Tag Archives: student

Funeral phone confiscation (Rousse)

Posted on July 12, 2021 by Dreamaticus

After a young student died while resident at the Manor House at the University of Birmingham, TPR and I were despatched to London to attend his funeral. The memorial event itself was for a random selection of the recently deceased, … Continue reading →

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The loneliness of a PhD student in COVID times (Rousse)

Posted on July 12, 2021 by Dreamaticus

It was a lonely life as a PhD student, especially during COVID times when I both lived and worked all by myself in the marble columned museum.

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Front half Volvo dumping (Rousse)

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Dreamaticus

We shouldn’t have invited our posh friends round for drinks in our yard when pandemic restrictions were still in force. Ignoring all the rules, they decided to stay overnight inside our flat afterwards. In the morning I found a bunch … Continue reading →

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The draw of Guatemala (Rousse)

Posted on April 10, 2021 by Dreamaticus

The garden of my great-grandparents’ house was crammed with people I knew, from TPR’s sunbathing ex-colleagues to my board gaming PhD students. The latter group was my target. I promised them the full experience of the mess and quirkiness of … Continue reading →

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Cake, china cabinets, and Charles Dickens (Rousse)

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Dreamaticus

When LM and I returned to campus, we were shocked at the neglect that it had suffered in the past year. We hoped that the new students would not be disappointed with their choice of university. Whatever their opinion of … Continue reading →

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Luxury highland hotel coincidence (Rousse)

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Dreamaticus

We had cycled for miles, mainly powered by TPR at the front of our tandem. Eventually we reached the tatty high street of a once-prosperous highland town. It would have attracted tourists in another age; now it looked very forlorn. … Continue reading →

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Lost in Edinburgh with lacrosse at the castle (Rousse)

Posted on February 3, 2021 by Dreamaticus

The University chauffeur drove us through the Edinburgh Streets in the posh yellow car. This was extraordinary service for the two PhD students beside me. That said, the chauffeur obviously didn’t know the city that well when he took a … Continue reading →

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Back to school (Rousse)

Posted on October 4, 2020 by Dreamaticus

It was a busy time on the University campus. BD was over from Canada, actually attempting to leave, but forever being dragged into new projects. Even Belle took a punt at signing him up for some madcap scheme of hers. … Continue reading →

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Seeking student accommodation during a pandemic (Rousse)

Posted on September 29, 2020 by Dreamaticus

Indian student Bhopal chose my flat for his lockdown accommodation. We barely noticed him as he hid in our study for two weeks. He might have even been ill in this period. If so, we never knew. One day Bhopal … Continue reading →

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Unwelcome guests and a Christmas party assault (Rousse)

Posted on September 24, 2020 by Dreamaticus

Two of the most popular guests were missing from our super-early Christmas party. Instead of joining us in person for sausages and Champagne, BP and her new husband SF communicated to us (and the world) from their bedroom as they … Continue reading →

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