Well well… It’s been ages since I actually posted something about my life here. So I think it’s about time that I update all of you guys that are actually interested in me, and not just getting linked here through Google Images :).

So… as the post title says, I’d like to update you on my academic career. Some of you will probably know that in March I finally was given my Bachelor’s Degree in Astronomy at Leiden University. It took me almost two years longer than it was supposed to be, but still I was very happy to finally have a piece of paper that says “I’m smart! Hire me!” :D. Anyway… before I got my degree, something else exciting happened. In early February I got an e-mail from the Vatican Observatory, saying that I was selected to join them in their 11th Vatican Observatory Summer School held last June. In this Summer School 27 students from 22 different countries all around the world would be coming to Rome in Italy to study extrasolar planets and brown dwarfs. It was a great adventure and a great learning school. Not just academically, but also socially and culturally.

Unfortunately I haven’t managed to do a great deal for my Master’s Degree yet after I got my Bachelor’s Degree. I think I got my degree too soon in a sense. It was too close to June to succesfully finish many classes and it was too far from June not to do anything. So, I did get 6 ECTS points from a class on Extrasolar Planets and Astrobiology. The remaining 114 points that I need to get for my Master’s Degree are for the next two years. In September I’ll start my search for a suitable research project for my Minor Research Project. I’ve felt that I’m more productive in those years that I’m doing research, so I’m glad that unlike last year I’ll be doing some real research again, something that will keep my mind pleasantly busy.

The academic year starts September 3, so from then on, I’ll be officially a Master student at Leiden University. And hopefully by August 31st 2009 I’ll have my Masters Degree ;).

Soon I’ll post another update in another category: “Artistic”.