By Petra Kerkhove
Former student of Celtic studies
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Finally, after being at University for 5 years -first two years as a student of Greek and Latin at Groningen University, and afterwards as a student of Celtic studies at Utrecht University- I am now the proud owner of a MA-degree in Celtic studies.
Old languages
and cultures fascinate me a lot, but I am mainly interested in the Indo-European area.
I love translating and looking at the similarities between languages, and looking at how
old languages developed into their modern equivalent. From all languages I studied this far,
Latin is the most beautiful I know. I admire especially the old classic poets like Ovid, Horace
and Catull. The most interesting field though, is paleography, which I came to know in my last year of my studies at the National University of Ireland, Galway.
Connected to my love for languages is also my love for literature & art. I love all kinds of books, from children's books by Astrid Lindgren, to poetry by Christina Rossetti. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was centered around her brother, Dante Gabriel, whose paintings I adore, and also the other contemporaries, like Burne-Jones, J.W. Waterhouse, Moreau and artists from a little later era, like Klimt & Dali.
My last fascination is music. A Beatle-fan (George Harrison)
from early youth, and a Queen-lover from my teens,
I love almost all kinds of music. I love the classical symphonies of Dvor�k,
the minimalitistic tunes of Satie, the songs of Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington, but
also the guitar-songs by Deep Purple and Rainbow.
As long as it holds beauty, I can appreciate it.
To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist - that is all
