Not my fastest swim, but v proud that it was my longest. 🥇And really chuffed to be improving my technique 🏊‍♀️

Sport teaches us lessons for life. Sometimes it isn’t about going faster - it’s about going further & stronger.

(Yes, I have to write down my intervals on my hand 🤣)

Moving on to a grown up Arabic textbook today 🤯 Experience has been much sweetened by some Libyan مقروض (makroud) - little sugar cookies filled with dates and nuts. I am seriously worried that my teeth are going to fall out by the end of my posting 🤣

I passed my PhD viva two years ago today 🤯 And although the post-viva party was fun and the graduation was great, the finish line wasn’t the achievement. The real achievement was discovering the discomfort of growth 🐛 🦋📈 (1/4) #AcademicChatter

I’m not sure if I can remember life without Nigella Lawson’s fish finger bhorta, and I’m not sure I want to. Fiery, mustardy and salty. Served with yellow rice.

We often think that progress is linear, and that setbacks mean we aren’t really getting better. In reality, setbacks (or failures, or whatever you want to call them) are part of progress. You have to get knocked down a few times to discover your weaknesses and correct them.

These pics have really helped me with the challenge of learning a language. 1-1 classes mean that you spend a lot of time in your own head. It’s so important to zoom out and see the hard times in more context. They’re not failures or setbacks - they’re just bumps on the road 😎

Catherine Maguire | كاثرين ماغواير ☀️ 🦚 Oh that’s excellent, so happy for you! 🥳

Catherine Maguire | كاثرين ماغواير ☀️ 🦚 ما شاء الله!

Passed my A2 Arabic exams 🥹

Language training is seriously tough, but feeling very chuffed to have gone from knowing no Arabic to being A2 in just under 5 months.

يلا شباب وبنات 💃🏻 Celebrating with a big swim, a 3 hour class and a brilliant meal (how else?) 1/3 🧵

هل يعرف أحد إذا كان هناك مجموعات حوار عربية في لندن؟ شكرًا مقدمًا على أي نصائح! 🙏

Does anyone know if there are any Arabic conversation groups in London? Thanks in advance 🙏

Catherine Maguire | كاثرين ماغواير ☀️ 🦚 Congratulations 🎊

On that note - I’m almost a third of the way through my language training 🤯 Sorting out next year’s immersion training 🤯 Getting a diplomatic passport 🤯 Wasn’t I just joining the Foreign Office last week getting lost on the way to the coffee shop? 🥺

Catherine Maguire | كاثرين ماغواير ☀️ 🦚 Congratulations!! 🎉

And although my PhD has no relevance to my work, it has absolutely made me a better civil servant. I can write, draft, think, present and graft because of it. Always happy to chat to anyone thinking of making the PhD-CS leap.

Growth sits on the other side of discomfort. 👊

Catherine Maguire | كاثرين ماغواير ☀️ 🦚 Show up every day can be the toughest one, but when you learn that discipline, it can be remarkable what you can achieve. And sometimes problems are bigger when you avoid them instead of showing up and facing them.

Well done you on your PhD and a great thread

I really am starting to sound like a self-help salesman now, but to sum up:

🕰️ all good things take time
🫘 small acts can lead to big changes
🫡 show up every day
🚧 setbacks are part of the journey

Conor Silk 🇬🇧🇺🇦 Thanks Conor. Let’s get a pint again soon!

Catherine Maguire | كاثرين ماغواير ☀️ 🦚 Congratulations!

But looking back at it, I grew so much. But it took a lot of discomfort. Those long hours, those terrible first (and second and third) drafts, those dreaded progress reviews…all of that made me tougher, more resilient, more disciplined, and a better writer and academic.