Greetings from the Republic of Cyprus! For those of you who are geography challenged, Cyprus is south of Turkey. They claimed their independence from the UK in 1960, and their official languages are Greek and Turkish.

The island is warm, friendly, and surrounded by the Mediterranian, so I am a happy happy happy girl. I came here to write my discussion chapter and attempt to get my life back in order. I have been calling this holiday operation tan lines. I have the tan lines, but I am no closer to getting the discussion chapter done than I was when I was in Edinburgh. I’m starting to get a little bit stressed about that.

I do not like to be stressed when I am at the beach.

For the past three days, I have not felt tired, I have not had a headache, not been grouchy, and not been cold. These are all things that should make for a successful writing environment. I know what I need to write, but I am having a really hard time putting the words on the page. I’m afraid that once my supervisors read my draft they will tell me it is wrong. I’m afraid that I am getting one step closer to completing the thesis and I still don’t have a job. I’m afraid that something is going to happen and the chance to finish is going to be taken from me again. I’m afraid that I am just not good enough.

Today I sat in the rain in Coral Bay Beach. I was under an umbrella and staying mostly dry, and for the most part still happy. Of course, that could have been the watermelon ice cream. Before the rain, I enjoyed a swim in the sea and the heat of the sun on my already sunburned body. I was relaxed. I was happy. I managed to drive us there in the rental car without killing anyone.

I’m not sure that I would have ever come here on my own, but I am really happy that I did. There is a very relaxed feel to the island. The people are friendly and used to dealing with tourists, and because it is such a hotspot destination for Brits, just about everyone here understands English.

Now that I am sitting on my bed in the hotel though, I am feeling very anxious about the few words I put on the page today, and feel stressed that I am going to have another bad meeting with my supervisors when I return to Edinburgh. Maybe I’ll just camp out here and never go home. You certainly can’t beat the views. When I get myself properly organised and settled (I got back at 3 am this morning) I will do a better job of sharing all the great things that me and the fellow llama got see.

 

I started writing this 4 days ago. I never finished. The internet was spotty and I could feel myself snapping back to old Kim. You can see that I was successful with the tan lines, and the place was beautiful, but the writing is slow and I am not sure how to get back in a productive streak with that. Luckily once I survive this week I will be off the Antwerp for a conference. I am presenting a poster, but I am excited to see what other research is being done by early career researchers in Europe.

I’m also hoping that someone will offer me a job.