Thursday 12 February 2009

Acknowledgements

Because life is short and full of surprises, I did write an acknowledgements section for my upgrade report. Because appearing to be the drama queen that I am to my examiners is not the wisest thing in the world, I’m not going to include it. But here it is.


Acknowledgements

 

So, in chronological order, I would like to thank:

My Grandparents: I do apologize for remaining single and continuing to paint my nails red, but I am hoping that from where you are right now, you can see that I’m trying to do good otherwise. My Parents: For being my ongoing teacher transformation project. For your unconditional love, for your courage, your insecurities and your patience. My Brother: for loving me in the best-hidden ways and for the expensive gifts that I would never buy myself.

All the numerous members of my big-fat-Greek-Cypriot family: you have kept me in your hearts and minds despite my years of absence, my radicalism and my moods. I will always feel like the youngest and the most favourite family member because of you. Thank you for bringing to my world lots of little guys and girls, thank you for letting me brainwash them into believing that I am the best aunt in the world. Thank you for the spoiling, thank you for being my home. Special thanks go to my cousin SP – for allowing me to feel as unique as in no-one else’s life. My friends in Cyprus – who I no longer distinguish from family members: MZ, AML, and MP: you have endured with me everything, from the start. ZC: you are the sister I never had. ES: for the shopping therapies and your laughter and your understanding. IS: for loving the colour purple. SZ: for all your respect in our disagreements, for your patience; even for the sleepwalking scares! All of you: for making it so difficult to find the words to say thank you.

PD: for being my first supervisor, supporter, and model to follow. I have been honored to be your rising star student. The heavily tattooed Turkish-Cypriot owner of the fried chicken place across Goldsmiths College library: for being the first Other I had met in my life. It was November 2005. TR: for being the first to teach me that waxing is a form of oppression. For making that ride on a 171 bus, on 9th June 2006, the most unforgettable birthday of my life. FB: for the peanut butter and chocolate birthday cake you baked on that same birthday. For your pure love and friendship and unique beauty and the surprise packs from far-away that keep arriving. TD: for using words like no other. For your sweetness, your intelligence, your sarcasm. For Athens.

HS: for your patience with my looooong sentences, my unedited papers, my freakouts, my lateness, my disagreements; for your stylistic corrections and your suggestions and the confidence building and the support and the opportunities; and, of course, for the parties at the Big Ben.

NT: for believing in me from the first moment; for the opportunities and the encouragement. For reading my drafts and reminding me that life is a draft. CM: for unconditionally giving me helpful feedback in all love, academic, and existential dilemmas in my life, for all our Sunday email exchanges and your humour.

ALP: for baking bread in the middle of the night and for the birthday treasure hunts and the fairytale in my life. For spoiling the child in me. RSW: for sharing your life-theory of generosity in principle and in practice; for your wisdom, your dresses, your support. Both of them: for everything that went on in the house with the purple door.

PC: for your love, for Sarajevo, for the looooong lunches at the Italian sandwich place and the dinners at Masala Zone. BA: for the touch of spice in my life, for the lasagna dinners and for being my one and only older, academic, all-time-favourite brother. HG: for the endless days and nights in the Goodenough library. For never forgetting at which point of the conversation we were left and always reminding me what I was talking about 3 minutes ago. CC: for the comfort when I needed it and all the new realizations you brought into my life. AA: for the unexpected PhD penguin-hugs and all the support. DA: for breaking all my stereotypes around the notion of ‘the Cypriot male’. AM: for pointing out that I cook in a very ‘white’ way. Until that evening in the Goodenough kitchen in April 2008, I was not aware of what it feels like to be ‘racialized’. RC: for being so much more mature than your age, for keeping me grounded, and for the military-style tough love. EM: for the endless discussions on theories of ‘race', boys, nation and Greekness, and for the wine in the coolest plastic glasses.

To the unsuitable men in my path: for all the mistakes and the love. For being a reminder of how impossible intercultural relationships can be and that my plans to change the world have limits; but that they are, nevertheless, worth pursuing.

To the suitable one: hurry up, I’m bored of waiting.

Be well, all. I’ll need you again. Next time, the acknowledgements are going to be included.

Followers