Opinion: In Defense of High Heels and Corsets

Today, a friend posted something on his Facebook wall about an article in which he'd read that high heels were designed to keep women from running away et cetera - in any case, the article perpetuated the myth that high heels are supposed to be painful. In many ways, this is similar to the myth that corsets are supposed to be constrictive and painful.

As a some-time wearer of both, I can contest to the falsehood of these myths. Of course, anecdotal evidence is far from scientific, but as there are online guides to wearing both these garments, I am fairly certain I am not alone.

I own a range of heeled shoes, heights varying from 2 inches to 5, and two corsets, one which is supposed to give me a 4 inch waist reduction and one supposed to do 8 (when fully closed).

I like heels, for a number of reasons. The main one is that they make me look far prettier (or so I'd like to think), and because, in a country such as the Netherlands, I'm fairly short, being 5 foot 7. Of course, there are practical downsides; they take training to walk in, and wearing them in icy weather is a sign of stubbornness far beyond stupidity. I don't wear them often here in the UK, because the pavement is fairly irregular and somehow I'm no longer short, but average. You don't have to wear heels every day to be able to walk in them, but you do have to know how to, first: High heel training

Corsets come with a similar set of pros and cons, the main pros being that they make me look much thinner (especially in the case of the 8 inch one, which I can't close fully and with the 6 inch reduction I *can* achieve already looks somewhat ridiculous... like heels over 5 inches also start looking ridiculous) and their rigidity does tremendous things for my spine. Like heels, you can't just put on a corset and expect to be comfortable with an immediate 6 inch reduction; you have to train yourself. Also, indeed, you can't really bend over in them or do anything else that requires upper body flexibility. In fact, there are websites devoted to helping people train their waste - this does rely on wearing corsets often for a permanently altered waist, but the same goes for just being able to wear them: Waist training

Corsets and heels suffer from the same disadvantages, but they both do wonders for the way one looks.

And yes, they will be painful if you don't train yourself right. If you start out wearing flats and suddenly switch to 5 inch heels then yes, you'll feel like you're ready to topple over any time and after a while your feet will hurt like hell. Seeing as I haven't worn any heels lately, I can't take 5 inches now either; I'll stick with 4" maximum, and even then it's a little painful. Same with the corsets; there's a reason I can't achieve that 8 inch reduction, and it's not because I'm fat (though that plays a role, too). It's mostly because I don't wear corsets often enough (because of their lack of practicality, which is the same reason I hardly wear heels in the UK) to train myself to actually be able to take those 8 inches without suffering pain.

Wearing heels and corsets is about knowing yourself and knowing your limits and wearing what you like best regardless of what anyone else thinks, which is, if anything, empowering. Regardless of whatever patriarchal and misogynistic ideas led to the conception of both these types of garment. If it hurts, don't wear them. If you don't like them, don't wear them. But not wearing them because although you like them, they were originally supposedly designed to keep you from running away or to cause you pain? Screw that, and wear them as much as you like.

And now, for some shoe porn:


(and if the good people from Christian Louboutin wish to thank me for featuring a pair of their shoes on this blog with its massive audience consisting of my parents and friends, they're absolutely welcome to do so with a nice pair of heels ;) [also because if I ever become an academic, I won't be able to afford a pair of 500 pound heels... pity me, Louboutin-people!] )

Leicester Adventures: Applying (part II)

Once again, I find myself awake in the middle of the night (or 5am, whatever), overly worried (how surprising) about things yet to come and things still unsure.

You see, I've begun sending out stuff for PhD applications, and now it's mostly waiting. I somehow didn't write much about to which University I was applying for a PhD, and I don't exactly know why I didn't (except perhaps out of fear that anyone might get ideas and apply there too, and obviously be better and "steal" that opportunity, while it isn't even rightfully mine anyway).

I'm applying to Cardiff University, hoping to research whether economic development during the recent global economic crisis (you know, the crisis that also makes that whatever I do, I won't get a job, let alone a career, thus probably allowing my dad to be able to exclaim "I told you so!" when I turn out to be overqualified) is linked to wider societal reactions to corporate crime.
Mainly, I think that reactions have grown harsher over the years; look at the media reports on Starbucks's tax evasion, which wasn't even illegal in the first place! But yeah, quite dry to anyone who doesn't care about a) corporate crime; b) economics; c) media responses to crime, and d) politics. In short, it is the PERFECT thing for me to be researching.

