Meet the Blogger: Adriana Alcaraz

Another new Blogger here!

I’m Adriana and I’m a part-time MPhil candidate in Philosophy. Like many of you, I enjoy sleeping, but what really fascinates me are some of the experiences we have when we sleep: dreams. My research lies on the topic of the nature of consciousness by considering how subjective experience takes places during sleep. I work in the intersection between Philosophy and Psychology, and if you’re interested, you can find some of my work on my website. I’m always super happy to talk about my research so if you want to know more, drop me a line!

I’m originally from Barcelona and after finishing my MA in Cognitive Science, I started my journey up to the North with a two-year stop in the hustle and bustle of the exciting (and stressful) London, where I had various jobs (but that’s a different story). After that stressful period, now I’m enjoying a peaceful life in the West End of Glasgow! I always thought I was a city-woman , but after discovering the Glaswegian woods, I need nature in my life (my theory is that this is a consequence of getting old...).

This is my neighbour Alfie. He loves to be stroked

On top of my part-time research, I have four different jobs (more on this can be found on my previous post and I new one I’m preparing). My friends wonder how I have time for everything, but I like to stay busy and like to think I’ve mastered the art of time management. On the rare occasions when I happen to be free, I like to walk beside the Kelvin and feed the squirrels or see if I can be lucky enough to spot some of the elusive foxes. I also love art, discovering new places and taking pictures— which is is pretty much reflected on my Flickr account.

Squirrels also like to eat grapes! (And I do like to take pictures with them!)

Since arriving at UofG last year, I’ve been impressed by the strong community here. Early on I stumbled across the PGR blog, and I loved to read about other peers struggling with the same things as me (as they say in Spain, mal de muchos, consuelo de tontos, which roughly translates as: misery loves company). This has been particularly helpful for my research and my mental health; while researching involves a lot of time spent alone, the fact that I feel part of a community prevents me from feeling lonely. Sharing an office with 6 other people helps too, they are the perfect peer-support group for sharing my ups and downs! Now, here I am, eager to start writing about my experiences and sharing them with you!