Ouch. More than a month has passed since my last post. But going back to the UK and getting back to work takes time and is tiring, hence my excuse.

I had a lot of work to do for my transfer panel resubmission last time I wrote. I still do (deadline is on November 11th) but I feel a lot more focused. As a result I’m enjoying the work a lot more. My project now feels like an enormous puzzle and I love puzzles. The plan is to write a draft statement of intent this week, discuss it next week, and start writing. If things keep running as well as they do now I won’t have any trouble finishing in time.

I also sorted out my training needs for this semester. One module I’m very excited about is Developing Teaching Skills, a UEA program which (as the title suggests) offers training to university teachers. I finished the Learning to Teach course, which is offered by the HUM faculty, last academic year but felt I needed more specific advice. Coming from another culture without teaching experience to speak of I need all the help I can get.

The first Public Intellectual event will take place in a few weeks’ time and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve started my preparations and am struck by the fact that this programme has come at exactly the right point in my studies. Intellectualism, engagement and bridging the gap between academia and “the rest of the world” has been a concern of mine since I started my master’s degree. It’ll be great to engage with this subject in depth and discuss it with other people.

Finally, tomorrow I’m taking part in Media, Globalisation and Imagination, a small symposium at UEA aiming to connect scholars across schools. I will present a paper on celebrity and fakeness in contemporary American literature. Other papers will explore Dora the Explorer, Jersey Shore and other exciting subjects. Hopefully it will be engaging, useful and fun.

That’s it for now. More regular updates will follow.