Liudvika Leisyte (Lithuania), first-year PhD, CHEPS
I went home to Vilnius, Lithuania. I was indoors most days while nights were spent meeting friends. I attended a few classical music concerts thanks to a summer festival. I relished the food - meat and potatoes with vegetables (spiced up, unlike the Dutch). It is wonderful to be back, especially focusing on the theoretical part of my project.
Nyugen Giang (Vietnam), second-year PhD, CTW
An anecdote from Queensland, Australia. A friend bragged about his fishing skills, so we planned to save money on dinner by having the fish barbecued. Between the three of us we managed to catch only three tiny fish! Needless to say, my friend became the butt of jokes. Now, I am eager to meet my girlfriend and go on a field trip to Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Goran Golo (Serbia-Montenegro), Post-Doc, EEMCS
I clubbed business with pleasure in Italy! After giving a lecture in a summer school in Bertinoro, I joined my family at Viserbella, at the Adriatic Sea. The beautiful sandy beaches are safe for children. The water is crystal clear - blue, warm and shallow. The people were hospitable and the food, the best! Isn't this the recipe of a perfect holiday?
Vasughi Sundramoorthy (Malaysia), second-year PhD, EEMCS
Long distance couple, Vasughi and her husband went to Basel, Switzerland. 'We saw Rhinefalls, the biggest waterfall in Europe. We ran into Vijay, a UT-Nieuws ex-writer! The snow-capped mountains in their towering beauty are awesome. With my husband gone, I will wear a long face at work. Anyway soon, there is a summer school in Sweden.
Jacqueline B. Nicolau (Brazil), second-year PhD, EEMCS
I went home to Curitiba, Brazil. A relative there was sick; apart from that, I enjoyed being with my family. Brazilian food - rice, brown beans, salad and meat was wonderful. I travelled to Parana in the North where I have more family. Getting back to work is difficult since I miss my family and the food!
Yan Huang (China), second-year PhD, CTW
I love New York! And BA? Certainly not! Anyway, due to time constraints, I decided to pay NY a flying visit - took a helicopter ride. The view was magnificent. In the evening, I walked along Broadway, and the empty space that was once the WTC. Coming back to work, there is a journal paper to be written; I also intend to take a writing course.
Mila Boldareva (Russia), third-year PhD, EEMCS
I biked from Rotterdam to Hoek van Holland. The route along the river Maas is lovely with the smell of river and the cormorants drying their wings. Another route is through Vlaardingen and Maassluis, former fishing villages, I guess. I am back to shaping my thesis. Being on Arriba, the university basketball team, I have started jogging as training commences inSeptember.
Arthas Ananda (Indonesia), second-year Master's, EEMCS
I visited Gothenburg, the second largest city in Sweden. It is a beautiful hilly city. The weather was great - cooler than the Netherlands! The people are quite relaxed, paying not much attention to traffic rules. I visited the centre, the river, ports and played badminton. I feel very refreshed now and am studying to finish my Master's next year.
At the end of a gruelling academic year, the summer holiday is a much needed break for many. The vacation seems to have had a rejuvenating, revitalizing effect on people, gearing them up to take on the challenges of the coming year with full gusto.
Deepa Talasila
Ramya Srinivasan
Vasughi Sundramoorthy visited Switzerland
