Is Ph.D. important for you?

I was asked by many friends and colleagues, "how did you start your Ph.D in Netherlands? "how did you get scholarship?"

Before I asked those question and share my experience, there are several questions for your self to be answered; e.g. Why do I want to get a Ph.D. degree? Is Ph.D. important for you? Is researcher or scientist is your long term goal? Do I have enough capability to pursue Ph.D. study? Those questions arise since Ph.D. study is a hard way (for many people, I suppose).

I've tried many ways and possibilities to find university and scholarships. I intended to pursue graduate study abroad since long time ago. I’ve learn that each donor agency has its own rules and regulations which have to be followed by the applicant.

What did I do prior to pursue Ph.D. study?

1. Define subject
2. Used search engine (subject, university, adviser/supervisor, rules/regulations)
3. Communicate with good references, scientists, and others
4. Networking (active in international seminar/congress/meeting)

Fund is one of the main constraints of study. My Ph.D. study was not secure without research grant. I’ve submitted the proposal to many donors. We can use search engine and information about fund raising and donor possibility. It is my lucky to work with some international institution at the same time. Learning is a never-ending process. I’ve been learning that working with international institution improve my skill and knowledge, better insight, wider perspective, horizon and networking. This is a long way to pursue Ph.D. study, which needs everlasting effort, spirit and hard work.

Winter season

This week Utrecht (and all Hollands) started chilling. Dingin membeku, pepohonan di selimuti salju jadi putih seperti ditaburi kapas. Indah... I enjoy it along the way from home to de Uithof. This remind me when I was an undergraduate student in IPB (Bogor Agriculture University); there was about 3 big 'kapok' trees (Ceiba pentandra) grew in Taman Koleksi or Takol (Collection garden/yard), in campus Baranang Siang. When fruiting 'Kapok' season came, the kapoks were blown by winds. They spread on the ground and cover the grasses in the campus yard. It's really look like snow ice from far. We were happy and imagining that we were in the winter season somewhere abroad.. ha..ha.. :-)

I was here in winter in the year of 2004. Walau bukan kali pertama mengalami winter di negeri Belanda, tapi tetap saja salju masih menarik perhatianku (maklum.. dari negeri di garis ekuator). The only one snowy area in Indonesia is the peak of Cartens mountain, the highest mountain in Papua. We called puncak Jaya Wijaya in Bahasa Indonesia. I was told (do not know exactly), the snow ice there is melted due to global climate change. But.. at this time, I don't want to write about climate change, though I do care on this issue.

Holiday season is coming.. Happy holiday...

The weather and the words

Last Tuesday, December 11st, 2007, was the last day of Dutch lesson (level 1). A week before, mevrow Ria de Laat (our teacher) gave us a short article written by Kader Abdolah (a famous writer) entitle 'Het weer en het word'. It is a good and funny story about weather and Ducth languange. Up to now, my Dutch doesn't improve well. My daughter speaks Dutch better than I do.

The following is the translation. I didn't translate it by myself, but a software help me to do so. Afterwards, my colleague and friend at CBS, a Maroccan guy who speak Dutch fluently, corrected the translation. Dank u well, Jamal.

Happy reading...

The weather and the words
(Het weer en het word)
By: Kader Abdolah


You asked me last time if I would like to write to you about the Netherlands. Now everybody is happy with the proposed yearly government budget, I make some spaces and write you over two total different affairs: the weather and the Dutch language.
You still climb the mountains, I suppose. I do not. When I came here, I weared a pair training shoes. Seven and half year I walked continuously in the rain, in the cold and in the sun with the trims-group of the village, but every turn again I hesitate what I must pull on. A long training pants with jacket? Without jacket? An under sport shirt ? Thick? Thin? No, you do never learn it. It is somewhat peculiar. I listen to the weather report, go even outside to stand: Good weather. It does not blow. O.K., I pull a short pant on.'

I run to the work, but I see that everybody has a long training pants and a wind jacket. On the way it begins to blow a cold wind there. Once at home I go to bed.

