Teaching, Teaching, Teaching

Good news are rare these days. So here are some good news: despite the pandemic, I secured (almost too) many courses to teach! I love teaching university courses. But I'd never thought that I would teach five different courses (at two universities) this semester. After I initially thought I might have only two courses at …

(Not) Doing Fieldwork in Times of COVID-19

How does one begin a new research project these days? It's difficult to begin a new research project without funding. It's difficult to get funding without (a lot) of experience in a new field. So the plan was clear: use some of my own funds for a brief, exploratory field trip to the new place …

Back to School.

These are crazy times. Who would have thought that a virus—just the flu, basically—would change the entire world for who knows how long. Most freelancers in education and research probably struggle with this: less work or, for at least some, no work at all. I lost my main source of income, but luckily not all …

At the AAA in Vancouver

When I booked my room for this year's AAA in Vancouver, I didn't think too much about it. It was quite cheap, the reviews accordingly, but without funding, it had to do. It can't be too bad, right? When I arrived in Vancouver on Tuesday, public transportation didn't work as expected so I decided to …

Still Alive. I Think.

It's been a while. The job at the coffeehouse, in addition to teaching and (unpaid) academic work, drained all my energies, and—eventually—made me sick. I had to reduce and/or cancel everything I love to do. But in the end that wasn't enough. And all I did was: work. So, I had to make choices. Do …

The Precariat

The Precariat. I did not know we have a term for this socioeconomic state. But apparently, we have had a name for it for quite a while—since the 1980s, according to Macmillan. A combination of ‘precarious’ and ‘proletariat,’ the precariat originally described temporary workers without a social safety net or employment protection. Since 2011, the …