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Grand Cayman: 9 Days in Paradise, PART 1

19th March 2020 No Comments

I started planning this spring break trip more than 8 months in advance. I knew I wanted to go somewhere in the Caribbean, but I didn’t know where exactly…

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Kertu

Kertu Tenso

Estonian-born former Parisian living in Boston, United States. 💕 Feel free to follow me on my quest for infinite travelling. ✌🏻️

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Kertu Tenso | PhD lifestyle
🎂 Happy birthday to me! 🎂 I can’t believe 🎂 Happy birthday to me! 🎂 I can’t believe that I’m 28 now. I am definitely in my late twenties now. Make it stop, haha. Did 27 even count when all of it was spent sitting at home because of the “panorama”? 😂 Here’s to a better year!
Two weeks until the end of what is probably the la Two weeks until the end of what is probably the last semester of full load of coursework of my life! 😱😀 I have taken university classes for 9 (!!!) YEARS. 4 in undergrad + 2 during my master’s + 1 during my sort of gap year + 2 now during this PhD. This is completely mind-boggling. I can’t WAIT to take the qualifying exam and then move on to my dissertation research. ❓Are you still taking classes?
Not my usual school content but I wanted to share Not my usual school content but I wanted to share these photos from my little walk yesterday. 🌸 Here’s to spring. A lovely reminder of how beautiful change can truly be.
Negative self-talk in grad school Broadly speakin Negative self-talk in grad school Broadly speaking, self-talk is any kind of inner dialogue you have with yourself that may be limiting your ability to believe in yourself and reach your potential. I don’t know about you all but I am often my biggest enemy and I get these really negative and sometimes plain mean thoughts about my value as a person and as a PhD student. It can be very stressful and discouraging. Some things that may help: 💜 remember that our thoughts aren’t always the reality 💜 it’s okay if this happens and we should be able to talk about these things 💜 if you can’t switch to a more positive language then try a more neutral one 💜 think about it like this - would you say this to your friend? 💜 think about the long term-perspective - would it matter in 5 years time? 💜 you’re not alone in this. Many PhD students, as well as junior faculty experience this PS. I am not a mental health professional so this is based on my own experiences and readings on the matter. Please see a mental health professional if you feel like your negative self-talk is really hindering your quality of life and grad school process. There is no shame in that. 💜 ❓ Do you experience negative self-talk? What do you do to combat it?
#NotJustMyPhD challenge, inspired by @agenomicsphd #NotJustMyPhD challenge, inspired by @agenomicsphd Truth be told, I have given a lot to this PhD, so much so that sometimes I forget about my life/interests/and hobbies outside of it. So, I really appreciate this challenge because it made me reflect on the other wonderful aspects of my life. PHOTOS IN ORDER: 1. From the time I lived in Paris for two years. I enjoy living in different countries and learning about different cultures. 2. I love painting. 🎨 I started when I was really young and for a while I was on the course to go to an art academy instead of regular college. 3. Traveling. 🌏 This is an obvious one. I’ve been to 28 countries and so far, Tanzania and Taiwan have been my favorite trips. This photo was taken in Taiwan. I really want to explore South America next. 4. Another one from my travels, when I lived in Egypt for 6 months. 5. I really love shopping and dressing up. Not sure if it counts as a hobby but I spend a considerable amount of time on it. 😅 6. I love fantasy/science fiction. LOTR, Harry Potter and Star Wars are some of my favorites. 🧝🏻‍♀️ 7. I love cooking Estonian food. 🇪🇪 Anything to remind me of my home is important in my book. 💙 8. And I love trying foods from all over the world. East Asian cuisines (Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean) are some of my favorites. 🍜 9. I do some freelance modeling. But recently I’ve only been in front of the camera for my IG posts. 😊 10. I love taking photos - of the city, of my travels, of other people. I have a pretty considerable camera/lens collection. 📸
Commonwealth Avenue in Spring carousel. 🌸 Wins Commonwealth Avenue in Spring carousel. 🌸 Winston Churchill praised it as “the grandest boulevard in North America”. And it truly is magnificent. Each season is distinct and beautiful in its own way, but Spring on Comm Ave feels extra special. It’s the time when the whole Back Bay part of the avenue is lined with blossoming Magnolia trees. This is my getaway from stress and studying: taking walks on Comm Ave. 🥰 I’m so lucky to get to live here. ❓Do you have a distinct season of spring where you live? What is it like there?
There’s 6000 of us here. 🥺Eternally grateful There’s 6000 of us here. 🥺Eternally grateful for all the support. ❤️ Sometimes, I feel like I am not as productive here as some other accounts that manage to post every day. So, my account grows slower, but I don’t mind it. I kind of like the size that we are at now, so I still have time to chat with you all in DMs. My only goal with regards to these numbers is to eventually get to 10k, so I can get the swipe up feature. 😅 Would be great for linking research, interesting articles, etc. ❓How long have you followed me? If you’re relatively new here, please share something about yourself. 😊 Are you a PhD student yourself, what do you study or what kind of work do you do?
I know that PhD timelines can be really different. I know that PhD timelines can be really different. It varies by country, study area, and university. For example, I know that my program is heavy on coursework. I wanted to put together this post to show what my PhD timeline is like (while also acknowledging that this can very much change). 1️⃣ Year 1: We start by taking core courses in the field of Health Services Research. In my program, we have 12 core courses. We also start engaging in research, which in my case takes place at my RA (research assistantship) position at the VA. 2️⃣ Year 2: We continue taking core courses and also take concentration area courses. For me this means 3 health economics courses + 4 math courses (extra optional courses). We also continue serving as RA on the side. Once we finish the coursework, we will take the admission to candidacy exam, which takes place in the summer after the second year. We need to pass this exam to continue with our PhD journey. 3️⃣ Year 3: After taking the ACE, we are officially PhD candidates. We start forming our dissertation committee and submit a dissertation topic approval form. Once this is approved, we start developing our dissertation proposal which will then need to be defended. Meanwhile, we continue RA work. 4️⃣ Year 4: We continue working on our dissertation, present our progress and fill progress reports. We also continue RA work. 5️⃣ Year 5: Finish the dissertation and wrap up RA work. Last step is to defend the dissertation and submit it. Then it’s party time. 🎉 ❓Is your timeline similar to mine?
Shared a pretty personal moment with you all in my Shared a pretty personal moment with you all in my stories yesterday. Many of you could relate and many of you sent me the kindest messages. Thank you. ❤️ This online community is what keeps me going during tough times. I’m going to keep going and try to find joy in the little things - like the approaching spring and blooming Magnolias. Hopefully, I will be reunited with my family and home country sometime this year. 🙏🏻🇪🇪
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