Back again

Christmas is coming...

... and I still do not know what to buy for some members of my family.

At least I've already found presents for my parents. I went to one of the bigger towns this morning. It is always easy to find something for my mother as she is interested in a lot of things. With my father, it is more difficult. He is always so busy and doesn't have much time for anything else than his work. Nevertheless, I did find a book he'll like.

Because of all the hecticness and chaos on the streets and because of being tired of standing in line in every single shop I didn't stay in the town very long. Which means I still need some presents for my aunt, uncle and cousins. Which means I'll have to go shopping in this pre-Christmas chaos again.

Delicious!

Last Sunday, my family invited some friends and family. It was kind of a late birthday party for my Dad. As always on such occasions, we (my Mom and I) cooked the dinner. As always, it was much work. But the result can only be described as delicious!

We had bread


and cheese and jam as a starter,


followed by Quiche Lorraine


and, finally, lamb from the oven.


The lamb was wonderful! And very easy and fast to prepare, actually. We just added some garlic, salt, pepper, wine and olive oil, and put it in the oven.

Our guests liked it very very much. Especially my Dad's tennis friends.

Memories

Three years ago around this time of the year I visited one of my Dad's cousins for a weekend. She lives in the North of Germany, very close to the coast. It's such a lovely landscape there, especially in fall. Most of the tourists are gone (except for one or two weeks in October, during the fall vacation in Germany). It can be very rainy and windy and cold but on some days it is wonderful! Just look at the photo above.

Becoming a doctor?

This question haunted me during my last high school years. And the answer was really difficult though I have always had a keen interest in medicine and science in general.

My father is a doctor. For as long as I can remember medicine was (and still is) a central part of my family’s life. I liked to listen to my dad’s stories about his studies, his work, his experiences with patients. I liked to visit him in his office.

Therefore it might seem natural that I went into medicine as well. But in contrast to many of my friends who knew not much more about medicine and doctors than the image that was/is created in the newspapers and TV, I knew from firsthand experience that being a doctor has not much to do with this image. Weekends were often spent only with my mother because my dad was on call, at conferences or finishing things he didn’t manage to get done during the week.

It took quite a long time for me to figure out whether I should go into medicine as well. My dad was not of much help. He probably didn’t want to influence me – in one way or the other. The decision was made only days before the end of the application period. Until then I was thinking more about other opportunities - like biology or law or maths – than about going to med school.

Well, now I am glad I decided to become a doctor. Even though it takes away a lot of my free time, it feels like the right thing.

Sweet kitten

The young couple who lives near my family's appartment in Italy found a kitten in June. I have seen the kitten the for the first time during my recent stay in Italy. It is such a sweet kitten!

When I was younger, I wanted to have a cat. But we already had a dog, so my parents did not allow it. Actually, my parents don't like cats that much, so even without a dog in our household there probably wouldn't have been a chance for me to get a cat!

I have never owned a cat in my life and my love for cats has diminished during the years but I still like them. It's just that I like dogs much better.

But let's get back to the Italian kitten. It loves to be pet and it loves to play hide-and-seek. I really had to fight the urge to take it home with me!