Urbino

For the last few days I was in Urbino, a small university town near the eastern coast of Italy. I went in order to attend this meeting that we had for an abroad semester for a Master's program that my boss and I coordinate. I took a lot of pictures, because the place itself was beautiful. 

This was a room in the building where we had our meeting. 

The restaurant where we had lunch on the second evening

The street from my hotel to the main square

The church near my hotel  (note the snow)

The view from a window in the Palazzo Ducale

One of the "apartments" in the Palazzo

The road on the way back to the bus station

It was a very productive trip, in terms of the MA program. We had to take a bus and three trains to get there, so the days before and after were pretty much all spent with travelling. It made me think about what it must be like to live in a university town. Obviously, Lugano is very different. Now, I'm back and ready to start a more prolonged period of working and furthering my progress in the PhD.  

First post of 2017

This winter break, I decided to push my vacation back a few weeks. After working through the holidays (and actually being fairly productive), I headed off to Berlin as I am often wont to do. It was cold and snowy. 

I did manage to go shopping and eat some food and see some people BUT around the halfway point of my ten-day excursion, I got really sick. I guess it wasn't unexpected...the indicators were all there: very little sleep + very low temperatures + and running around a lot = sick me.  I was then restricted to solitary confinement in my (very generous and amazing) friend's apartment with the following view:

The last couple of days were okay, as I managed to heal up somewhat. Still, a sizable chunk of my vacation was spent cursing misfortune and drinking lots of tea. Oh well...

I noticed that this time in Berlin I didn't have as much fun as I usually do. It could be chalked up to the fact that it was -8° for a while there and that I am not a winter person. I think, though, that it had to do with the fact that I left a year ago and felt the same amount of groundedness and presence after four days that I would have had if I had stayed for the entire year in Berlin. I noticed also that with the lack of distraction in Lugano, I've grown and changed a lot since I moved here. The people in Berlin have been enjoying Berlin (something that I'm probably more than a bit jealous of) but personal development isn't necessarily part of the city's energy. 

I think being in Lugano is probably exactly what I need to be doing at the moment, even if I'm not having the most wild and crazy time. I'll probably take a bit of a break from Berlin as well. I went back four times last year...and this year I have a lot of conferences and travelling and whatnot. It all makes sense, I guess.  

Singing!

I know, I know...I haven't been very good with updating.

There's been a lot going on. I've been doing a LOT of reading, gave my first research presentation to the entire institute of public communication, worked on a couple of projects with my advisor, written an abstract (that was accepted!) for a conference, and started two other collaborative projects with other PhD students.

So, as always, there's been a lot to do at work. But not only! I also joined the choir at the conservatory here in Lugano, which had its concert this weekend. It was a nice evening and I'm happy that I got to show some of the people I've met here this aspect of my life.

Here are a couple of videos

This will most likely be the last blog of 2016. Here's to hoping that next year will be more engaging, even more productive, and all around better than this one!

Conference in Berlin

Haven't been posting lately, but that's probably to do with the huge amount of things that I've had to get done lately. I had a conference in Berlin, where I had my first poster session. It was interesting if only a little bit quantitative. I guess I should have known, given that the hosting institution was the German Institute for Economics. Here's a picture of me posing awkwardly for my mom

and here is a picture of the actual venue with the podium and whatnot. All in all, it was an okay experience (even if I didn't sleep that much beforehand and kind of ended up getting sick)

Patience

I literally have none.

I'm sick, a little bit heartbroken (I think?...not sure yet) and unmotivated to go back to work.

and I want all of this to be over with NOW.

I know that it will pass, but can it pass a little sooner?

Although, I don't know that it makes sense to wish for time to pass more quickly. I have to write two papers for conferences in September and October and I haven't even started. Also, there's going to be two weeks of PhD summer school where I'll really have to focus and won't be able to write. So much to do...

Cutie.BPOC Festival 2016

This weekend I attended the Cutie.BPOC Festival 2016

It was amazing, healing, wonderful, beautiful, exhausting, a lot, a lot, a lot.

The first day, we met everyone and just talked and communed with the fam. It was really nice. There was also a Black Lives Matter protest, but I did not want to be around that energy (or around police officers, tbh)

Saturday meant a lot of workshops. I did a singing workshop, a workshop where we talked about decolonizing the politics of flirting, and a workshop for waacking, a style of dancing similar to voguing. I really wanted to talk about flirting and trying to center QTIBPOC people as worthy, valuable, and loveable, because this is something White heteropatriarchy makes all too difficult. I feel energized in that respect, at the moment. We'll see how long it lasts when I return to Lugano...

On Sunday, there were workshops planned, but I was too tired to attend anything. Instead, I sat, spoke, and laughed with members of my beautiful fam. It was very, very necessary.

Finally, Monday was a brunch organized at a different space, where I actually stayed much longer than I had planned to. It was weird to realize that it was the end. 

This festival made me remember how amazing it is to be around people that love and understand me. There were so many moments of realizing I had needed to hear something. Just this Aha! of  being affirmed in many ways. Speaking languages that I knew others would understand, being seen, being heard. It was all very lovely.

Of course, it wasn't without its challenges. I met a person whom I was interested in on many levels (because of course I did) who I don't think was that interested in me (because of course they weren't). Similar patterns, similar emotions. Very exhausting. Also, seeing all these beautiful people really made me aware of how much I don't have that in "real life"...

BUT

All in all, I would have to say it was still a very healing, beautiful experience. I can't wait until next year :)

Video update