Being accepted by others, in my opinion, starts by accepting myself. With my habitabilites, mistakes, flaws, small or insignificant success, background, expertise, traumas, etc. Am a brown-skinned, short, big-bellied 54yr old gnome teaching Physics and doing research in Fiber Lasers in one of the most innovation-driven countries….so that’s that, maybe when they hired me they wanted to innovate. I’m privileged and thankful. Still, there are some big shots who don’t like me, I can feel it and I see it, or maybe I don’t like myself and its easier to blame them! Discipline, planning and order are not nurtured where I come from, at least not as much as in here. So am learning, a lot, thank you again. I need the energy from our students; working online is difficult and surreal. I am glad we can work in the lab. If I could give a piece of advice, Id say: open up, ask for help, don’t let them intimidate you, run and go for it! Have a life, do sports, read, drink a beer or a glass of wine, dance salsa!…almost never postpone a moment of pleasure!
-by Jose Alfredo
