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<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" size=2>Dear
friends</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman"
size=2></FONT></STRONG><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>we had a PhD
course in May where one of the participants, Bente Bakmand, from our university,
started her presentation of her thesis with the poem below. i thought it was so
wonderful that I wanted to share it with others. Bente had no objections (and if
anybody wants to publish it, that would be OK too - just contact Bente, address
below). It is below in text form. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did - it
certainly shows that the doubts about oneself are universal, regardless of how
brilliant one is - and should also make us oldies reflect on how to support
people more.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2></FONT></STRONG><STRONG><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=2>Tove</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" size=2>Dr Tove
Skutnabb-Kangas & Dr Robert Phillipson<BR>HOME: Trønninge Mose 3,
DK-4420 Regstrup, Denmark, <BR>phone 45-59-26 44 12, email <<A
href="mailto:skutnabb-kangas@vip.cybercity.dk">skutnabb-kangas@vip.cybercity.dk</A>>.<BR>WORK:
Roskilde University, Dept of Languages and Culture, 3.2.4., <BR>P.O.Box 260,
DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark, phone 45-46-74 27 40, <BR>fax 45-46-74 30 61,
emails <<A href="mailto:tovesk@ruc.dk">tovesk@ruc.dk</A>>; <<A
href="mailto:robert@ruc.dk">robert@ruc.dk</A>>; <BR>home pages <<A
href="http://babel.ruc.dk/~tovesku/">http://babel.ruc.dk/~tovesku/</A>>;
<<A
href="http://babel.ruc.dk/~robert/">http://babel.ruc.dk/~robert/</A>></FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman"
size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman"
size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" size=2>Before it all
collapses: A look into one phase of a PhD-process<BR>Bente
Bakmand</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman"
size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" size=2><BR>Sitting at
the foot of a mountain<BR>a charmless one<BR>massive, impossible to see
through<BR>high like heaven, and steep as a fortress<BR>slippery like ice and
full of pitfalls<BR>not possible to climb</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman"
size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" size=2>But I have to
cross<BR>I have said it<BR>it is expected from me</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman"
size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" size=2>No-one knows how
high it is, how slippery, how steep <BR>they think I am standing there, on
top<BR>looking right into the future<BR>because I'm so good at telling about the
view<BR>as if I already knew it <BR>about hardships and dark phases <BR>as
if they were things of the past<BR>as if I were well on my way
</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman"
size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" size=2>But I have not
even started<BR>just been warming up a little<BR>I lack the most basic
prerequisites<BR>the right shoes, the rucksack, the whole equipment<BR>the right
attitude</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman"
size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" size=2>Maybe I could do
without?<BR>Find a shortcut<BR>pretend<BR>fool them all<BR>supervisor,
committee, colleagues<BR>copy, paste, take over a very long bibliography <BR>and
mix together an appropriate set of notes</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman"
size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" size=2>Or... what if
there IS a path anyway?<BR>Suppose this mountain is not as slippery as I
believe<BR>suppose I am on my way<BR>could they be alright, my shoes<BR>if only
I polish them a little<BR>what if the equipment need not be that fancy after
all<BR>a couple of modifications, a few additions<BR>a deep breath, one last
effort<BR>and I will be there???</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman"
size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" size=2>I could of course
also just walk off <BR>let mountains be mountains and rest in peace<BR>if only I
could be sure<BR>that I would find peace then<BR>and find the right niche for
myself <BR>in an utterly different place<BR>far away from this
world.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman"
size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman" size=2><BR>Bente Bakmand
is a doctoral student at the University of Roskilde, Department of Languages and
Cultures (<A href="mailto:bakmand@babel.ruc.dk">bakmand@babel.ruc.dk</A>), and
is expecting to finish her thesis on Language Planning and Foreign Language
Teaching in Denmark and France this summer (2000). This poem was written in
October 1999.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#000000 face="Times New Roman"
size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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