Thursday, May 9, 2013

Rite de Passage: One PhD later…



When I started feeding this blog, in 2009, I was spending 4 weeks in a Victorian house in San Francisco writing on my dissertation. I actually did this for the proud usage of the exact line: "I spent a month of academic writing in a Victorian house". It sounded so good. The whole thing was crazy expensive (flight, unpaid job leave, housing!) but gave me the satisfaction to have fulfilled my fantasy which had entered my mind many years back when I was sitting at my desktop in Münster, rain outside: "How good that would be now! Sitting in sunny California, in a Victorian house…". Such adventures are much better for the soul than checking off these imperative "1.000 places to see before you die". Make your own list! Don't even customize, create!

4 years later, the writing is done, the title is earned, the book is published and will be presented next week. So, that life chapter is closed. And now?

This is what, towards the end of my thesis writing, friends would ask me: And what will you do after? It was hard for me to picture. I would slowly shake my head and say: "I don't know!" I have  a rather secure research job in academia, which I love. Would I thrive for more? Maybe become a professor? Spend some post-doc time in the U.S. or Australia? Or would I just stay? As of now, gaining this new title is simply that: a new title. A "Dr. phil." that now accessorizes my name, and flatters my ears as the Austrians just *love* to use it. Especially at doctor's(!) appointments when they address me(!) with: "Frau Doktor", would you please proceed to room 2. All for that moment.

But what I do notice though: I enjoy "neutralizing" my heavily academic past by plunging into non-academic hobbies. Like reading fiction or playing the piano. And: I spend a lot of time with my camera. "The Nikon" has entered my life in 2009. Together, we have travelled quite a bit, and I have learned a lot during some great photo workshop trips with Rainer Martini.

I believe that the revival of this blog is happening because I anticipate to share some of my future trips and travels, photo projects, or simply some Vienna daily life trivia. So, here we go: No (Inner) Sunset, but Dawn – in full color!