New Connections, Interesting Challenges and Memorable Research

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

This famous quote is a reminder that for any great accomplishment, there has to be a beginning. Who ever thought of counting the miles of a PhD journey? At the beginning of the PhD course, a PhD student’s count is something like:

Year 1: I will have done a, b, c…

Year 2: I will have done d, e, f ….

Year X…I should be graduating

Sound familiar?

My PhD journey has taken me to new territories (quite literally) that have given me plenty to reflect on, to smile about, and to learn from. I am a rich apprentice and am delighted to be able to put pen to paper, or at least finger to keyboard, to share my reflections with you through this blog.

In this first post, I share the joyous rollercoaster ride that has been the first few months of my PhD.

New beginnings

Arriving at Stellenbosch University as a new PhD student was exciting; it felt somewhat like standing at the opening of a dark tunnel and seeing a light flickering in the distance towards which one wishes to run. It was a thrilling new challenge, one that definitely required a full a ‘full steam ahead’ attitude and being in the right gear.

I attended courses, registered for conferences and participated in almost every event going. This journey required leaving nothing to chance. All these undertakings were invaluable. I acquired tools and skills essential for PhD students, discovered what to expect and what not to expect, and learned that I needed to take control of the steering wheel of my PhD range rover.   

Making connections

It is often said that the PhD journey can be lonely, so I signed up for a multitude of interesting events. The Social Science for Development Conference which brought together participants from the Netherlands and South Africa was particularly interesting. I made new friends, enthusiastically shared my research, and learned about other students’ interesting research projects.

Acquiring new skills

Next was the ‘New Voices in Science’ competition, an event that I would describe as a welcome accident. Through this competition, PhD students learn to communicate their science to a lay audience in the simplest way possible.

At the beginning I was convinced that I was barking up the wrong tree, a very wrong tree. I was in panic mode, and ready to drop out, because I thought I had little, if anything, to talk about; but quitting was not an option, so I stayed put. Within no time, the once timid researcher had written an article about her research, and was a finalist in the writing category, with her article being featured in the New Voices in Science 2014 magazine. I now know better and I will gladly sign up for the next competition.

I also joined a group of students who were conducting trans-disciplinary (TD) research. Initially, I had no clue what TD research entailed and I wasn’t sure I was cut out for it. However, within no time I had been trained in and was well on my way to carrying out TD research myself! Whether I carried out my research in a TD manner or not is not of importance; the main point is that my field work was an unforgettable experience. It had its highs, lows, and challenges, all of which strengthened me as a researcher. These are experiences that I treasure.

May this be a catalyst to all who need a jump start to get them on their way; the PhD journey is indeed a story to tell!