After a long silence….

I am really sorry that I have been silent for so long. But nothing much has happened or changed in my life. Except that my frustration is growing. I applied for several jobs in and around the university just so that I could be closer to the library and wouldn’t have to travel around the world anymore to get from my job to my studying. But obviously there is no such luck. I expected to be declined for the teaching job I have mentioned in my last blog and so I did. As I expected it, I wasn’t too disappointed. But I applied for several other jobs and was not even invited for an interview. Most of them did not require specific experience or only experience I had acquired, so I did not really understand the ’sorry there were several other applicants who matched our criteria better’ bit of the letters I got in return. I start to feel that it is my being a non-native speaking foreigner that influences my employability and if this should really be the case I’d find it incredibly sad.

On the other hand, my social life is not improving either. This is mostly due to my lack of time, the distance I live from Glasgow and studying part-time. I would love to get involved in esharp, but as I could work up to 5.30 each day of the week (and the rotas change every week) I would be likely to miss most of the meetings. I thought of getting involved in the SRC but then again the same problem would arise, I would most likely not make it to the meetings, which would be rather pointless as attendance is a requirement. But for me undfortunately work has to come first (well really studying has) as I am still self-funded, so I do not ask for a day off unless it is for a conference or something of equal importance. Then I had the chance to finally meet people at the postgraduate reception of the English Literature department, but a migraine confined me to my bed instead of the research club. The next day the e-mentors had a get together at the same venue but I had to work. This all adds up to growing frustrations. Especially as I start to suspect that I might not finish my PhD project in the time frame I have set for it. Achieving this aim would probably have made it worthwhile cutting out all other aspects of my life. But as it is frustrations are growing.

The only good thing that happened during the last couple of weeks is a Personal Development Planning workshop I attended, during which I realized that I have a fairly good idea of where I am and where I want to be in two years time and thereafter. This cheered me up a little, as well as the fact that due to paying for my studies myself, I seem a lot more motivated than most of my fellow students.

So it is not all bad. And I am looking very much forward to Christmas, and pre-Christmas baking. This will cheer me up some more, and as I don’t intend to give up that easily, you will have to bear with me for quite another while!

I hope everybody else is enjoying the new term and the beautifully remodelled Hetherington Research Club. I think they’ve done a really great job and I hope that I will spend more time there than I did last year.