Posts by orangejumper

just be careful you eat everything or else leave it in the quarantine bins before you enter a country, or if you are going to a country that requires you to declare food, make sure you do so, cause otherwise you can get into alot of trouble.

If you are planning to eat it on the plane make sure it doesn't smell.

you can always just take a normal empty water bottle through security, i always just fill at the airport, or if they do an extra check before getting on the plane, once on the plane. Very few airports have no potable water available once you are through security to fill up.

only take small bottles of toiletries to get you by the first couple of days, and then  you can buy more. however if you have a favourite deodorant, i would check first to see if that brand is available in France first and if not bring it.

If you are going to be taking alot of electrical things then bringing a small power board can be a good idea, so that you only need to bring one adapter with you, and don't need one for each thing.

not sure of your size, but getting larger sized clothes in France can be an issue (although not so much in the Netherlands or Germany, when standard 44 is actually a France 46, a size in my experience was rarely seen in France)

layer, scarfs are great at keeping warm too. i really support the idea of taking a corkscrew, also basic knife, fork and spoon (in packed luggage) cause you never know when you might need it. a little torch is also great, in case you have to stay in unfamiliar places.

things like paracetamol (advil) and asprin etc generally require going to a pharmacist in continental europe, and are kind of expensive (at least comapred to to generics at supermarkets) so probably worth taking a good supply of them. Take birth control to last the whole time if you take it.

make sure you have travel insurance, have photos/scans of your passport, visas etc, in your email account and also with family, plus photocopies to carry with you. A passport photo or two is also useful in case you need to them to register for school, train passes etc.

Take everything out of packaging that you can. have a nice journal to record things in. don't forget your camera and charger (or rechargable batteries). do not forget you laptop power cord, or cords for camera to download photos. A usb stick with back up of everything on your computer in case you lose it or damage it during travel.

Take fresh clothes, socks etc in hand luggage so you can change as soon as you get there even if your luggage gets lost.

and most importantly have fun

I think you have already answered your question, if you think you would be finishing the sociology just for the "sake of finishing it without any reason..." then quit it now.

If however you are interested in the knowledge you will gain from doing the extra sociology subjects then I would continue with them, I would also not drop the thesis, that is about the only part of your undergrad education that will help if you want to go on to grad school, knowing how to write a thesis will help if you go on to write a dissertation.  I would take an extra semester.

Contrary to what you think right now, life isn't a race, some things will take some people longer. you say you have no shame in taking longer, but clearly that isn't the case, you seem to fear going from being advanced, to being average. Personally I'd get over that, and assuming you can afford it, take the extra semester and finish everything. If you have troubles trying to please everybody, well that is a separate issue.

Omega 3 capsules are fish oil. This link has some info on how they can help improve mood:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-2 0030103-000005.html

Like I said before, start a mood journal, a printable sheet can be found here:http://pmdd.factsforhealth.org/drsp/drsp_mont h.pdf

I don't know if your doctor can give free samples, but it couldn't hurt to ask. I know some prescriptions are expensive, but compared to the alternative of how I felt before I realised what was wrong, even $65 a month would be worth it.

In hindsight I suffered for alot of years before I realised what was wrong with me. Don't think it will go away by itself, it won't. You need to get the help you need now.

I would hope that your guidance counselor would understand that prescribing a pill for PMDD is not the same as prescribing it as a form of birth control.  I think that being able to go and see your counselor with a started journal would be helpful in stopping them from thinking you are trying to be on birth control for other reasons.

escm - I'm really sorry that your daughter stopped taking the pill even though it was helping, personally now that I am feeling better I am so scared to stop taking the pill I don't know what I will do when I decide I want to have children. I admit the first months I was taking it was hard for me too, I was better when I was better, but when I felt worse, I felt worse. I hope she is able to keep getting better

Not that I am aware of, especially since the sizes in germany are 2 smaller than in France and according to my Esprit pants, 4 smaller than Italy (if not most of Europe), ie a 42 in Germany is a 44 in most other countries. 

I would recommend checking with your doctor whether they think this is oaky for you to be doing.(can you call your usual doctor at home) I get pills that come in packets of 21, you are supposed to just not take it a week.

I have actually been taking the pill continuously most of the past couple of years on medical advice, and haven't noticed any problems with bloating.

My understanding is that there is no need to have the fake period that you get from withdrawal bleeding when you are on the sugar pills in the packet. Except perhaps for providing a way of knowing that you are pregnant despite being on the pill. Eg if you take it continuously but accidentally get pregnant it could be awhile before you realised.

Since I don't really take the pill for birthcontrol, this isn't so much of a worry for me anyway.

Where exactly are you staying in Oxford?

There are supermarkets in the center of the city, as well as supermarkets in Headington, Cowley Road, etc. There is also a covered market off the main street which has alot of food.