Actually, I was discussing this with a course mate on Monday after my Psychology module; we were talking about summer plans and I said that I didn't know yet whether I was going to do any traveling (except Heidelberg, because PALA!), as I would be trying to save my money instead if I got accepted to do a PhD. So, I turned to explaining what I wanted to do and why Cardiff, and while I was doing so I just couldn't stop smiling. My course mate then told me that it was really obvious that I was enthusiastic about it, something about getting a glimmer in my eyes (note though that I also start smiling ridiculously and have a similar glimmer when I've had too many ciders). But it is true, though, the more I think of this project, the more enthusiastic I get about it. Except that I don't even know yet whether I actually get to do it.

I chose Cardiff mainly because it was the sort of place at which everything comes together. One very important thing was, however rude to openly discuss, money - Cardiff is one of the places that offers ESCR funding and I simply can't do a PhD without funding. It's a mostly practical consideration, but, indeed following my father's immeasurable wisdom, I have to acknowledge that there are limits, and this includes my savings account.
Secondly, unimportant hadn't it been the case and hugely important now that it is - one of my fellow RA alumnae currently studies at Cardiff and was delighted with the city, telling me how beautiful it was and how it was like Middelburg but bigger.
Thirdly, I'm hoping to work with one specific professor, Michael Levi, who has written loads of cool books on white collar crime and fraud and organised crime and so pretty much does what I want to do. In fact, he's also written a book with Petrus van Duyne about drugs and money. This earns him extra "I NEED him as a PhD supervisor"-points because I used loads of stuff by Van Duyne for my Independent Research Project at RA (well, actually for the bit of my IRP that didn't end up in my IRP because it wasn't entirely relevant to the topic but I still looked into it because I was fascinated - it was on organized crime), mostly because Van Duyne sketched out organized crime as more or less operating on a market that happened to feature illegal products and services or p&s that had been obtained and/or delivered in an illegal fashion. Also, professor Levi has, aside from his PhD, a DSc in Economics, so that's extra awesome because I always did like my economics courses.

I'm missing my economics courses now, because though my criminological interest is (obviously) covered by my MSc and my language/linguistics fascination (I'm blaming people for me even having that interest, though) also somewhat by my MSc and continued contact with PALA people (hence Heidelberg), I miss the presumption that people and organisations mostly do things because it benefits them either in the short- or long term, and that those things can be measured in the mysterious unit of 'utility'. It's so deliciously rational and calculated. I miss my Industrial Organization class (still think I got an A rather than my usual economics A- because I could link it to things from my IRP). I guess there is utility in reacting to corporate crime in a certain way, and this utility includes maintaining the status quo and perhaps even reinforcing the social contract (yay political philosophy), but that's still something to look into. Heck, there might even be some institutional economics involved (yay economic philosophy).

So, in a sense, if Cardiff happened, I'd be doing my perfect topic in my perfect place. Fingers crossed.

Leicester Adventure: Split Pea Soup

It's massively snowing and all of the UK has ground to a standstill, including the airports. I was going to order pizza today, but seeing as London Road is completely blocked, I've decided to turn to my 'emergency stash' of Dutch split pea soup. I made this stash two months ago, right before my birthday, and now it's perfect.

I will share my family recipe here, but only because it's cold out and people need comfort food.

There's a handful of Dutch household myths on making split pea soup and I daren't defy them, so I'll share them with you too:

• Don't make split pea soup when it's raining or misty or thunder-stormy out (because of humidity and air pressure)
• Don't make split pea soup when you're on your period (it's an actual belief)
• Split pea soup is best with a Hema rookworst. If you can't get that, butcher's rookworst (and not the other way around!), then Unox. 
• A personal belief: it's best to make it in really big batches, preferably in an old enamel soup pot. I say this more because I always used to make it in a 10l enamel soup pot and last November was restricted to a 5l steel thing, which I didn't like. 

