From isolation to cross-cultural collaboration: My international PhD journey as tauiwi

Abstract

This reflective piece is about my journey as an international PhD candidate from the UK to Aotearoa (New Zealand). I speak about my search to try and find a sense of belonging as an outsider and some of the challenges in doing community-focused research as an early career researcher from elsewhere. This piece includes key challenges of building networks, collaboration and overcoming the death of my father, half-way through my PhD. I speak about a toolkit of strength and resilience I had to create and now use in the support of my students and peers as a lecturer in education during the pandemic. This piece is about finding kindness and compassion in myself and receiving it from others to help with isolation in difficult times.