My first day as an international delegate :-)

I've never had a more uncomfortable sleep. It must have been 32 or 34 degrees in the bunk room. At least my room mates seem quiet, though there is one girl who snores a bit. In the night I have to get up and have a cold shower in my underwear and go back to bed with wet hair. It's the only way I can get back to sleep. I seem to have a very awake time between 2 and 4 am and this morning is no different. On the other hand I am very sleepy around 4 pm. Morning seems to take forever to come but finally it's 6am and I feel justified in getting up and not worrying too much about disturbing others.

The shower feels great and I decide to let my hair dry by itself so as not to disturb my room mates. I get my bike out from the basement and start riding over to the conference centre. It's not quite 7 am yet and the air is cool but summery. There is something to be said for not wearing a helmet. Here it's very safe because you are not riding on the road. Bikes have the right of way where cars are turning and there are separate traffic signals for cars,walkers and cyclists. I just have to keep reminding myself to keep right, as it still feels more natural to ride on the left.

The bridge over the river is amazing. At each end there is a ramp with low steps and a channel for bike wheels. However if you choose you can also take the lift up or down! There's a great view over the river and this is just how I pictured Maastricht, with beautiful old buildings close together lining both sides of the river. Jet streams are starting to appear high in the morning sky and they look like they are converging on one spot to the northwest. I bet they are going to Heathrow. We must be right under the flight path.

I arrive at the conference centre and it's pretty amazing. I get my conference pack and pay for my poster and then find out where to put up my poster. It looks great, though there are a couple of things I'd change for next time. I notice another poster, two away from mine, done by my supervisor Mark, and it also has my name on it as a co-author. I'm pretty chuffed as I didn't know about it until now. It's the paper on network analysis of dairy cattle movements in New Zealand, a project I haven't had much to do with, so it's kind of Mark to include me.

I ride back to where I'm staying for breakfast. I'm interested to see what's on offer. There are three kinds of rolls with jam, chocolate spread and chocolate hail and colored sugary things to sprinkle on your bread (Matthew would be impressed!) then there is a big plate of salami and thinly sliced big slabs of Swiss cheese. Hard boiled eggs, pears and mandarins, and thick unsweetened yoghurt in little glass containers with a crunchy but not very sweet kind of muesli to sprinkle on the top. There is no other cereal or milk. I only have about five minutes to eat before I have to get back on my bike to go to the conference centre. it's not bad; I like the Swiss cheese.

Back at the conference centre there are lots of people milling around but I don't see anyone I know. I feel a bit nervous; most of the world leaders in veterinary epidemiology are here, so i have to remind myself that I have as much right to be here as anyone. Inside the auditorium I find Mark Bosson and it's so good to see a familiar face. The auditorium is huge; there must be 1200 seats.

Some drumming starts up in the foyer and a big percussion band works their way up to the stage. The rhythm is very complex and they are so energetic. It certainly makes an impression to start the conference. The opening speakers talk about the theme, "Building bridges, crossing borders" and how in veterinary epidemiology that is what we do- bridges with the medical profession, public health, immunology, microbiology, and lots of other fields, and in that way we can work to solve the world's emerging disease risks. One of them is H5N1, the bird flu virus, and the next speaker gives an interesting talk on some research to define how possible it would be that the virus will mutate enough to transmit from human to human.

I move around various talks and they are mostly very interesting. But jet lag has set in and my brain is so foggy. I'm desperate to lie down so when no-one is looking I go near the back of the auditorium and lie down on the floor for 20 minutes during a lecture. It helps; I'm able to carry on for a while. But I have to leave at 5.30 instead of staying for the networking event. I'm so desperate for a sleep.

Back at Stayokay I meet two of my room mates. They are from Sri Lanka and Thailand. They are also at the conference. Nice ladies, but all I can think about is putting on my eye shades and ear plugs and getting off to sleep. It's still so hot but not as bad as yesterday. I've started to miss home a lot. Sounds like everyone is fine so that's good. Ahhh sleep.