I would probably just buy yoghurt and fruit for breakfast. At the supermarket Mueller light yoghurt is in single cups. Bananas and apples are cheap, and the supermarket should be open at 7 or 8 (if you don't have a fridge and have to buy stuff on the way to your course). THere are definately cereal bars etc available at the supermarket, just go and have a look. 

All the supermarkets plus Boots have salads and specifically marked lower calorie options, for sandwiches etc.

There are loads of options at resturants for dinner, not sure what your budget is or where you will be living, so a bit difficult to make recommendations.

But basically have fun, make sure you walk around all the canals in Oxford, visit a load of colleges and enjoy the experience.

Original Post by pgeorgian:

Original Post by orangejumper:

It depends, if you are like me and suck at reading a text properly if you can't interact with it, and you need to read more than 1 chapter or 5% (these numbers may vary from country to country) of the book you are faced with a choice of committing either a crime - copyright infringement, or a breaking a norm - of marking the book. Relax the copyright laws or give me a photocopy room without huge signs threatening fines and the end of the world and I'll never mark a book again, until then, it might happen occasionally.

This idea of books as scared cows that must never be desecrated seems a little outdated these days. And I firmly believe this idea you couldn't write in things severely hampered my university studies until I got over it. Books (especailly your own) deserve to be interacted with, and that includes by marking if that helps you interact with the ideas more effectively.

nomo: cover your eyes

first, i've actually purchased books, photocopied them in their entirety, and returned them to the bookstore.  this, when some over-zealous prof puts $500 in books on the required reading list for a one-semester course.

somebody poke nomo.

second, in this day and age, books are more sacred (although the idea of a book as a scared cow is more fun) than ever.  we can't afford to keep replacing them, so we NEED to take care of them.

Actually I've done that too, but only in countries where I wasn't been screamed at about copyright laws at the photocopy machine (and wasn't being told that I was being filmed making my photocopies)

Sorry about the typo, although perhaps scared isn't so far from the way we are made to feel about books. I don't think we should waste books, but I sure know I have wasted a hell of a lot of photocopies during my phd.

exactly!!!! not something you would want to say to an ugly frenchman, although with a cute one... maybe...

May I ask why you want to go to Barcelona specifically? I've been living in Europe most of the past 6 years, I am currently in a country I never thought I would end up it, and have really enjoyed it, so don't prematurely limit your options to a certain area, unless there is a boy/girl or family history involved.

My understanding is that to really integrate in that region of Spain you need not just Spanish but also Catalan. I wouldn't underestimate the value that teaching English might present in giving you the experience what living in the area is like, while you learn the language (most language schools give classes free or discounted to employees). You can use the time to make contacts etc to try and look for other options. Teaching English to kids is kind of fun, and adults is also okay.

Another option which would allow you to learn the language quickly and get local insight is to work as an au pair.

Also realise that the economy in Europe is also depressed at the moment. It isn't easy to find jobs here at all, unless you have an EU passport, or fulfill some sort of "working holiday" criteria, or have a spouse who is from the EU or with a residence permit (in which case you still have to apply for visas etc). As a non-EU without Spanish, You are highly unlikely to find a legitimate offer for sponsership of a visa in the areas you are interested, unless they want you to engage in a whole different type of public relations....;-). This is because, in the EU, employers are only supposed to hire non-EU if they can't find somebody from the WHOLE EU who can do the job.

Also Europe is really trying to improve its attractiveness as a place for post grad studies, and now quite alot of programs are starting to be offered in English. So you could look into that.

If you do chose to teach English be careful about the programs etc. My gut feeling is that the programs that ask for money etc may not be worthwhile. Do your research, and also look into government highschool programs, not sure if there is one for Spain, but they exist in both France and Germany.

I have a wheat intolerance. I know it is only an intolerance, but I find it is easier to say I am alergic, rather than have to go into the very indelicate details about how my intolerance effects me. I think describing it as a little "bloating and discomfort" is not really fair, in my case it can actually be rather painful, not to mention incredibly embarrassing unless I am alone. 

It is also easier for me to say no, if I think of it as an allergy, tell others I have it and therefore in cases where I would otherwise be tempted to have some I have effectively made it impossible to tempted (even though it hurts sometimes pasta, pizza, cake, bread etc are tempting).

I doubt you would talk about a vegetarians voluntary choice not to eat meat in such terms. Real dietary intolerances should not be given less respect than the decision to be vegetarian or vegan.

Just ask somebody once you get there.

I was in Israel a couple of years ago, but I can't remember if you could drink the tap water or not. If Israelis drink it, it is probably fine for you to drink it. If they don't then you shouldn't either.

As a general rule, in my experience, if people can't drink the tap water, then bottled water is really cheap. If you want to save money buy 1.5 or 2 L bottles and use them to fill the smaller ones to take with you during the day.  The generalisation of "any foreign country" does seem a little extreme, in several countries in Europe the tap water is not just safe, but better tasting and SAFER than bottled water.

Have a good trip.