T-Day: The Defense

My thesis committee after my defense!

I got to my room ridiculously early – with enough time to set up my presentation, layout my papers, run through my presentation, and check to ensure that my Myanmar tome was folded properly five thousand times.  As I fidgeted with nerves, trying to keep my cool (with assistance from the air conditioner which blasting freezing cold air), my external examiner entered, followed by my Chair, supervisor and co-supervisor.  Four gentlemen, three Thai, one Australian.

One deep breath, a smile, and I was on my way talking through my presentation.  When you have pictures to describe the people you met and the experiences you gained, it brings everything to life and I could sense that the committee enjoyed seeing these pictures which gave faces to the individuals I mentioned in the interviews.  I finished my presentation, took a deep breath and braced myself for what was to come.

Passed!

Every fierce competitor entertains the idea of a ‘worst case scenario:’ The Olympian receiving silver, the spelling bee champion who misses the silent “e” in the finals, the ballerina who falls from a twirl she had successfully recited ten times earlier that week.  The beauty pageant contestant who practices her “loser” face.  I always practice my ‘loser’ face, not because I welcome defeat, but because sportsmanship was engraved in my brain since I was a little girl playing bunch ball (or soccer – depending on how you watched the game).

To be blunt, no worst case scenario could have prepared me for my defense.  It was brutal.  While we don’t need to go into detail, the spitfire questions that the committee hounded you with, and the amount of disagreeance amongst the committee members themselves, made it incredibly difficult to decipher what was important to change or adapt, and what could be left.

Nevertheless, two weeks later and I come back with signatures and full approval from the committee – I PASSED my thesis, and received the highest marks of “Very Good.”

This learning experience has been tremendous – and the opportunity to travel to Myanmar and conduct field research is a chance I may never get again, and one that I will never forget.  I never thought the field would be so much FUN – and I never thought it would have such an impactful impression on me.

I am incredibly happy to have jumped the next hurdle – but still have mountains of paperwork before the finish.  I have until September 21^st to submit everything and will be back under my massive boulder in the meantime!