I think everybody can agree that 2020 has been a very miserable year. It was supposed to be the main chunk of the first year of my PhD but like the rest of the UK, it was basically spent locked up. It's pointless really venting over how problematic multiple lockdowns have been so I am not planning on dwelling on COVID. The vaccine is here, let's hope it work and soon so we can all go back to normal.
Instead, what are the positives? I passed the first year review for my PhD. This is quite a big deal for me. I left school with massively sub-standard GCSEs and A Levels and ending up at University College London - a top 10 university in the world (only a slight brag - it's a big deal for me) still leaves me with massive imposter syndrome. Being in the Army definitely helped develop me but I am really taking to the academic life. So yeah, 1st year review done and pretty successful. The next step is called the Upgrade. This is the penultimate milestone before completing my PhD and is currently the reason I am in a constant state of stress. COVID (sorry!) means that I have not done any fieldwork, not had any conferences, not sat in any classes etc etc etc so yeah, writing 15,000 words and a 30 min presentation showing my progress is probably not as far ahead as I expected. Fingers crossed.
2020 is also the year of no international travel. On a plus side though, I reconnected with my love for hiking and being outdoors. A long weekend in the Lake District and another weekend in the Cotswolds might seem quite ordinary to most but it actually made me realise that I have probably visited more places abroad than in the UK. The last time I was in the Lake District was when I was 16 which really isn't acceptable. When COVID goes back into its hole, I think spending some weekends doing trails like the Pennine Way and the Carlisle Way. In terms of international travel, I told my supervisor that I am going to China in the summer to do some fieldwork regardless - he completely agreed.
New Year is also about resolutions and promises to oneself that really won't be kept. I definitely want to go to the gym more but I hate the gym so I have to find a way to congratulate myself every time I go. Instead I will be more realistic -
- go for a walk in Regents park more
- schedule my week better (already been doing this so can't fail)
- stick it out with my 中文 classes.
all realistic, all doable :)
For those that read my 'back to being an aquarist' post, the tank is now nicely cycled with a few more plants added. The shrimp are happy but the snails keep breeding. In the new year I will add some fish. Undecided yet but watch this space for another blog post on fish.
So for everyone that reads my highly summarised blog posts, thank you. I hope you all had as unstressful a 2020 as possible, had a very awesome xmas and is excited for a prosperous (COVID-free) new year.