Spring break had officially begun after my day at the Barrett ranch on Friday and started off very pleasantly. The sun was finally shining and I took the time to wander around campus and into Aggieville. I made my way through the Aggieville shops and managed to steer myself away from the Varsity Donuts shop! On my walk back I explored some areas of campus I hadn't been into yet, as well as browsed through the library. The first few days of spring break were warm and relaxing, and I spent as much time in the sun as I could!
The week slowly picked up speed as the days passed, with Tuesday bringing lunch with a classmate at yet another Mexican restaurant. I would've thought after 1 or 2 Mexican restaurants I would've been to them all but I think my count is up to 5 different places! After lunch I headed back to my apartment to pack my bags for my next little trip the following day. Tuesday night my Greek roommate asked if I wanted to come for a drink and a catch up with some of her friends. We walked to a little cafe/bar nearby and met with a group of graduate students. After introducing ourselves and a little bit of chatting, I'd worked out that we had an Aussie, Greek, Lebanese, Indian, Khazackstanian and Venezuelan sitting around the table - what a diverse group! We discussed happenings in our different countries and compared the differences over a drink, before we called it a night and made our way home.
Wednesday morning started early when I was picked up by Payden Barrett on his way to work at KABSU (Kansas Artificial Breeding Service Unit). The unit is a custom AI and semen collection facility with semen storage and equipment also available. I had organised to spend the morning at the facility to see what it's all about. On arrival at KABSU, the crew got organised for the day while I chatted with the lab technicians about what they do. Each day at KABSU, depending on the day of the week, there are either bulls coming in for onsite collection or testing, or there is the twice weekly testing of the bulls temporarily housed at KABSU. Today we had bulls coming in for a couple of hours to get tested, and we had Angus, Red Angus and Longhorn bulls. Despite a very functional and modern facility, the Longhorn bulls proved a challenge to restrain, so some makeshift facilities were required. After testing the bulls, I also viewed a variation of fresh and frozen samples under the microscope and explored the semen tank storage area (the large tank in the photo can hold thousands of straws of semen). After a very interesting morning at the KABSU facility, it was time to go.
That afternoon I was hiring a car and heading into Nebraska to complete other external commitments on several ranches, which was a great experience.
Upon arrival back into Manhattan on Sunday afternoon, I began the process of getting organised for the huge week I had ahead of me. Soon after returning to my apartment, I made my way to another apartment in the Jardine complex to have dinner with a couple of classmates and their friends. A great way to end the week!
