Survived!

Now I have to show a sign of life from me. I don't know if the news have made it to you, but here in England it's quite a topic (BBC): there was an earthquake yesterday night, even with a 5.3 on the Richter scale and I survived without mental or physical damages (which is certainly the good news).

It was quite an interesting experience to first see the water in the bottle next to my bed move. Then I didn't think it was special because it always does this when somebody lets a door fall shut anywhere in the house. But when my bed started shaking I slightly doubted it.

This morning I learned that it really was an earthquake. Seems like nothing too bad happened, apart from some knocked-down chimneys. After all, the city looked the same as it did yesterday.

That gives me the opportunity to present a before-and-after-picture of Alan Road (just one picture, because after the earthquake it still looks the same as before). And who knows me and my pictures from Australia can tell that it is only genuine with a sunset.

Alan Road before and after

Politeness 101: On the bus

English people are said to always be polite. I can confirm this with several observations. Let's begin with the first episode of a long series. “Politeness 101: On the bus”

It starts with the signs. They don't unpersonally say “Dienstfahrt” or commandingly “Don't Enter” like German Rail does – no, it is “Sorry – Not In Service”. Watch the order: first the apology, then a friendly “Not In Service”. And if the display at the side of the bus is too small for two lines, they alternate “Sorry” and “Not In Service”. This much of politeness needs to be, even if the bus seems to go to “000 Sorry” every couple of seconds.

Bus drivers are not only generally, but even almost without exception, friendly. My impression from Germany is that it's the other way round there. Here, they have different bus companies and they don't accept each other's tickets. As it happens, I entered a bus with the wrong ticket. The bus driver pointed this out to me (His sentence started with “Sorry”, of course) and I silently chuntering (I still can't deny my heritage) searched my wallet for coins and put the exact demanded fare (70p) on his till. But instead of taking the money with the same silent chunter (thinkig “Stupid foreigner/tourist/...”), he looked into his rear mirror and told me to take the bus that was just pulling up behind us, because my ticket was valid there. Thus, totally baffled, I took my saved money back and changed to the other bus.

But the politeness exists on the other side as well. Here, buses have only one door and thus you have to pass the driver on your way out. The English like to queue anyways, so why waste space for a second door? And guess what an English person does when they finally reache the door and can get off. They thank the bus driver! And they all do it, including the spoilt youth and drunk students. They even interrupt their conversation, even if it is on the phone, for that. So I took to turning my head to the right (left-side driving!) and calling – depending on my predecessors in the line, you want a little variation at least – a short “Thanks”, “Thank you”, “Ta” or “Cheers”. Often you get a “See you”, “Bye” or “Alright” back and find yourself happy and content on the street, all because of this short conversation with a bus driver you regard as a human being.

This enthusiasm is, of course, quickly brought down to a normal level quite often because you find yourself in the rain, but on average, going by bus is much more fun here.

Piled Higher and Deeper

I know that this is no real excuse for not having written anything yet, but I was as busy as I was lazy. So I'm starting to tell you something about doing a PhD in the UK as far I have found out yet. This is really different from the German way, but compare it yourself.

The first thing about it is being a student. As such you have to pay quite high tuition fees (Home Fee for UK/EU currently £3.320 = 4.468 €, four times as much for everybody else) or you need a scholarship for that. I actually have another one for me, my food and my rent. There are no obligations in teaching for me, though it is appreciated if you sign up for "demonstrator duties" that are, however, separately paid.

The PhD program is quite tightly organised, at least the regulations are. I have exactly three years, i.e. until 31st December 2011. At the end of the first year I have to submit a transmission report – if this is nothing sensible, I'm getting an MPhil and may leave.

On the other hand, there is a lot of great help. I have a supervisor and a co-supervisor I talk to about my topic, an advisor I talk to about more general things and then there a student mentors. I had to attend a two-day workshop "Introduction to Reseatch (Speed PhD)" where we were told about all the formalities and what else there is to watch out for.

Being in a research postgraduate, I have no courses except a two-hour seminar on "Academic Writing". Partly helpful and entertaining: you get told stuff in anecdotes, e.g. how paper writing works. Who is first author, who is author at all, how to find a matching conference or journal, how to write a review. Thus it is not jumping in cold water when you actually have to do something like this.

The end is interesting as well. You write your thesis which is assessed by two people who are not your supervisors. One of them is at the faculty, the other is external, e.g. from another university. They are only reading the thesis and you have to defend it in an oral exam called "viva" in front of only the two of them.

It seems like there are no traditions except for a glass of champagne after the viva. No graduate hats or getting pulled around campus on a cart – this is where the Germans are better organised. If all of this is much better or worse, I'll still have to find out. Anyways, you have a lot of freedom and apart from the mentioned obligations I'm free to do what and how I like it.

Overall, it is not at all PhD-Comics-like, without annoyances and quite interesting. I like it, but I do have a place here to let you know about any frustration.

Next time I will certainly tell you some things about strange English people.