Pompeii 2016

In October 2016 I booked a last minute vacation to Pompeii, a place I have been intrigued by for many years. I travelled alone and stayed in a lovely bed and breakfast within walking distance of the Pompeii archeological site.

I met many cats during that trip, sunning themselves on ruins of Roman archeological sites or watching me eat alone at restaurants. The seeds of my PhD idea were sown by interacting with these cats, although they did not germinate for several years.

I had just begun my anthrozoology studies, and it was here in the shadow of Vesuvius that I read the assigned readings for my first tutorial. I sat outside under a setting sun with my laptop and a cold beer, and became an anthrozoologist!  

The decision to apply to the MA through Exeter was taken earlier that year. I was searching for something. I was not sure what exactly, but I found it. I did the MA for myself. It was my hobby and I studied for enjoyment rather than high grades or potential career opportunities. My day job was unfulfilling and I was increasingly feeling like a failure, but my AZ studies helped me feel good about myself. During my second year I began to realise I did not want my foray into anthrozoological research to end there. Of course the PhD route is not the only path, but for me it felt like the right one.