I do not need to tell that if I wear a long training pants with training jacket, each then with a short pant on come days. Rarely, I do guess well. On a time that it a mass dark clouds in the air hung, I really didn’t know what I should do. Because: I did no longer want to race as the black sheep in the middle of the group. I went firstly outside and looked what the others put on. A trim mate runs along. He had on a training-pants and a training jacket.
‘Do you not run tonight?’ he mentioned. 'Yes of course. I directly wear my clothes.’
Well dressed I run to the trim. Everybody had good packed up same as I against the cold. Only as soon as the trainer whistled to begin, everybody pulled its warm-up suit out and began to walk in a short-pant. I didn’t. I could not. I had no short-pant under my training pants.
‘Have you not felt warm?' asked the trainer. 'No, of course not', I lied. ‘I am used to do it. I can against well.’

The hesitation that I have is not only with the weather, but also with the language. The Dutch language is also something unique in the language field. You must drink it with the breast milk; otherwise you never learn it perfectly. As a foreigner, you can go well shopping after single weeks. ‘May I have a kilo potato?' Then that get you well. Also you can read after a year with a Jip and Janneke dictionary. You understand the story, but you do not feel it totally.

If you live eight year in the Netherlands, you still always hold your words under the molars and you speak them with hesitation. You always fearful that you use a wrong article, that you set your stress on a wrong part. (That) you pronounce a long ij shortly. And a short o too long stretches. And yet, you always have problems with ‘ui’s and eu’s. I still can not pronounce well the word schreeuwen. Hollanders also have a difficult small word, the word 'er'. If you have thirteen 'er' -and, you can place them in six good (position), but with the rest, you remain sit. The Dutch language is the language of the Dutchmen. If you as disguise Dutchman, everybody knows that you do not have a short-pants under your training-pants as soon as you do open your mouth.

Sinterklaas

“Zie ginds komt de stoomboot uit Spanje weer aan.

Hij brengt on Sint-Nicolaas, ik zie hem al staan.

Hoe huppelt zijn paardje het dek op en neer,

Hoe waaien de wimples al heen en al weer”

Dutch celebrate Sinterklaas in December 5th. People sing the song of "Zie ginds komt de stoomboot".

History

Saint Nicholas of the Christian church was a 4th century Bishop of Asia Minor (now Turkey ). Very little is known about him but he was credited with miracles and over the centuries many legends have grown up around his activities. He is said to have made extensive pilgrimages and he has thus become the patron saint of sailors and travelers. According to one legend he picked up a shipload of fruit from Spain and delivered it to starving people in villages of the Low Countries . From legends such as these the Dutch tradition has arisen with the feast of this saint becoming centered primarily on children.

Sinterklaas gathering

Today’s children are told that Sinterklaas arrives each year in November on a steamboat that comes from Spain and that he then rides at night on a white horse over the rooftops distributing gifts. In the week prior to December 5th small children, before they go to bed, now put out their shoes, usually filled with carrots for Sinterklaas’ horse and notes with gift suggestions. If the children have been good, they find next morning that Zwarte Piet has replaced the carrot with sweets, for example ‘pepernoten’ (small spice biscuits), or a similar small gift. During the night of December 4th there is one last visit with the big present which children find on the morning of December 5th. However, if the children have been naughty Zwarte Piet will have bundled them into his sack to take back to Spain .

A child said that he would be happy if Sint and Zwarte Piets take him back to Italy, so that he would be naughty... :)

Peopla may hire actors as Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piets and invite them to come home and gathering party at home.Children get presents from parents and relatives, and adults exchange present in the evening party. Various cakes and sweets presents in this celebration, such as: pepernoot, spekulaas with amandel, chocolate letter, spoorbanket, marziepan, etc. Allemal is lekker! When Sinterklaas and Piets go away and party ending, people will sing this song: "Dag Sinterklaas".

“Dag, Sinterklaasje,

Daag, daag, daag, daag, Zwarte Piet.

Dag, Sinterklaasje,

Daag, daag, luister naar ons afscheidslied”