Getting into routine

Hi there! I am officially THREE weeks into work so I'm basically a pro and almost the most senior person there (that's a joke... mostly).

In the past two weeks at work, I started with my team, moved into my office and now look after the fish that are or will be part of our trial! I work with two people basically all day every day, Alessia, another master's student and then our supervisor, Gianmarco. They're both Italian so I'm slowly becoming fluent, I'm learning a new word every day, so far I've got gru (crane) and orencchino (earring).

Aside from feeding fish for 4 hours/day, we've also gotten to do some practical training in blood sampling and vaccination!

Outside of work, I've started expanding my evening routine! One night, I walked the 4.5km home while the sun was setting and only got disoriented once! I've also joined a really fun gym in my neighbourhood so I'm there 3/4 times a week and I've started a very large, very blue puzzle.

I went to the gym on Saturday when they were having a special class for International Women's Day. They gave us all flowers, a personalized note and lots of yummy snacks! It was so sweet!

On the weekends I live a triple life. In the morning and early afternoon, I am very productive, working out, running errands, prepping for the next week and working on my thesis. By the afternoon I'm on life #2 and I go to the beach, lay on the beach and read. And by the evening I go hang out with friends from work!

Two weeks ago was Carnival in the capital city so I checked out the psychedelic (only slightly terrifying) parade floats. The juxtaposition was something I can't even describe. There were drunk & hungover tourists eating Big Macs in gardens built for medieval knights, kids in Paw Patrol costumes throwing tantrums on the steps of a massive church and speakers blasting club music that shook the cobblestone roads.

This past weekend I went out for dinner and drinks with some coworkers for 2 birthdays then the next day we checked out a vintage market/craft beer/local food fest(?)!

In other news, thesis writing is slowly coming along... My trial should start in mid-April so my goal is to have my 20-page literature review written & done by then!