ILSE'S RECIPE FOR AUTHENTIC DUTCH SPLIT PEA SOUP

Things you need:

Cooking equipment

A big soup pot

A sharp knife

A cutting board

Ingredients

Water

Split peas (100 grams per half-liter)

Diced bacon

Plain pork ribs

Marrow bone

Stock cubes (1 per liter)

Leek

Onion (1 per 5l)

Carrot

Celeriac (half for 5l, whole for 10l)

Rookworst

Salt and pepper

What to do:

First, soak the split peas overnight, then strain and toss in soup pot with the water, diced bacon, the ribs, the marrow bone and the stock cubes. 

While that's boiling (make sure it's boiling!), cut the leek, dice the onion and carrot and celeriac. Make sure to 1) keep stirring the stock (otherwise you'll end up with a big black layer on the bottom of your pot, which will not only make your soup taste funky but is hell to clean) and 2) keep scooping off any froth.

Boil the split pea stock until most peas have burst. Note: this may take up to three hours. Scoop out the ribs and marrow bone. Carve any remaining meat and marrow from the bones, toss out the bones and put the meat back into the stock. Now also add your vegetables. Boil until all vegetables (including the celeriac!) are soft; this may take another one-and-a-half hours. 

Add salt and pepper to taste. If you really can't wait, have a bowl of split pea soup now. Leave the rest in the pot and put somewhere cold overnight. This may be your balcony or garden (bonus points when it's freezing and snowing!), or your fridge. Note: if you put it in your fridge, make sure your soup and pot have cooled enough to make sure you won't spoil whatever else is in your fridge through residual heat. 

The following morning, your soup has officially turned to 'snert'. Heat up, scoop into bowls, cut up rookworst and add, eat with rye bread and bacon (or pancakes, perhaps?) and enjoy!

Snert keeps remarkably well when frozen.
I gave no indications of how much veg has to go in: that's up to yourself.

This is a family recipe, and as you can see there are no secret ingredients (not even 'love'); all a good snert or split pea soup requires is attention and devotion. It's a process that can easily take up your entire afternoon and night, and you can't just go out and do something else; you have to stay with it. 

The ultimate test of snert is being able to stand up your spoon in the bowl. Note that this recipe requires no potatoes; potatoes are evil and if your snert needs them, that's more an indication of your inability to cook a good and thick snert than of the fact that somehow snert needs potatoes. If you've made a good batch, your spoon will stand up even without added potatoes. 

And that's it; that's all there is to cooking a traditional Dutch split pea soup or 'snert'.

Leicester Adventure: Frost & Snow

I feel very double about winter; I absolutely hate how everything no longer functions and flights are delayed for an hour because of flurries and my fingertips freeze despite leather gloves (my toes freezing are my own fault for not having decent winter boots). But I love how pretty everything looks.

Leicester is now -3, with snowflakes falling that are so small that you only notice them when they attack your face while cycling and frost growing on trees. So photos.

Tips: Academese (for family and friends)

I have just returned from a week-long trip to visit my parents, and I have found out that as soon as I start talking about my studies, I no longer speak a different dialect but a completely different language. There is a divide between the real-world, of which both my parents have a thorough understanding, and Academia, and this divide becomes painfully obvious when you stumble upon it without being aware that it's there. I was recommended the book Limbo: Blue-Collar Roots, White-Collar Dreams, written by Alfred Lubrano, in the concept of 'straddlers' is coined, people who grew up in working class environments and end up being part of middle class environments. I do not technically qualify as a first-generation University student and I also did not technically grow up in a working class environment, but the idea of 'straddlers' still resonates somewhat with me.

I have therefore decided to put together this small glossary of Academese; suggestions for words to be added are always welcome. Dutch translation in italics. 

of Arts (BA/MA): A degree in any humanities course, or any social sciences course that doesn't involve numbers or law*.

Een graad 'of Arts' betekent een graad in de geesteswetenschappen, of een graad in de sociale wetenschappen waarin geen nummers of rechten voorbijkomen*.

of Science (BSc/MSc): A degree in any science course that isn't engineering, or any social sciences course that does involve numbers (but no law)*.

Een graad 'of Science' betekent een graad in de bèta-wetenschappen dat geen ingenieursgraad is, of een graad in de sociale wetenschappen waarin wél nummers voorbijkomen (maar geen rechten)*.

of Law (LLB/LLM/JD): A degree in a law course; it's Bachelor of Law, Master of Law, and then suddenly Juris Doctor, which I think is a degree mostly used in the US. Old-fashioned 'meester in de recht' for LLM*.

