So, A LOT has been going on in the last two months. I finished and submitted my upgrade document mid-June and met with a panel for my defense (aka viva) at the end of the month. I was probably the most nervous I've ever been, and I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I was completely on my own. Usually whenever I've had a major exam or presentation in the past, my parents have been there to give me their blessings or in some cases, even drive me to wherever I needed to be. This time, I was flying seriously solo. I got into the room though, and had a very informal discussion with the panel - they were all very friendly and I was lucky in the sense that it didn't seem as though anyone had a strong desire to 'trip me up' by asking extremely difficult questions. It felt more like an opportunity to get some helpful advice, take in the suggestions of experts, and have an overall 'test-run' for the quality of my research.
An hour later, they asked me to leave the room so that they could come to a decision regarding my 'status'. At this point, I wasn't sure whether I would be given a straight pass into my second year, or if I would be asked to make any amendments and re-submit my work (I knew that I had done well enough for either of these outcomes to be applicable rather than something scarier like "maybe you should think about downgrading to our MPhil instead of PhD"). By God's grace, when I returned to the room, the panel informed me that I would be passed straight through, and I couldn't stop grinning after that! Being asked to make some changes is never a big deal - and it happens quite often to a lot of PhD candidates. In fact I was preparing myself to have to make changes because I submitted my work quite early. But at the end of the day, nobody wants to be told they left certain points out or that they overlooked a specific idea. It's just a nice little cherry on top the upgrade sundae to know that other scholars think your work is stellar, just the way it is. And of course, my supervisors played a major part in my success this year.
Two short weeks after my viva, I flew back to Canada, celebrated my quarter-of-a-century birthday (and did suffer a brief quarter-life crisis), spent loads of time with family and friends, squeezed in a trip to Ottawa for some white water rafting (first time ever!), signed a tenancy agreement for a new (and very beautiful) flat in the city centre (if you want to see a video tour e-mail me) and am now in the last three weeks of my visit. And as usual, I am still in awe of how quickly the time has passed. But the adventure continues, because I will also be headed to Manhattan and Disney World for the first time and I am really excited (they were both on my list of places to see before I turn 30). This has been one of those 'catch-up' entries but once I've done all my travelling I will write something a bit more substantial to summarize all the exciting experiences!
I hope you have all been having an equally eventful, fun and safe summer!
