Exactly 3 years ago, I was still sleeping trying to get the best mood for the PhD exam the next day. It was the achievement of around 6 full years of study, with many ups and downs, without ever considering giving up. I did start my doctoral studies as part-time, while working in a non-academic domain, but relatively connected - at least for a while - with what I was studying, while exploring my identity, taking care of a family and traveling intensively.
My PhD topic, the intellectual histories and minority relations in Central and Eastern Europe fascinated me for a long time and I felt that I should keep write about it, despite the scarcity of time, the lack of proper academic resources and the indifference of some academic representatives I went in touch with during my study. I am still fascinated by it and I am ready in one year time to produce an updated and even more interesting English version of my thesis.
Due to the permanently changing circumstances of my life, the last three years did not have too much academic focus, and with the exception of a couple of book reviews, I did not 'produced' anything new or interesting in my beloved domain of study. But, on the other hand, I think that this time was wisely used for improving the knowledge of some international languages that might help me to have access to various original publications, as well as to a different readership. I also had enough time to improve my style and get in touch with realities I was not too familiar with during my long years of study.
Time for a new academic life
On the other hand, I did not change my mind considering my limited interest for a classical academic career and I still think that bureaucracy kills the creativity and bothers the academic. I am not keen to apply for an academic position and not ready to practice intensively academic tourism. I rather prefer to use my time for reading more academic article or to get enough money for supporting my travel tips or the expensive studies that I prefer to read at home than at the library.
As usual, I keep the track of my book projects and I will not give up any of them - including the fiction books that require for a good time already to be given free ticket to the literary life. From now on, with my PhD published, I know I will enter a completely new stage in my intellectual and academic life. Despite my limited satisfaction with the final form and the results, the 400+ pages of the thesis are my work and deserve to be published. My hesitations from the last years about publishing it blocked at a great extent my further researches. I was always thinking that I cannot start writing to a new project as long as my biggest one is resting hidden in a folder on my computer.
After so many reading and self-editing, I knew that it was too late to change anything. Even if I would read the draft over 100 times, I am sure there will be always something to change. Once it is published, all I have to think about is how to improve my research skills and how to find out more interesting topics to cover.
That's all. After 3 years, I'm done.
Time for a new academic refresh. As for my new projects, at least for the next months, all of them will be in English and I will intensively cover on my blog and social media.
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