Een graad 'of Law' is een graad in de rechten; Bachelor of Law, Master of Law, maar dan wel opeens Juris Doctor, wat eigenlijk een Amerikaanse term is. Vergelijkbaar met het vroegere 'meester in de recht' in geval van de LLM.

of Engineering (BEng, MEng - yes, I first thought is was of English too): A degree in an engineering course. Old-fashioned 'ingenieur' for MEng*.

Een graad 'of Engineering', afgekort 'Eng' (Ik dacht eerst ook dat het in Engels was) is een ingenieursgraad; MEng is de ouderwetse ir.

of Medicine (MD): The type of 'doctor' meant with the question "is there a doctor in the house?".

'MD' is het soort doctor van "is er een dokter in de zaal?"

of Business Administration: I think I only know of MBAs, not BBAs, though technically those should also exist. US-inspired degree in, well, managing a business.

Een graad in Business Administration, waarvan ik alleen de MBA ken, hoewel technisch gezien er ook  BBAs moeten bestaan, is een Amerikaans-geïnspireerde graad in, tja, het managen van een bedrijf. 

*HBO studies never have this addition, those are simply B or M.
*HBO studies hebben nooit zo'n toevoeging, die zijn simpelweg losse B's of M'en. 

Propedeuse (P): Dutch term, meaning you've passed the first year of your study.

Je propedeuse of P betekent dat je je eerste jaar gehaald hebt. 

Bridge year: Most of your undergrad courses work out to get you into your postgrad, but you're lacking somewhere so this year is to make up for that.

Brugjaar: Met de meeste bachelor studies kun je gewoon een daarop volgende master volgen, maar als je vakken mist moet je een brugjaar doen.

Gap year: Taking a year off to go backpacking in the Himalayas, comparable to the old fashioned Grand Tour of Europe often done by the ancient rich in previous centuries, though nowadays it's more people who are looking to find themselves. A select few still do it to see something of the world, though.

Een gap year is een jaar er tussen uit om te gaan backpacken in de Himalaya's, vergelijkbaar met de ouderwetse 'Grand Tour' van de ancien riche in voorbije eeuwen, maar vandaag de dag zijn het vooral mensen die zichzelf proberen te vinden. Een paar gaan echter om daadwerkelijk iets van de wereld te zien.

Bachelor's: First stop after secondary school, provided you've got decent marks. Will probably get you a lower-level administrative job somewhere; it means that you've learned the basic concepts of a certain field. Takes 3 years in Europe, 4 in the US. Also called undergrad(uate).

Je bachelor is de eerste stop na het VWO; met je BA/BSc kun je ergens een administratieve baan krijgen, het betekent dat je de basis begrippen van een bepaalde academische discipline kent. Duurt 3 jaar in Europa, 4 in de VS.

Master's: After bachelor's. Means you are capable of most jobs in your field; you have learned both the basic concepts and can apply them in new ways. Old-fashioned 'doctorandus'. Often takes 1 or 2 years, though 1.5 is not unheard of. If you're teaching with a Master's, you're an instructor/teacher (except for the US, where everyone is a professor unless they're a PhD) and people address you as 'Mr' (not! Mr. in de recht) or 'Ms' (or 'Mrs', of course, if you're married). Some particularly tough Masters-degrees are called 'MPhil' instead of MA/MSc/LLM/MEng; these are research masters. Also called postgrad(uate), or just grad(uate) in the US.

Je master is na de bachelor en betekent dat je de meeste banen binnen je discipline kunt doen; je hebt zowel de basis begrippen geleerd en kunt ze toepassen. Dit is de ouderwetse 'doctorandus'. Duurt meestal 1 of 2 jaar, maar anderhalf jaar is ook mogelijk. Als je lesgeeft met een master ben je gewoon een leraar of lector (behalve in de VS, waar iedereen een professor is) en mensen spreken je aan als 'mevrouw' of 'meneer'. Sommige masters zijn MPhil: dit zijn research masters en die zijn extra zwaar. 

