important life experience becoming
twins in this far-from-home country. I wish you all the best in your future life.

A very special place is for my Polish flatmates, Bartek, Aga and Szymczak, always there, willing to chat, to help, to smile.
I really want to thank all of you all the moments we spent together, all the conversations we had, and all the advices and good words
coming out from your mouths. I know we also had not so good moments, but I think this is also making a relationship closera and stronger,
and to us more confident to each other.
With this I want to express that I'll never forget you guys. Have it sure.wherever I'll be, whenever you'll think of me, you'll now you have a friend to count on.

I also would like to thank my family, always there, willing to know what I was doing, if I was ok, following me on facebook,
sending me pictures through email, keeping me updated on everything.
They are great, and in a few days I'll be enjoying them again.
Love you!

Thanks for everything, this year wouldn't be the same without all of you guys.
Thank you for reading.
Fernando

Parachuting, great experience!

Have you ever thought of flying?
Well I hadn't done it until last week when I realised that I was jumping from an aeroplane...
Yes, jumping from an aeroplane.

Altitude:2500m
Place:Krakow
Day:7th June 2009
Organiser: ESN UE Krakow

Group of 20 participants and a lots of adrenaline during the free falling...
That's what summarising I can say.

This can't be better explained than doing it, really, it was impressive... :)

"Getting ready"

"Got ya!"

"From American movie..."

"Me just flying"

"Alex and me with our instructor"

"Group picture"

Thank you ESN for making this possible. And Special thanks to Renia and Pawel who were the ones who organised it. Keep going guys!

I really encorage you to do it as soon as possible.
Life there is only one.

Keep tuned!
Fer

Warszawa

Finally, and after several months living in Poland, I faced the capital, Warszawa. The city which suffered so much exactly 60 years ago, when after the uprising of the Warsaw's people in 1944 the nazi occupation decided to eliminate absolutely every building in there. So we are now talking about one brand-new city, but keeping the style and architectural line it had in the past thanks to Bottarello.

The first thing I realised is that Warsaw is big, pretty big. So forget about going on foot from one part to another if you don't have so much time to spend, because probably you'll spend it walking and getting tired. Since many important places to visit are really separated it gives to the city...

Thanks to the cousins of Olga, we could leave our backpacks in the dormitory and start sightseeing Warsaw having as first choice the Palace of science and culture, the old communist style building, giving as a present by the soviets. The interest part of the building is its height. 115m which allow you to have a very good view of the whole Warsaw, of course, after paying 15/20PLN for the reduced/normal ticket. We are in the capital, life is not for free...

Detail “The palace of Culture”

Detail “View of Warsaw from the Palace of Culture”

After a nice talk with Adam and Kamila eating in a vegetarian restaurant (which very nice enchilada!), we went to the Uprising museum of Warsaw, where you may see how the Polish population stood up and started to fight against the German occupation. A complete collection of media is placed there, which is really worth it to see if the topic interests you a bit.

Another place, or I maybe should say icon, in Warsaw is "the palm", placed in one central round about where you're always passing by when moving from east-west or north-south parts of the city is needed. I guess you are thinking the same I did, a palm doesn't really fit in an Eastern-Europe country, but it's there. Globalisation... :)

Detail “The palm”

Museum of Katyn (Muzeum Katynskie)
Unfortunately, after going pretty far from city centre, and from the place we were sleeping, the museum was closed and we could only took some pictures from the outside :(

Łazienki park
This was one of the parts that I liked the most. Maybe because in Krakow there is no such a park and I really missed it, but I felt so good walking in this park. Many people, trees, flowers, even animals.

Detail “Hungry Squirrel”

The Lazienki park was a place where the king had his own summer palace, nowadays called palace on the water.

Detail ”Palace on the water”

And it has another building called white house really worth seeing.

During all these moments, we’ve been travelling by bus, tram or metro, seeing all the big streets that Warsaw has all over itself.

Detail “Long streets in Warsaw”

Actually the trip was a bit fast as lightning, going at 6:10 on Saturday in the morning and coming back on Sunday at 17:10…
But I think that I really enjoyed the trip. And one of the main reasons was that I had been reading about Warsaw in my lovely Lonely planet and we had the organized plan as well as very good guides who took care of us in the big city of Warsaw. Thank you guys!

I would also like to thank Olga, without you we hadn’t been in Warsaw and I could write these words as I’m doing.
I have to say that her improvements in Spanish are becoming bigger and bigger… ;)

And last but not least, I’d like to say welcome to the blog world to Alejandro, my roommate here in Krakow. Who is becoming a professional photographer since he bought a DSLR camera.
I have no doubt he will be a good one! Go Alex go! :)

Detail “The professional in Łazienki park”

You can read him here: http://aleromar.blogspot.com

I guess he’ll prepare some surprises for us as well. So, enjoy reading!

More pictures can be seen here:
http://picasaweb.google.es/f.martin.85/Warszawa25th26thApril09#

Thanks everybody who is following me. I really appreciate it!

Warm greetings from Krakow.

Weekend in Kyiv!

Old Soviet union, cruel WWII fights, not lucky 26 of April 1986 in Chernobyl, old Polish city L'viv, huge Dnipro river, currency called hryvnias, big and green city Kyiv and lovely people who greet saying privet! Can you guess in which country I've been recently? I guess it's easy with such an information written...
Ukraine host me during last days and I wanted to talk about it.

Starting from Katowice and this beautiful sunset, all was going on normally. Bus to Katowice airport, checking in, and waiting for my Wizzair plane.


Once in Kyiv, no problem occured since AEGEE exists!! :)
Olga picked me up and since that time, everything was prepared, lovely and in time!
Thank you Olguita!It was great!



