Title of research project:

Old men living alone

It was a friendly environment with researchers with good English skills. The greatest output was the cultural exchange. Things were done a bit differently, and the hierarchy was more pronounced in certain ways though quite easy going in others. I did get a bit better at the German language. It was great to get included in a few events such as a school outing in a local village with the children of one of the researchers, eating dinner at a colleague's house and going out for a few beers and a football game with fellow PhD students. It was, however, not that easy to figure out what I was supposed to do while I was there. I worked on my project in much the same way as I did in Denmark, all the time being a bit insecure if I was wasting this opportunity, and though I really appreciated the discussions with the researchers in Germany and the lunch breaks where we talked about our different projects as well as all other things going on, I should have done more in advance to secure a meaningful stay. Looking back I would have liked to work out a more detailed plan in stead of just showing up thinking that things would work out fine. It was clear that they were not too sure about what to do with me either, but they were very nice, they helped me secure accommodation, provided me with a great office space and I was introduced to a group of people who I could always contact and discuss all matters with. And it was interesting to see what theoretical approaches occupied their minds.

Title of research project:

Social resilience in schools

Title of research project:

Prosody of response tokens in Danish

People are very helpful and things worked out with agreement between AU and York. There are a number of social possibilities in the sense of societies, and it's very different from things here (there a membership fees), but there are many opportunities to develop interests if you prioritize figuring it out. I was automatically put on the mailinglist for the department, which includes several opportunities to meet others in the relevant field, and people were very welcoming. They also use Blackboard there. You don't get an office as a 'postgraduate student', but there are nice reading places for postgraduates. Campus is nice and beautiful and a good place to take a walk for a break (even if you don't live there). It is also possible to walk to the city from there.

Title of research project:

Feedback, inequality and student perspectives

I had a really nice stay at University of California, Irvine (UCI). My primer academically goal was to write on my theses and present parts of it on a 'work-in-progress'-seminar, held at UCI. I brought my family along for most of the period, and I prioritized spending time with them while discovering the country. This was fantastic, but of course, it meant I had to downscale my expectations for and engagement in the academic and social activities at the graduate/PhD school. The staff was mostly inviting and very nice. I attended loads of inspiring talks, courses, and workshop. All together, I had a very good stay abroad. It lived up to my expectations - which again weren't very high.

Title of research project:

Mortar and Plaster Production in Jerash, Jordan.

My research abroad has been split up in two different places. I have had a longer stay in Jerash, Jordan, in order to collect and study the material on which the PhD project is based on. Here I spent the time either alone or with colleagues from the excavation, and this was a great experience for me in order to get a complete overview of the material. The other place I visited was the University of Stirling, Scotland. This was in order to analyse the material collected in Jordan, and Stirling had the laboratory facilities that was necessary to complete this. The department in Stirling was very welcoming and I was offered a desk in a shared office with three post.doc students. Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to meet other PhD students or do any social activities, which could be a bit lonely at times, and also meant that I was not a part of the everyday research environment.

Title of research project:

The epistemology of higher-order evidence

During my stay at LMU, I took 4 courses in order to meet the ECTS requirements of Part A of my 4+4-programme. I learned a lot from it, but it was highly demanding, especially because I also had to work on my own research at the same time.

Title of research project:

How Interaction Designers Manage Ideas and What We Can Learn from It

I would highly recommend UCSD for a stay-abroad, but I would also encourage everyone who goes there to be confident in seeking out what they want, both social contact, academic advice, and potential collaborations. You cannot expect to be nursed. On the other hand, they highly respect you for taking initiative. Benefits: Internationally competitive research institution Phenomenal weather and beautiful area Different methodologies than I am used to from Aarhus Weekly feedback meetings Possibility to engage with both other academic institutes and industry in the area Challenges: Hierarchical organization You might be left a bit alone if you don't take initiative to seek out friends and academic support Expensive city Too good tacos and margaritas