Doctorate (PhD, DPhil): A degree that takes a minimum of about three years (though it is not unheard of, especially in the US, for it to take 7 years) that means you have added new knowledge to your field. Old-fashioned 'doctoraat'; afterwards, you are the type of doctor that is always called upon and then confuses people by saying "but I know nothing of medicine!". People are to address you as 'Dr' (though many fail to do so properly). Afterwards, you're technically qualified to teach and research at University level. See also this illustrated guide: http://matt.might.net/articles/phd-school-in-pictures/ 

Je doctoraat is een graad die minimaal drie jaar duurt (volgens de Nederlandse wet; het is echter niet vreemd als deze bijvoorbeeld 7 jaar duurt, zoals in de VS) en het betekent dat je nieuwe kennis toevoegt aan je discipline. Daarna ben je het soort doctor dat altijd moet zeggen "maar niet in de medicijnen!" en mensen moeten je aanspreken als doctor maar veel doen dat niet. Na je doctoraat mag je lesgeven op een universiteit. Zie ook bovenstaande link voor een uitleg met plaatjes.

Post-Doc: The ghosts of Academia; technically qualified doesn't mean anything, so it's becoming increasingly customary for people with a Doctorate to go on and do a Post-Doc; also known in the Netherlands as AIO (assistent in opleiding) or OIO (onderzoeker in opleiding). Basically, you're spending your time teaching classes and doing research for lousy pay.

Postdocs zijn de spoken van Academia; dat je mag lesgeven op een universiteit betekent niet dat dat ook lukt, dus gaan steeds meer mensen na hun doctoraat een postdoc doen, wat ook wel bekend staat als AIO (assistent in opleiding) of OIO (onderzoeker in opleiding). Eigenlijk spendeer je je tijd aan lesgeven en researchen voor weinig geld. 

Professor: Those who have managed to battle the bog of the bachelor's without imbibing too often, manage the misery of the master's without going mad, do (and finish!) the doctorate, get results in researches, publish papers, and teach terrifically, all for a good number of years, may finally see their hard labour recognized by a University and call themselves (and have themselves called!) professor from then on.
It's kind of a big deal, and that's why those good enough to get a professiorate (that's a word, whether or not my spell check recognizes it) may put the title 'professor' before all their other titles and keep it until they die (though after retirement it becomes 'professor emeritus').

Een professor is iemand die na een paar jaar zonder gek te worden door de universiteit wordt beloond met een professorschap; daarna mogen ze de professor-titel voeren vóór alle andere titels en die houden ze tot ze doodgaan (na pensioen wordt het wel 'professor emeritus' en als je Diederik Stapelt raak je alsnog je titels kwijt). 

TA/RA: Teaching assistant or research assistant; anyone who isn't a full teacher or researcher on a project but is nevertheless responsible for carrying out the same tasks as anyone who is. Can also be called an intern and then be forced to write a complete thing and still be second author.

Een TA of RA is een 'teaching' or 'research' assistent, die niet volledig leraar of research is maar toch dezelfde taken moet uitvoeren. Kan ook stagiair worden genoemd. 

Author: Someone who wrote something; order of names is important, because when there's a load of authors it becomes 'first name et al.', in which 'et al.' is short for et alii, which is Latin for 'and the rest'. Illustration: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=562

De auteur is de schrijver van iets, en de volgorde van de namen is belangrijk, omdat als er veel schrijvers zijn het 'eerst naam et al.' wordt, waarin 'et al.' et alii betekend, wat Latijn is voor 'en de rest'. Zie ook bovenstaande illustratie.

Don: Someone important at some old British unis, like Oxford and Cambridge.

Een Don is iemand belangrijk aan oude Britse unis zoals Oxford en Cambridge.

Fellow: Another name for an instructor at some old British unis.

Fellow is een andere naam voor leraren en lectoren aan oude Britse unis.

Uni: Short for university.

Uni is een afkorting voor universiteit. 

Oxbridge: Portmanteau of 'Oxford' and 'Cambridge', often used to indicate all supposedly elitist older British unis.

Oxbridge is een samenvoeging van 'Oxford' en 'Cambridge', wordt vaak gebruikt om alle zogenaamd elite universiteiten in Groot-Brittannië aan te duiden. 

Russell Group: Group of 24 British unis which lobby for better things for unis.

1994 Group: Second most important uni lobby group.

De Russell en 1994 Group zijn beide lobby groepen voor universiteiten in GB.

Campus: Confusingly, both just the location of the university buildings and of that plus university-owned housing, but can also be housing alone.

