Exeter Interview

Had my interview at Exeter today. I don't know exactly how it went, I just delivered my presentation and they asked me questions. As for how good it was, I wont know until the 23rd, but we'll see. The dificulty I'm facing at the moment is the justification to myself about it. This is a project of my own creation, it has its influences but its something I've set out to do myself which is both exciting and terrifying. The major thing I got out of the whole process was the lunch afterwards. Not just for the food, which was nice. I got to meet people interested in PhDs and members of the department. It made me realise the sheer variety of different topics that are being studied in the department. By freaky coincidence, I met two guys waiting for their interviews both affiliated with Aberystwyth. One actually acted in the production of Merchant of Venice that was part of the school shakespeare project that I had to study in my first year. The other is studying performance arts at Aber and is experienced in walking as performances. Regardless of whether I get the funding or not, these sort of meetings introduce you to new ideas and other people's work.

Yesterday was a good day. Do you ever have those sort of days where everything just clicks? I got an e-mail from an academic associated with backpacker tourism:

Dear Kris,

Many thanks for the outline of your Research, which looks very interesting. 

I think you may need to make a clear choice between the qualitative and
quantitative elements of the research as you have currently defined them.
Although surveys might help to gather information on the scale of backpacker
performance and how often it might take place in different settings, for
most of the information you need I would say that qualitative research is
probably more relevant. You might also look at some techniques which combine
the two approaches, such as Q methodology. I have attached a paper that
might be of help here.

The new version fo the Global Nomad research is also available on the WYSE
Travel Confederation website (www.wystec.org - see the research pages).
There is also a report on the cultural impacts of youth travel, which might
also be useful.

This paper (all 14 pages of it) was of enormous benefit to the presentation I gave today, encouraging me to make a change of emphasis for my proposed research. Instead of just considering the backpacker as an individual, I also want to consider them as a community or culture. "anonymous intimacy" was the term I liked, being both part of something, but isolated as well: neither here not there. I sent a reply and received this back:

Dear Kris,

Glad that staff was useful. I don't think that defining the backpacker is a
real issue. Backpacking is more a state of mind (or a more of performance)
than anything else.

Good luck with the application.

Cheers,

Academics have found it difficult to define a backpacker (to be honest so do most backpackers) instead opting for a hybrid of other titles, such as drifter, tourist or traveller. For the quantative research needed, I would have to consider how I would differentiate between the different types of walker when interviewing.

I just need to wait. To be honest there's a lot of competition here (about 70 I think) with people from all over the world all trying to stake their claim. I never imagined I would be in this position. At the beginning of February, I didn't have an idea of what I wanted to research. Now I've just been interviewed for a PhD. Its all a bit bizarre. 

With this out of the way I still have several things that I need to do:

-Start work on Shields of Justice, the guys say I can visit the set whenever I want, but I'm not too sure when I begin work on the project myself

- Begin writing my critical bibliography of books for my dissertation (what dissertation?)

- Begin work on my performance analysis - probably going to do Waiting for Godot

- Finish graphics for Judith's storybook project

-Work on application for Victoria University

- Attend Landscape conference at Aber

- Book a place on a workshop in June based in Snowdonia (girl I met today is one of the guys running it)

Next week I'm going to London! Bought my tickets yesterday. Looking forward to it, havn't properly been since 2005 (Last time was with 50 Chileans last January). Meeting up with Samwise who's taking a break from the rigours of DJing in Orkney. He reckons we're the new Mayo and Kermode. 

Also my sister and brother may visit next week, which would be good cause its rare thats its ever just the 3 of us. Hol's in her 3rd year I think of Uni and Loz is choosing which uni to go to this year.

Anyways Easter wont be boring.