To say that my mood in this place is ambivalent is an understatement. Day one was actually quite a pain, missing internet and people. Day two was wonderful, getting some real sun, reading almost an entire book and getting much writing done, wrapping it up with minor internet-use, some coding and watching National Geographic (the only channel I have that isn’t dubbed to German).
Today, I miss family. Christmas isn’t a big thing for me, that’s why I’m here instead of celebrating. But I’ve never had a Christmas I didn’t spend with family before. The Muslims here put up almost as much Christmas-crap as the Christians to please the tourists, so you can’t really escape the season. Not that I really came here to escape either, it was just a coincidence. All the Christmas stuff just kind of reminds me even more about some of the things I do like about Christmas at home.
The quality of today has also fallen somewhat drastically compared to yesterday because I’ve been studying for my PADI Open Water diving certificate. I have to read a 250 page book in Danish (the English book wasn’t in and there was no Swedish) and watch about 4 hours of instructional video. Today I’ve read 130 pages and watched all the video. Hopefully I can get a hold of the English book tomorrow so the reading will go a bit faster but this day has been a complete “waste”. Sure diving and taking the certificate is real fun, but I didn’t come here to study :S
Why can’t I go anywhere in the world without having to study? Why do I constantly put myself into situations where I have to work?
Anyway, tomorrow I will start diving, looking forward to that. But since all divers use the “buddy system” I will need a buddy, and I have no idea if that’s going to be an instructor, someone else taking the course or what. I guess we’ll see. I hope it isn’t someone weird and that he/she can speak English acceptably well.
I don’t think the entire day tomorrow will be filled with diving stuff or studying though so hopefully I can return to my relaxed state of reading fiction and thinking.
Merry Christmas everyone, especially my family, I do miss you.
-
René