Een campus is zowel de locaties van de universiteitsgebouwen als de woningen die de universiteit aan studenten verhuurt. 

Funding: Money to do research. Sometimes also available to PhD-students so they can actually find that new bit of info.

Funding is geld om research te doen, wordt soms ook aan PhD-studenten verstrekt zodat ze ook daadwerkelijk nieuwe info kunnen vinden.

Conference/Symposium: A few days so you can meet other academics in your field and listen to their research, while you present your own. Also a very good excuse to travel abroad for a few days and see something of the world/drink.

Een conferentie of symposium is een paar dagen waar je andere academici kunt ontmoeten en naar presentaties luistert (en soms ook zelf presenteert). Ook een goed excuus om naar het buitenland af te reizen en iets van de wereld te zien/te drinken.

(Wine) Reception: Academic afterparty, means free food and free alcohol, plus a chance to mingle without having to look (too) serious.

(Wijn) Receptie: Een academische afterparty, wat gratis voedsel en gratis alcohol betekend, plus een mogelijkheid om te kletsen zonder al te serieus te hoeven doen. 

Department/Faculty: Section of the uni devoted to a particular field.

Departement/Faculteit: Deel van de uni specifiek op een bepaalde discipline gericht. 

College: In Oxbridge terms, a separate unity comprising a number of fields of study, though still part of the greater Uni of Oxbridge; in terms of other unis, the collection of all Departments in a direction (e.g. College of Social Sciences).

Het college is een verzameling departementen binnen een bepaalde richting, zoals het College van de Sociale Wetenschappen.

More academese Meer Academees: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=405

Leicester Adventure: Update

Starting 10:00 am CET, 11 January 2013, this blog will, over the next week or so, undergo a major overhaul, which will include a new design and lay-out, and a new arrangement.
This is meant to a) improve the visitor's experience, b) portray myself slightly more professionally, and c) restore overview.
It will be brought in line with, among other things, my underused Twitter-account and my somewhat overused LinkedIn-account; as such, it will feature an 'about me'-page containing my CV.
The personal nature of my personal experiences in Leicester will be retained and, as I have received some very positive feedback on the writing style (parents' feedback also counts), be kept in that style; however, this blog will merge with the blog I keep as a Course Representative, and I will aim to have a higher output of more reflexive pieces, such as my 'opinion'-posts.
I hope current readers will not be put off by the changes, and also to attract new readers. If there's any comment on my changes (AFTER I've made them), as always, feel free to comment.

Tips: Preparations (For My Undergrad Friends)

Yesterday I visited the town of my undergrad uni and met up with some friends who are currently in their last year of undergrad. Without fail, they are all planning on leaving the Netherlands and study abroad next year. It is for them that I write this post; a list of practical tips when studying abroad. Be advised, there'll be no hints on how to apply etc. because that differs per uni (except: apply as early as possible).

