Autumn and Winter in KSA

I just realized that I haven't written a blog post since August. I definitely need to catch up.
Not much has happened (I've been busy with work and since Felix is no longer here in Saudi, we haven't been going on as many trips), but I still want to share the highlights of the past few months with you.

Here at KAUST, I'm trying my best to distract myself from the fact that it's pretty tough being alone again. Felix and I had tried to make this place our 'home', but being alone doesn't feel quite real.
Luckily, I have my bird by my side! He's doing really well - he can fly normally again, he's fit and lively just like before.

The distraction, as mentioned before, is a lot of work. But by Christmas, I will have already submitted two publications and a third one, whose manuscript is not completely finished yet but is taking shape nicely. Work-wise, things are going well. Next year in June, I will also be attending a conference in the USA, so I'm really looking forward to that.
But besides work, I also try to have enough balance in my free time.
So, this semester, for example, I started pottery.

I still find working on the wheel quite difficult and I am only successful occasionally. But I recently heard that potter masters often need 10-15 years of training to become really good. So, there is still hope for the future.

Also, but this is still in progress, for the past 2 months, I have been singing in a newly formed band. Currently, we are doing covers, but the plan for next year includes finally writing our own songs.
So far, it's not ready for performances, but let's see what 2019 brings.
In early November, I also visited Felix in Gran Canaria. It was unfortunately a very short but also very nice weekend. We enjoyed the wonderful autumn weather, did some hiking, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.
Maybe I can convince him to write a small blog post about his time there. It may not be an 'Oriental adventure,' but I think it's just as interesting.

Felix and I at Roque Nublo

Last week, we had our internal 'Open Science' conference here at the Red Sea Research Center. It was exciting because I was not only part of the organizing committee but also had the opportunity to present a small part of my work on the murder clams.

Since the conference took place in the auditorium, we had the daunting task of presenting our results on a huge stage.

Fortunately, this is the most important thing for this year and I can take it a bit easier during the next 1 ½ weeks that I'm still here in Saudi before going on winter holiday and returning home.
I often do things with my friends, Celina and Dominik.

Celina, Dominik, and I - at the Beacon, the landmark of the university

Whether it's the lovely little Christmas party that Dominik organized last weekend:

A little pre-Christmas atmosphere in Saudi - with lots of goodies

Or yesterday, when Celina and her boyfriend Jose took me on their trip to the Al Wahbah Crater. It's a pretty big (2km diameter) volcanic crater, about 360km from KAUST. The bottom of the crater is covered in sodium phosphate salt (and, at this time of year, because it occasionally rains, with a small lake).

View of the Al Wahbah Crater

The bottom of the crater is covered in salt. It not only looks a bit like snow, but also makes a similar sound when you walk on it.

This week at the university is already focused on the end of the semester. There are a few different dinner events, especially for the Class of 2018, who will receive their certificates on Friday evening.
So, I will try to check off the last few things on my to-do list, slowly start packing for my holiday at home, and get into the Christmas spirit.

Many greetings to all of you!