When Kyiv people told me that the city I was sightseeing in that moment was one of the greenest of Europe I was very surprised, but you only need a few hours getting yourself lost in the city centre to feel the green in your own body. And if you have the opportunity of visiting it in Spring, don't hesitate!
Here I upload a very good proof of it.


Souvenirs have a place and a proper name. Andriyivs’ky, where you can buy typical Ukrainian clothes, Easter eggs, handmade plates, wooden boxes, and hanging decorations to bring good luck to your home :)

I hope mum and sister will like what I got there for them! :)

Orthodox churches are spread all around Kyiv, and you can recognize them since they have a peculiar shape from the outside. Here you can see one of the most famous ones just next to the street I’ve mentioned before. It’s really nice to see it, and even more if you have good weather like I had!



If the WWII is a topic you like, don't miss the museum located on the top of one of the seven hills of the city.
You'd see some of the battles in Ukraine well explained, and the power that the soviet union had in that time. Thank you Irina for the well explained tour!!

I also want to thank Choranova who had to get up early for me not to get lost in Kyiv!
thank you Ola!



воля is the word you can appreciate watching the national emblem,
which means liberty. Another thing that I know thanks to AEGEE Kyiv people!

http://www.aegee.kiev.ua/

http://aegeekyiv.blogspot.com/

http://aegee.kiev.ua/Press.aspx

I also have to say that they are working so hard in AGORA preparations and since Magusa one has finished, all of you should be thinking of coming to Fall Agora Kyiv 2009 ;)

In the picture, one of the brave guys in AEGEE Kyiv board. Keep going Petya! :)

Summarizing, I have to say that I really liked Kyiv.
And I only have one word to the fantastic people from AEGEE who took care of me:
Спасибо!

More interesting pictures: http://picasaweb.google.es/f.martin.85/Kyiv16thApr09#

My first Birthday since I have blog...

Yes, I am getting old... but It doesn't mean I'm not happy.
This is my first Birthday abroad, far from my family and friends, and someones could think that it's sad or not the way it should be.
But actually I'm feeling really good, a guy beloved even being abroad, receiving greetings from many places, in many languages and by different means of communication.

And this feeling couldn't be possible if you weren't there guys, all the ones who make me happy, make me laugh, make me think, and also make me get angry, but in the end, I can resume it:
you make me feel alive! so I can enjoy this life, full of different situations and emotions, made for living it in every minute of our lifes.

So, I want to thank you all again, the fact that you remembered me in this day keeping me more alive than anytime before.

THANK YOU!


Picture corner:

Here I add a picture of Kopiec kościuszki where I've been yesterday, watching how the sun went down during the day of my 24th birthday.
This is a very nice place to stay calm, think and enjoy the views...

If you want to see more:
http://picasaweb.google.es/f.martin.85/KopiecKosciuszki1stApril09#

And also I took a look around Rynek Glowny with my tripod, and I took a couple of nice pics from there:


Kocham Kraków!

P.S. If you want to see more pictures of Kopiec and Ryne...
http://picasaweb.google.es/f.martin.85/KopiecKosciuszki1stApril09#
http://picasaweb.google.es/f.martin.85/RynekGlowny1stApril09#

Job interview done!

As I mentined yesterday, the ESA interview for the YGT place in ESTEC was today.
At 10.00 I was in ESTEC main entrance requesting my acreditation.

Actually ESTEC is not so complicated building and I got used to it in a few minutes after asking the reception girl.

The inteview was planned at 11:30 and the nice woman Caroline Brucker explained me everything before it.
The minutes in between the meeting with Caroline and the interview were the most stressing ones.

After these minutes almot without end the door of the interview room was opening in front of me, without knowing the people who were about to interview me...
Once started the interview in front of 3 people (1 from the Education department, 1 from Human resources and the project coordinator of the GENSO project)
The heart started to calm down and I could express myself in a way I'm used to. They were nice people and I felt confident in the interview.

After half a hour of interview and many questions from three sides, where of course there were some of them that I couldn't answer in the proper way I would like to, I shaked hands again and I left the room. I feel confident but not 100%...

Now it's time to wait until the answer in 4 or 5 weeks time, when I'll have the YES or the NO from them.

Summarizing I would say that ESTEC day was a nice inspiring day, showing me a very nice working place and the variety of nationalities working together for a main aim.
Leticia was there, working on her project and she and her friends in ESTEC kindly took care of me during lunch time in the restaurant.

Salmon was the main dish, which I didn't try in Poland for a long time. It was great! :)

After that, the launching of GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer) took place and I was there in the Space EXPO to see it...

De One day in ESTEC, European Space Agency Technology headquarters

After that nothing kept me in that nice place and it was time to leave, to take a taxi and to go to Leiden station coming back to Brussels, where I am spending one more night before taking the plane to Poland.
I wouldn't mind to work there for a year, in a technology, educational and lovely european environment.


I'll inform you about the results. On wednesday, I'll be back in Poland.

Greets!

P.S. I want to thank you everyone who supported me before the interview and I send your best regards to them ;)

My first job interview

It was a long time since I wrote down on this blog last time, and I want to apologize to all the ones who were following it.

Today I want to talk about a very important day in my life. Tomorrow, Tuesday 17th of March 2009 I'll have my first job interview in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.

The interviewer will be the ESA (European Space Agency) and the job is the Young Graduate Trainee opportunity they offer every year for people like me.

The job is focused on the GENSO project (Global Educational Network for Satellite Operations).
www.genso.org

I've been several days reading, updating myself, trying to guess what they'll ask about it and what would be the better answer for each question.
In one hour I'll be leaving to The Netherlands and I'll finally face the interview as it deserves.

Greetings to everyone from AEGEE Comitée Directeur house in Brussels.

Fernando