A few words from Vera Fabinyi
Could you introduce yourself briefly? Tell us a few things about your background, studies, and general interests.
I was raised in a small town in Southern Germany and lived after finishing school in different parts of the country. For my Bachelor´s thesis I looked at creative industries and their relation to urban development, which made me concentrate on Urban studies and Design for my Master´s. This pretty much reflects my general interests. On the one hand cultural and creative milieus and communities from a sociological perspective, but on the other hand socio-spatial production, how places evolve, change and are interwoven in political struggles. But also in my private life I enjoy to explore cities, being soaked up by city life and experience different faces of places.
How was your moving to your new home? How are things going for you in your new place?
I guess to me moving to a new place has always two sites. On the one hand exhausting in terms of moving all your stuff again and saying goodbye to your loved ones. But on the other hand also it is also existing to open a new chapter and to experience a new place, people and culture. All in all it went quiet smooth, I´d say. I immediately felt comfortable in Athens. In addition, being situated with other three lovely ESRs made the arrival much easier. It does not only help workwise, but also to get through all the bureaucratic processes and of course experiencing new places together.
You are preparing for your Work Package meeting, how is your work going?
It is going ok, I guess. There are many different angles to look at the topic, but I try to sharpen my focus and argument now and try to look for possible concepts I can draw on. Nevertheless, there is still plenty to read and to think of.
Could you share with us some key insights/ “aha moments” from your work so far?
I guess bigger aha moments will occur during my field research really. But so far, I had some enlightening moments after talking with the other ESRs and my supervisor about my first written pieces. Especially reading about discussion regarding EU Cohesion Policy and regional development strategies gave me some new perspective on the effects on regions. It also feels like a aha moment when you come across a paper that refers to the issues you are looking for and gives you a new perspective on the topic.
What do you expect from the WP meeting?
I expect to have an update and more concrete insights what the others are working on, which might also bring my own research further or will open up opportunities for collaboration. In addition, I hope for a good discussion on my topic and some further recommendations what I might have to consider more or let go. I also think it will help on clearing my mind a bit more by discussing the status quo with both supervisors and the other ESRs.
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