When Butterflies Fly in Majestic Formation August 11, 2008
Posted by Diadem in : Lessons in life , 3comments
My hands froze. My knees trembled. Butterflies in my stomach refused to fly in formation. I felt that my heart was in my throat! I could almost hear the strong lob dub, lob dub, lob dub!
No, I didn’t see a ghost or met an accident…I just presented my pre-fieldwork paper, a research proposal with extensive literature review, a strong theoretical framework, hypothesis, and detailed methodology in answering a valid problem.
This may sound “absurd” to others, but to me, this was a big challenge because I presented my paper at the Australian National University among anthropology professors with diverse experience in this field and PhD students from different parts of the world.
The audience made me so nervous even days before my presentation. I was not so confident because up to now, I don’t consider myself knowledgeable in anthropology. It’s exactly six months now that I am doing my PhD in anthropology. I knew also my limitations in Shakespeare’s language. I always tell people that I am better read than heard. This may be because I am afraid of public speaking, more so before an international audience. (more…)