Being a PhD student has many perks, but perhaps one of the best is being funded (thank you very much to the School of Arts and Humanities’ Small Grants for Research Students scheme!) to travel abroad for research and conferences. Last week, I travelled to Madrid for my first conference abroad: the ‘First Colloquium of Young Researchers in Latin American Literature’ at the Universidad Complutense, Madrid. Between enjoying the sunshine, visiting the Reina Sofia gallery and eating about 50 different types of ham, I had an amazing time meeting other young researchers who shared my exact interests, building my network and learning so much from them.
When the time for my presentation came, I was extremely nervous as it’s the first time that I’ve had to present in Spanish in front of an almost entirely Spanish-speaking crowd. Then when Eduardo Sánchez Rugeles, the author of the book I was about to talk about (Blue Label/Etiqueta Azul) walked in, nerves turned to terror, as I panicked that he would hate everything I said. Thankfully, the presentation went very well and he seemed to really enjoy it – more than anything he was shocked and grateful that someone from England would care so much about his work! He had also very kindly brought me a copy of his latest book, which I had desperately wanted for months.
Later that evening, another of my favourite authors, Juan Carlos Méndez Guédez, came to finish the conference with a reading from his latest book and a Q+A session. I got a free book from him too, as well as a chance to discuss his writing and my translations of his work.
So I returned to England with two books, lots of new Latin American literature enthusiast friends, key insights for my research and even a bit of a tan – bring on the next conference!
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