• Make a list of companies and institutions that you need to contact... this means your insurance agencies (health, travel, etc.), your bank, your phone provider, make it as complete as possible.
• Visit their websites and see what their regulations are for you living abroad for an extended period. If there's no info on there, don't hesitate to contact them. Most will have no issue with it whatsoever, but then at least you have a good to-do-list before you leave. 
• On health insurance: you will be obligated to keep your Dutch health insurance despite whatever insurance you pick while abroad, unless you get a job. In the UK, you will be eligible for NHS; for this, visit your closest GP, ask for the registration form and fill it out. It will take up to 8 weeks or so for your card to arrive in the mail including all your information, but from then on you won't have to worry about UK health insurance. Do be aware that you need to have a valid UK address and plan to live there for more than 6 months (no requirements on having lived in the UK before).
• On banking: it's best to inform your bank that you'll be living abroad, so they won't, for instance, block your debit card for unusual transaction patterns. Also, if you have ING, make sure your Dutch phone number is registered as '+31' so you can receive your TAN-codes wherever you are and change your phone number without hassle. I'm not familiar with other banks, but in any case it's best to just find the nearest branch, make a physical visit and ask about peculiarities.
  In the UK, you'll most likely be subjected to a 3-month trial period on your bank account because you'll have no credit rating whatsoever. In order to open a bank account, bring your passport and just to be sure bring a letter from your uni addressed to you on your UK address, so a) you can show you ARE in fact studying there and b) the bank will know it's a serious address on which you really live. The UK has no such thing as our GBA, so in a sense serious mail addressed to you on your address is the only way for any company or institution to know that you actually do live there and aren't just faking it. Also, they'll prefer it if you register a UK phone number but since you won't be able to get a UK phone subscription without a bank account, they will usually accept a Dutch number. Change it to your UK number as soon as you've got one.
• On phones: What you do with your Dutch phone is up to you. If you can, it's probably better to change it to a top-up plan if your subscription has run out, preferably one in which you can also top-up via internet or text, so you won't be stuck with Dutch subscription fees per month.
  In order to get a UK phone, most phone companies will be very hesitant to sign you up for a subscription, because of your lack of credit rating, and you won't be able to get one at all without a UK bank account. From personal experience, I know 02 does subscriptions without a credit rating, but you'll have to pay a 100 pound deposit which you'll get back three months later (or can leave on your account so they'll take the subscription fee from the deposit in the months afterwards, until the deposit runs out).
  You can also get a phone using a top-up plan. That's way easier, as you can spend as little as you  want on the Sim-card and phone, won't have to suffer the credit check and can get it everywhere. 
• On the GBA: You can only get "uitgeschreven" from the GBA within five days of you moving abroad. Most likely, your municipality will allow you to do this online, for which you'll need a DigiD. Seeing as you have stufi, you have DigiD... if you don't, I suggest you get a DigiD NOW. You will need to de-register with the GBA.
• On DigiD: Make sure the number registered for text-validation is a +31 number so you can receive texts abroad and change your number if necessary. 
• On stufi: DUO is wildly annoying when it comes to studying abroad. You'll need to make sure of a number of things. One of them is letting DUO know you'll be studying abroad, and you'll need to do this as soon as possible because it can take them up to 3(!) months to deal with your request, leaving you possibly without stufi for the first few months (you will get your stufi eventually, with retrospective effect, but your first few months are the most expensive and having your stufi then makes them much easier). You'll furthermore be eligible for the whopping extra 147 euros because your tuition fees are higher than the regulated Dutch fees, but in order to get this you'll need to send them proof of your tuition fees being that high. The acceptance letter from your uni (which'll specify this) will do. They'll also want to know your address abroad, but you can leave this empty until you actually know your new address. Do this stuff early enough and you won't have to deal with them very often. Email doesn't work, you'll have to call them if something goes wrong.
• UPDATE: On doing English language tests: If you've been at RA your English should be sufficient. Nevertheless, most UK unis still require you to take a TOEFL/IELTS (I think there's only a handful that waive them, among them Oxbridge... I think.), despite the letter that you've received education in English for three years and even if you have a letter from a professor supporting your English proficiency. Take the test as soon as possible. TOEFL is in Arnhem, in a place that takes forever to find, and it really isn't very difficult if your English is relatively decent. Basically; if your English was good by RA standards, you'll get a good score on the TOEFL without practicing (heck, you'll have been practicing for three years). 
• The key to everything is start early. Not because you have to, but because that way you'll have a time-margin to deal with the bureaucratic stupidity that comes with most companies and institutions. 

If you're thinking of studying abroad next year and I haven't covered it here, feel free to contact me or comment below... and GOOD LUCK! :)

Tips: Mid-Minute Paper Writing

I have been whinging lately to just about everyone I know about this one paper that I have had to write.

I have to write another one, and a research proposal, but those aren't as much an issue as this one was.

See, the problem with this paper is that

a) I didn't know where to start;
b) I wasn't at all inspired;
c) The last real paper I wrote was my Dorian Gray paper, which I tremendously enjoyed doing, partially because I wrote it while stretched out on the lawn in my dad's garden;
d) I was pressuring myself into making it perfect because I want not just my MSc, I want it with Distinction.

But I started last week (finally) as inspiration struck (while I was watching Mary Poppins, which was annoying). I'm close to finishing it now... no, scratch that, I have finished it, all I'm doing now is polishing.

I still didn't know where to start when I begun, so I checked my reading list for the course, but of course all the good books had already been checked out of the library. Nevertheless, by making use of e-books and massloads of journal articles (which created its own challenge, in that I like to print stuff but then end up with a pile of articles to look at and a genuine fear of attacking said pile), I managed it. I still have two weeks before I have to hand it in; it's not like I started last-minute.

