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The quarantine stories, part II: Finding Joy
You are not quite sure when you have forgotten how joy looks like. You try as hard as possible to remember, but this comes to your mind: exponential-growth curves. Masks. Hands. Soap. Hand sanitizer. Aerosols. Distance. Social distancing. One meter, two meters. Social isolation. Alone. Even when living with someone. Lonely. Where is my joy? – you ask yourself.
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The quarantine stories, part 1: Love in the time of corona
All happy relationships are alike; each unhappy relationship is unhappy in its own way. – Leo Tolstoy Tolstoy actually talks about families, but this is irrelevant now. For what I am about to tell you, the quote would serve me better if it said “relationships” instead of “families”. My literary ingeniousness thinks I have the right to alter quotes from Tolstoy, so please do not disagree. Here is why I need this quote. I consider my relationship with Felix a happy one. Of course, we have our challenges; I sometimes shout hysterically at him to get the f*ck away from me, and he sometimes tells me I am a crazy…
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Human behavior and the spreading of the coronavirus
We all share this deep-rooted idea that if you threaten people, if fear is induced, it will get them to act. It seems like a really reasonable assumption. Except, science shows that warnings have very limited impact on behavior. - Prof. Tali Sharot
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When your best friend leaves you
You crave for a spring in your existence, you try to forget what you desire and focus on what you need, you leave your story unwritten, muted, suffocated, under the mixed pressure of expectations and fears...
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8th of March: celebration of women or a reminder of a still-present gender inequality?
I must have been in my seventh or eight grade when I received a flower for the first time in my life for the 8th of March. A boy in my school approached me and gave me a rose while mumbling “Happy 8th of March”. Instead of “thank you, that is very kind of you”, I said “please give it to a teacher, I am neither a woman nor a mother”. I wish I understood the importance of celebrating this day back then a bit more. Also, I wish I got the chance to thank him properly and to tell him that it is wonderful that he is recognizing the…
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When hopes collide with reality: what did I learn from having a blog?
Deciding to put myself out there, means that I am putting efforts into building something of my own. Not really a product, but maybe a mild version of a brand. Although the focus is still on the writing, I am shifting from the "diary" to the "book" mindset. And books are made to be read by more people other than their author.
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Searching for a PhD position in Germany? Here is what you need to know
A while ago, I did an interview with a friend of mine on the topic of: (finding a) PhD position in Germany. The interview is available later in this post. Nevertheless, as a first and the most important side remark - keep on reading and watch the interview if you are interested in: why should I go for a PhD position in Germany, eligibility criteria, scholarships and funding, what comes after the PhD, and so much more.
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Ten years in fifteen minutes
I notice people my age all around me being perplexed: not only in the field of Physics, but everywhere. On the one hand, millennials bridged the gap of a world without technology to a world fully dependent on one. They left the World with closed borders and entered a globalized one that gives the promise you can go anywhere and do anything. Yet, all of these chances seem to paralyze many of us. Confronted by the infinite number of scenarios, we end up staring in the mirror and realizing we are just confused. We end up asking ourselves: why is everyone doing so well, but I cannot seem to figure…
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Top sights in Delhi through pictures
If I need to choose the top sights in Delhi, then I would definitely opt for the four architectural masterpieces: Red Fort, Humayun's Tomb, Jama Masjid Mosque, and Qutub Minar. Focusing on these four monuments does not mean that Delhi fails to provide its visitors with sights to admire. Nevertheless, I am choosing these four monuments as my top sites in Delhi since they truly are architecturally stunning.
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A whole world in one city: Delhi, India
As you walk by the colorful shops and busy markets and narrow streets and lavish temples - you realize that the crowd has its own language. I do not mean language like English, or German, or Hindi. It is more like a distant echo in the mountains, or a mixture of music beats from bars on a beach. The streets are filed with some kind of whispers - angry ones, happy ones, inviting ones - but together they remind me of humming birds or buzzing bees. All the words vanish in the air. We are left with a cocktail of sounds and letters, while all the individual emotions and messages…
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