The beginning of my year has been dominated by academic activities. My schedule has included a lot of teaching, data analyzing, scientific writing and managing research program related issues such as subjecting new projects for evaluation by ethics committee and negotiating funding. The first article of one of my PhD students has just been published, and we have received promising feedback for a manuscript of another. What is most pleasing, two of my PhD students are busy arranging the public defenses of their theses, these will take place in April and May.

It is really pleasing to participate in the learning process of smart students. In January, I acted as a tutor for undergraduate medical students in their learning module “Metabolism”. I have acted as a tutor in this same module many times, but still I don’t seem to learn… But the students are amazing. The module is a part of the Problem Based Learning curriculum that was established in School of Medicine our university in the 1990’s. Each time I act as a tutor I admire the working of the medical students. I think they are much more active and think more comprehensively than for example I did in that phase of my career. The Problem Based Learning really seems a better way to learn. I have tried to adopt some of the principles in my specialist training program in adolescent psychiatry. What does a specialist do when s/he faces a clinical dilemma? S/he consults the Medline! I spend a lot of time in the Medline myself. When I advise an undergraduate or a postgraduate student to consult Medline for this or that problem I often get curious myself and decide to have a quick look. But there are so many fascinating lines of information to follow. Suddenly half day or half evening is gone…

Information proved out to be a key to success in my hobby as well. A class-mate of mine in the ballet school tipped about a website explaining how to choose your pointe shoes. Honestly, I am of course not particularly talented in ballet, but I had also been practicing with most unsuitable pair of pointe shoes. Now I have a much better pair, and I am making great success. I should say I have progressed many degrees, but as my starting level was below zero, I am now perhaps on level one – of at least five – or ten – or… But never mind the pleasure of learning is great even if the results were modest.