In these difficult times, when we are surrounded with sad news coming from all over the world and especially Italy (where I am currently completing my PhD) which has been one of the countries most affected by the pandemic, it is difficult to stay positive and see the silvering of the current situation. Many of us can agree that completing a PhD under normal circumstances is stressful, so what happens when la dolce vita takes a drastic turn and your research becomes affected in a new and unfamiliar way? Well, actually the answer I hear the most often, is that no one actually knows. So instead of worrying about things that are out of our control and focusing on the negative aspects of navigating the uncertain waters of work and life and that sunny holiday everyone had seem to be planning being cancelled, I would like to share the good things happening right now all around us. 
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​The UK has been the third country I moved to within 2018.
Although I grew up in Vienna I have never really lived in the same place for more than 2 years since I was 15. 
After spending a few months in Boston after medical school, I moved to Vienna to start my residency there. But after a few months of working, and to my own surprise, I got an offer for my current PhD position in London. 
Although I really enjoyed my previous job, working with a lovely team and spending some time in the city I grew up in, I didn’t need to think about it twice: I accepted the offer, quit my job and moved to the UK for this once in a lifetime opportunity!

Chilean Ob-Gyn starting a PhD at KU Leuven, Belgium.
31 YO, married, first kid on the way. 
 
You have been accepted, congratulations! - Now, what?
Here are some tips to get you started with the non-academic aspects of your new project

On the 4th of September 2018, after living for 4 years in Birmingham, my boyfriend and I left England and flew across the English Channel (or French, depending on which side you ask!) to start our new adventure in Paris. The first weeks, we were dazzled by the beauty of this city. Every corner you turn, you can admire the architecture of the flats all around, with those small chimneys that make you feel like you have been transported to Les Aristochats; the Seine is a breath of fresh air at the heart of the city, the trees run all across the streets and if it is a clear day, you can see everything turning to a pink hue at sunset. We discovered the joys of French cheese, with more than 400 varieties, and French boulangeries (bakeries), where I learnt my first important words “Je vais prendre une tartelette au citron meringuée, s’il vous plait”.  ​