Friday, June 20, 2008

Introducing myself

Hello all,

My name is Gabriel. I'm a Mexican London-based 34 year old. I'm in the third year of my doctoral programme and my scholarship funding ends in September. In the beginning I thought it would all be nice and easy. I was a professional journalist, ink flowed from my fingers and I could joggle deadlines with my eyes wide shut. Right now I'm in despair. My PhD is based on fieldwork that investigated the television news consumption of Mexicans in Los Angeles. My English is not excellent but my writing keeps afloat. My problem has to do with deep anxiety provoked by the sensation that the clock is ticking, that I will soon have to be working to make ends meet and that in these last three years I've been doing nothing but writing aimlessly and being a high-maintenance parasite. I put some blame on my director of studies, who ignored mr the first two and a half years and whose new found comittment to my project consists on printing what I email to him and spell-checking it.

Anyway, so much for my introduction, I'll try to post something that's less emotional, and hopefully, more productive.

4 comments:

Billie said...

Hi, Gabriel, and welcome to DBC! You are in good company here. Just as any dissertator, we all suffer from anxiety and procrastination (ok, maybe that's just me!), but together we'll get through this difficult process of the Ph.D. If you've been reading a while, a few of our colleagues have completed their work. Now, of course, they did the work themselves . . . but I like to think that we had some positive influence. ;-)

Your diss topic sounds fascinating. I'd like to hear more about it. A friend of mine is working on a project that looks at second-generation gang members in Los Angeles . . . maybe there is some overlap there?

Hootah said...

Welcome Gabriel and stay persistent! That's the best advice I can give after a marathon revision session. Best of luck in your process.

Gabriel Moreno said...

Thank you guys. Because of the therapeutical potential it may have, Boot camp feels like an AA meting of sorts or like a visit to your shrink. What I mean is thank you for your support and yes, we'll get past through these trying times and emerge triumphant sooner or later.

Meagan said...

Sorry to be late to the welcoming party, but it's good to have you here. Diss anxiety loves company.

:)