The Weekday-Weekend Divide

When I was in graduate school, I used to work pretty much 7 days a week. During the weekends, I would still go to campus and into my office and work, either doing homework, reading articles, writing papers, and so forth. The thing is, with the stuff that was expected of me, the time I had during the week simply was not enough. I was taking classes, teaching classes, attending labs and colloquia, and I still was expected to do good on my coursework, as well as conduct research (my qualifying paper and dissertation).

Now, however, my job duties only involve research. No more classes to take. Sure, there are colloquia here every now and then, but since I do not teach a class, nor am I taking a class, then I have more time in my hands. Hence, I am implementing a divide between my weekdays and my weekends. My weekdays are for work. But my weekends are mine. Unless there is a looming deadine, for example an abstract submission deadline, then I won’t work during the weekends. I think that’s a sane thing to do.

So what have I been doing during the weekends? Well, I am slowly discovering this new city of mine. And fortunately, I have a few partners-in-crime. Quite a few people from the past have been showing up in Berlin, so I have experienced quite a few blasts from the past lately. Funny, but I’ve only been here for two weeks but I already played tour guide to a few people. I am also slowly discovering the reality that Mitte doesn’t have any good restaurants, and if one wants a good place to eat, then one has to venture out into Kreuzberg or Prenzlauer Berg.

I’ve also gotten a few invitations to some people’s homes. I decided to contact the Alumni Association of my undergraduate university here in Germany, and somehow, apparently, there are quite a few people who are here in the city. I suppose that’s one thing one can do when one arrives at a city knowing nobody.

Oh, of course I bring my camera. So the other day, I decided to visit the palace that is right in my neighborhood. It was only a couple of metro stops away, so when I got hungry during lunchtime, I just went back home and ate, and then went back to the palace to continue the tour! Pictures will definitely follow, don’t worry.

So yes, I think I am liking this weekday-weekend divide. Hopefully I won’t have reason to regress to my graduate school habits. But we’ll see about that.

(Abstract Art III, from my Museum of Modern Art Series)