More likely, I started mid-minute. Still too late.

So here's my list of steps for mid-minute paper writing:

1. Genuinely start early, or as early as you can make yourself start.
2. Begin by reading overview books. You know, 'The Oxford Handbook of X' or 'The Routledge Handbook of Y', as well as course books, 'Essential Theories of Z'.
3. Note down every single piece of research in these chapters that seems even marginally useful.
4. Find out that all the good books have already been taken from the library, no matter how early you start.
5. Collect all the journal articles. Stick them in a computer file or print them out, either way, collect as many as possible.
6. Examine the essay question.
7. Write the essay outline.
8. Find out half the articles are irrelevant. Work them into your essay anyway.
9. Start writing.
10. Find out that the really good book, the absolutely necessary book, is on a shelf in the library. Attempt to loan it; find out it has been reserved by another person and all the access you would've had to the book is now taken from you as it is put with the other reserved books. Really, you should've stayed in the library with it until you were done with it.
11. Fit the semi-relevant books into your essay.
12. Print your essay.
13. Identify each segment.
14. Put the segments in a reasonably decent order.
15. Rewrite your essay.
16. Spend your leftover time polishing the essay.
17. 30 seconds before the deadline, find out that your essay only marginally sticks to the original brief. Hand it in anyway.

Next time, I'm going to start early I'm going to do the same.

Tips: All-nighters

Everyone has a different opinion on all-nighters, and since I have a blog, and am pulling an all-nighter right now, I hereby claim my right to free speech to posit my opinion.

1. All-nighters are necessary.
   They are not just for when you have to hand in your essay tomorrow morning at 10 am, but every once in a while they are just good for you, in the sense that because you're sleep deprived, you'll go through the material to read much faster because you're skipping everything that makes no sense, and you have no time to fuss with flowery phrases (alliteration unintended). In a sense, it is a way to re-calibrate your reading and writing process.
2. The procrastination.
   Because you'll be inclined to put off reading that next chapter, you'll instead be doing something like cleaning out your wardrobe (which in turn allows your socks to find their long-lost siblings), finally doing your dishes, or finally doing your laundry. Or writing a blog post.
3. The calories.
   I'm not very clear on this one yet, but you clearly burn more calories sitting behind a desk, putting in effort to keep your attention on the page, than you do sleeping. Plus, in order to stay awake, you should really open up the window, letting in the cold night air, and it has been scientifically proven that shivering burns calories. Also, that walk around the block at 4am surely burns calories too. On the other hand, the amounts of coffee/cola/red bull that you drink in order to stay awake may counterbalance all this. As I said, I'm not clear on this one yet.
4. The stress and guilt.
   Being one of those persons who needs to leave tasks to the last minute in order to be able to efficiently work on it, I feel guilty in the weeks leading up to this moment because I should've spent them writing. And then I start stressing out and eventually panick, and it's when I start panicking that I realize the moment is nigh. Doing an all-nighter takes away a lot of guilt for spending afternoons watching Have I Got News For You on iPlayer. 
5. The calm.
   Everyone is sleeping. Everywhere, lights have been turned off (except in that weird house across the street that always looks a little dodgy). There you are, sitting behind your desk in your pajama and jumper, writing seriously academic stuff. If your dorm/flat is in any sense sound-proofed, now is the time to blast music and not feel weird for singing/dancing along with it. 

Tips on how to get through one:

1. Eat a decent dinner in order to prevent midnight cravings.
2. Throw open your window to let in that crisp night air.
3. Blast any other sort of music that prevents you from going to sleep (I personally like opera for this, currently have Don Giovanni on, but 80s rock also works really well for it, except that you'll want to sing along. No such problem with opera, unless you speak Italian/French/German and know the operas by heart).
4. Have caffeine on hand - the semi-healthy type, not in pill or powder form.
5. Do an occasional walk around the block.
6. Give in to procrastination, but only a little - it'll wake you right back up. 
7. Under no circumstance decide to start doing stuff in bed (all sorts).
8. After dawn, make your way to the library as soon as it opens up, so you can continue your night's work without being tempted to sleep for the day.
9. Come home just before you'd normally go to sleep, and crash. BAM, that'll also put your sleeping pattern in order again.