We document these stories to acknowledge that their experiences have meaning ...
Sight Unseen: Making a zine of Fuego volcano
Research progress!
This is a very brief post to highlight a short summary report I wrote on a piece of my work. The project is titled, "Investigating spatial distribution and impacts of airfall deposits from the October 1974 eruptive episode of Volcán de Fuego, Guatemala", and uses a mix of stratigraphic and participatory mapping, qualitative interviews, and … Continue reading Research progress!
A tale of two aldeas
After a week doing fieldwork in the villages south of Fuego, my friend Beth and I discussed the importance of reflecting on our work. Beth suggested that as well as evaluating our research approaches, it would be important to write about what it feels like to be there. I thought this was a splendid idea. … Continue reading A tale of two aldeas
Featured post: the “ExPhDition”
Coming to the end of a PhD is a strange event. Unlike the closure granted by the final exam and graduation party of an undergraduate degree, finishing a PhD involves a number of milestones along an interminable path: compiling the first thesis draft, receiving all your supervisors' comments, finishing your conclusions, submitting the paperwork, uploading … Continue reading Featured post: the “ExPhDition”
At your service: the merits of Overleaf
"It's not what she said, it's the way she said it". Most of us have heard this phrase before. In conversation, the delivery of a message is as important as its content. A PhD thesis is no different! While students and supervisors spend years on building the thesis content, we may neglect to discuss the … Continue reading At your service: the merits of Overleaf
When to weigh anchor
"It came to me in a dream." This sentence has been the explanation given by visionaries throughout history for their inspiration: religious mystics, Frank Ocean, this amazing footnote. But as the rudder that steers the passage of a career in an ordinary life? That seems foolhardy. And yet ... such dreams can clarify subconscious desires. … Continue reading When to weigh anchor
Soledad y el Mar
Since coming to Guatemala, I have been consumed by mastering a song by Natalia LaFourcade. It’s called “Soledad y el Mar” (Loneliness and the Sea). With its lulling lyrics and its swaying rhythm, it’s the perfect bittersweet tune to play before bed. Week Three (25th Feb - 2nd Mar) was the week I finally cracked … Continue reading Soledad y el Mar
A sense of scale
For my first blog post while in Guatemala this spring, I thought I would write about scales of time and distance. It’s something I think a lot about, especially because my research is split between two distant countries, and because 2.5 years into my PhD, I have rather more time to reflect on than to … Continue reading A sense of scale
Loma Linda
Guatemalan currency includes the one quetzal, that appears as either a crumpled green note or a round golden coin that flashes in the sun when new. A Q1 coin (approximately 10p) bears on one side the signature of the Accord of Firm and Lasting Peace, signed in Guatemala City on 29th December 1996 after three … Continue reading Loma Linda
Holding back the wave
At some point in the second year of your PhD, there comes a wave of fear. I learned about this phenomenon in my first months here: while preparing coffee in the Common Room, friends would whisper of mysteries like "The Second-Year Blues", or "The Valley of Shit". Now that I'm in their position, I get … Continue reading Holding back the wave
Reasoning With Volcanoes 