======= Date Modified 18 Jun 2010 23:27:30 =======
Thanks people. Yes, tea, and lots of it. After I hand the thesis in I will transfer to gin. I am marking GCSE papers later this month too - I can't imagine I will be a patient examiner! ;)

The thesis and academia are now sadly my life. I keepm wishing I had finished sooner or not gone abroad for a fellowship - anything to take the pressure off. But there you go, it has happened. I hate the horrible stingy salty tears that always happen when bad things happen. I'll wake up tmrw and button-down to the thesis!

Well I am very sad to say that tonight the now ex-boyfriend broke up with me. So I am now having to complete the thesis in ten days and try and completely avoid an absolute emotional breakdown until it is handed in. It's just me and the thesis now.

======= Date Modified 18 Jun 2010 16:12:45 =======
======= Date Modified 18 Jun 2010 16:11:53 =======
Just a brief post. I moved to Germany for part of my PhD and was able to become reasonably competent in German in a short space of time. I had some English friends out (a couple) there who had moved for a PhD, he and his girlfriend had learnt German fluently in 2 years through immersion. If you can learn some before you go it will make it easier.

The couple above, the guy was doing the PhD and supported his girlfriend for one year on his PhD stipend, she spent that time learning German by going to classes and self study. She now has a full-time job and uses German at work. So it is possible. At first she felt very lonely but being able to work made a big difference. Could you maybe talk to your boyfriend about making that kind of arrangement?

You wouldn't neccesarily be on your lonesome, though expat life when you don't speak the language well or understand the cultural norms can be isolating. Assuming your boyfriend is half-German and a native speaker, he could help ease you in - and I would assume that many of the people he works with at PhD level and meets socialy through work will know English.

Pretty soon you would be able to build your new life there - of course, this rests on whether you think the relationship is worth it. Best of luck. :)

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Personal edit: Reading your post again, I have to say that when I got the fellowship to go to Germany I wanted my boyfriend to come to live with me very much. But he had PhD/teaching and was unable (unwilling) to. We saw each other every few weeks and it was I have to say rather difficult. Now reunited the time has changed the relationship and brought it close to the edge. I sense that a lot of your thoughts must be occupied on whether moving to Germany is what you want in terms of your relationship. I would say, if you do love him and see a future - give it a shot. I loved living in Germany, sure it was lonely and the grammar a bloody nightmare, but after a time I found myself feeling more at home and now back in the UK I still find myself thinking in German phrases sometimes :) I have a friend who did her PhD at the same institution as me in the UK, she now lives with her German boyfriend in Berlin /Munich (they are an academic couple) - she loves it. best of luck.

Approaching complete collapse. There has been tears. Need to get this done. So much to do. It feels a crap mess.

I'm just tired from re-drafting so many times . I wish I had been good enough not to have to do that, or hadn't been made to.

Thanks . Trying to have a productive day today. Want to squeeze a good 1,000 words out by early evening. :-)

11 days left - argh! So much to do, I think the final thesis is going to be very lacklustre, kind of major corrections /re-submit boundary. argh! (cry)

Ah, that makes sense now. Thank you. I have had to read some German sec lit on exotic animal collections - and I found that most of it was published after a research project called "Die Haltung exotischer Wildtiere im 18. und 19. Jahrhundert" - I see I was being quite literal in my translation (my German is not that good) but "haltung" as "keeping" makes a lot more sense!

:)

Danke! ;)

I am currently adding the non-English lit to my introduction and I am unsure about one word for the German literature. Am I using "haltung" correctly?

"Die Haltung exotischer Wildtiere im 18. und 19. Jahrhundert"

Is "Haltung" better here as the English "presence" or "place" - the distinction between the two is small but subtle...any help...

"The place of exotic wild-animals in the eighteenth and nineteenth century"

Goodboy - I think telling somebody to go into another room for the specific purposes of French conversation because it is sort of disturbing you would be a bad idea. It would be understood as discrimination and fan the flames - unless all conversation around you is raised as problem because it is disturbing your work.

======= Date Modified 16 Jun 2010 15:08:30 =======
I handed in a very inadequate first-year 10,000 word document for the panel three-years ago. My supervisor was rather angry (quite voice, blanched face) and made it clear that I had *just* passed by the grace of God and the skin of my teeth. I spent months making up for that.

As a whole, my supervisor is pleasant, helpful, and unfailingly polite. (up) Sorry to hear your sup is volatile! :(

Good luck. I think your best bet would be to approach your fomer supervisor(s) and ask if they could help you with access to journal articles until you start the OU. Your publishing success is their own reflected glory, they know you, and they will be happy to help. That or get your husband to sort you out with access. Not above board, but I think that in a world of privatised knowledge - this is neccesary. :)

Bilbo - does your library have terminals with access to journals on them? My uiniversity has computers terminals that always remain logged in for "external users" (former students, public etc) and you sign up for a session of 30 minutes or so on them at reception. You can print out copies of journals etc there....

You could aslo be a bit naughty and borrow the athens password etc of your supervisor/ other students. Your sup esp. may be pleased to help you get access to journals.

On that note, I will retain my access to my institutions journals until May 2011 - so give me a PM if you need anything.

Nice to hear that you have been getting out and not waiting around. I am sure you are a catch and for him to keep saying "I'm busy" might be too little, too late.

I don't think this is unreasonable. Nobody expects golden silence with a toddle upstairs but the mother does have a responsibility to help curb the worst of the beahviour and encourage him to play with consideration. There is probably nothing you can do about the 6am noises - young kids do get up early, but if the noise is throughout the day that is excessive. There should def. be quiet spots. Maybe you could try and tape /record some of the sounds you can hear and then show the mother what it is like to hear them. Explain that you are not having a go at her for being a mother or the kid for his behaviour only you wish he could be quiet for a few hours a day. To be frank, if she is at home with him all day there must be a way she can keep him occupied with naps, quiet games, the park (es. now it is summer) etc...

Perhaps you could sweeten it by saying that if she can help him to be quiet for the next two weeks, you will babysit him so she can have a night out for free?

BTW: I have my submission in 2 weeks too! We are doctoral submission twins! ;)