Columbia University

LiA Project Field Journal Week 5 - Kira Ratan

When I think about everything I've learned these last five weeks, I think learning to create structure/shape a vision for myself and my work has definitely been vital in not getting overwhelmed and building a routine in an unfamiliar place. I came to Utrecht entirely on my own and without a concrete work plan in place. I found this opportunity independently, so knew I wouldn't have a cohort to support me or a strict program schedule to stick to. That made adjusting really hard (though it also made aligning the work to what I was interested in a bit easier). Having to plan out my work and the different projects/tasks I was assigned to work on all by myself was definitely a skill I hadn't fully developed yet, and I feel has made me a lot more confident in being entirely independent. Of course, I had help, and I am especially grateful to two of the professors I worked with, Tina Stavrinaki and Julie Fraser, who were not only welcoming and eager to have me contribute to their ongoing projects at the Institute of Human Rights, but also went out of their way to help provide some structure and opportunities for me to engage in academic discussions through lectures, book talks, and even PhD defenses, in addition to setting up chances to meet students socially. Because of them, I had the chance to supplement my independent contributions to their work by attending talks about the new international legal standards of ecocide, book talks on Dutch colonialism, and learn about dissertations on the impacts of shipping regulations in international climate law. Because of them, I not only feel more connected to the work that I've contributed to here, but the university community in Utrecht more broadly.