Dissertation

I have decided to conduct my research in Banát, Romania. Working on the research proposal, considering all of the logistics and technicalities of the trip really makes one feel like an anthropologist, an academic and a researcher. Making contacts with the locals, contacting NGOs that are active in the region, compounding a list of literature up for a review, considering the ethical implications of the research and submitting research proposal outline, all make this project stand out from anything I have ever done before. While we are quite aware that our contributions to anthropology are basically non-existent on the undergraduate dissertation level, everyone is excited to pursue their research interests, and after years of consuming academic literature, we are keen on producing something alike.

Excitement, however, is sometime exceeded by fears and doubts about the future and the success of the research. Working on a dissertation in third year brings the end of the degree much closer, and it made me realize how much I enjoy studying at the university and how I do not want my degree to end just yet. On top of that, writing a dissertation is stressful and I have never done anything like that before.