Welcome!

Welcome new graduate students and welcome back to our returning graduate students for the Fall 2022 semester! We are very excited to be resuming the graduate student blog for the 2022-2023 academic year. This year we have 5 graduate students who will be blogging about their first-hand experiences in graduate studies. Follow their journey throughout … [Read more…]

Go See Newfoundland!

My dissertation AMBIVALAND: Tracing a Web of Cultural Ambivalence in Newfoundland is naturally related to the island of Newfoundland. Exploring the place has been at the roots of my project and is still part of my research. A couple of years ago, I moreover made Newfoundland my second home. For students ‘from away’ whose studies are … [Read more…]

Journey to the Arctic

Day one. We loaded the boat and filled all available cabinets, cubbies, and engine rooms with enough research material to last for 5 months. The boat seems unbelievably huge right now, but I know that after a month at sea it will feel like a small home. I have the same thoughts about the crew … [Read more…]

A Cheer for Active Idleness

Being an artist, I know that creativity can’t be forced or called at the flick of a switch. Indeed, most people would likely agree that creative inspiration and production in the arts need space and time to materialize. An artist daydreaming, contemplating, apparently doing nothing appears to be quite an accepted picture. But then, artists … [Read more…]

Making Plans for 2022

Hey graduate students! How are you doing? I hope you are doing well, and Happy New Year to you and your family! I wish you all the best of luck along with peace, health and happiness. You did an excellent job last year, and I hope you are excited about this year, and rest of … [Read more…]

Reflections During the Winter Solstice

  Time can be understood through natural and celestial phenomena. It is marked by changes in precipitation, lifecycles and animal movements. You can sense time’s cycle on a routine traverse through the woods. Breathe in deeply; the scent of decaying berries and leaves unmistakably mark time’s shift in the breeze. Tune your ears to the … [Read more…]

You Are Unique!

Hey graduate students! I hope you are doing well with the last days of the semester and the year. I would like to ask you a question: have you ever asked yourself what makes you different from others? I guess most of you will say “No”. Yup, no problems, but you should be yourself because … [Read more…]

Transatlantic Travel and Other Happy Efforts

I’m writing these lines sitting at St. John’s airport. I’m headed for Frankfurt, Germany again, after the first leg of the trip was cancelled due to fog and high winds yesterday. Luckily, I didn’t have any pressing appointments and could simply defer the voyage for one day. While I was never affected by a flight … [Read more…]

The Thesis Submission Process: Advice From a Last-Minute Graduate

I recently finished my thesis and graduated with my Master’s degree. When I say recently, I submitted my thesis at the absolute last possible minute (literally 11:58 p.m.) to make the deadline to attend October 2021 convocation. I am usually very organized, I rarely procrastinate, I work normal to slightly over a full work week … [Read more…]