The PhD-life is crazy! xD
In my mind, I have just arrived from my first secondment at EPFL, Lausanne back to Paris.
In reality, a few weeks have already passed!
That is true: being involved in an international project, you are very unluckily bored. Plenty of training events, exchanges, conferences, and meetings! If to include here some outreach activities and personal vacations, all of us, we've got itchy feet! Always moving, flying, running, changing...
For example, I had just come back to my office in France when I needed to book new "missions" for this academic year! As well, for the holidays, I always travel either to my homeland or to discover new places, and each weekend I have to cross France for personal reasons.
So, already, lots of flights and trains (recently, I received an email from French train company SNCF that in 2017, I already made more than 15000 km only in France!)
Now, some dark side...
Once you are a non-EU foreigner, you have to lose so much time to get all necessary documents. The procedure to obtain residence permits differs from country to country but still requires much patience, careful attention and hours and hours of time ⏰
It is needed to get so many documents that sometimes you don't even know that they exist...
A heavy "package of papers" (always different !!) is asked everywhere!
To get the social insurance (7 months to get a temporary one),
...to get the health insurance (still no card after 11 months),
...to get the accommodation (French "garant" person is usually compulsory),
...to get visas or working permits for other institutes of the project or conferences,
...I am not even speaking about bank accounts, sim-cards, public transport cards, etc...
⊕ ...though, it makes us stronger, helps us to get to know the laws, to learn deeper the language, to meet nice people, and to feel better the culture of the country :)
In my mind, I have just arrived from my first secondment at EPFL, Lausanne back to Paris.
In reality, a few weeks have already passed!
That is true: being involved in an international project, you are very unluckily bored. Plenty of training events, exchanges, conferences, and meetings! If to include here some outreach activities and personal vacations, all of us, we've got itchy feet! Always moving, flying, running, changing...
๐ ๐ ๐ ✈ ๐
For example, I had just come back to my office in France when I needed to book new "missions" for this academic year! As well, for the holidays, I always travel either to my homeland or to discover new places, and each weekend I have to cross France for personal reasons.
So, already, lots of flights and trains (recently, I received an email from French train company SNCF that in 2017, I already made more than 15000 km only in France!)
and I haven't even finished my 1st year of PhD...
This is wonderful! ๐ธ
Now, some dark side...
Once you are a non-EU foreigner, you have to lose so much time to get all necessary documents. The procedure to obtain residence permits differs from country to country but still requires much patience, careful attention and hours and hours of time ⏰
It is needed to get so many documents that sometimes you don't even know that they exist...
A heavy "package of papers" (always different !!) is asked everywhere!
To get the social insurance (7 months to get a temporary one),
...to get the health insurance (still no card after 11 months),
...to get the accommodation (French "garant" person is usually compulsory),
...to get visas or working permits for other institutes of the project or conferences,
...I am not even speaking about bank accounts, sim-cards, public transport cards, etc...
๐ ๐ ๐ ๐
๐ณ
It affects a lot the mood, health, and motivation... :(
I wish only good luck to everyone who has a similar case!
~ May the Force be with you ~
Wonderful blog !!! :p
ReplyDeleteThank you =)
Delete...means you understand! ^^
Things which will not kill us, will make us stronger (c) russian folk wisdom.
ReplyDeleteSo, keep calm and do what you have/need/like to do =)
ะกะฟะฐัะธะฑะพ ;)
DeleteVery good resume !! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you =)
Delete