Tasting Sweet

In the movie (and the book) Iron and Silk, Pan Qin Fu asks Mark Salzman if he can "eat bitter" when Mark says he wants to join the Wu Shu dojo.

In typically enigmatic fashion, the question has many layers, and by the end of the book, Mark concludes with the thought that you to eat bitter means you can taste sweet.

I successfully defended my MA thesis yesterday, but will be attending convocation this fall as the deadline for the SFU library to get everything submitted is the 10th, and even had I received the list of revisions from my defense committee yesterday, there just simply isn't enough time to get everything in order, edited, approved, signed off, and all necessary copies to the library between now and then. Which is a long way of saying I'm drained and tired and want to go on my big trip to Europe at the end of the month and work on the edits at my leisure this summer. Besides, as I'm not eligible for the employee transit pass at my new job until the fall, it'll be nice to have a UPass for the summer, not to mention access to the library.

My defense is a blur. I know that I was talking and answering questions for a good hour, and my wife and all my dear friends who came to wish me well said they were all impressed with my poise and my answers, so I will take them at their word.

The biggest surprise was that I felt like this huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders - I guess it's just a matter of taking on a little at a time until there's this huge mass, and getting through the defense make that lift off.

It's also a strange feeling to be done. I mean, it's not really the end - I have a very long list of books I want to read, movies I want to see, and music I want to listen to, all of which were somehow related either directly or tangentially to work I've done in the program.

I never expected this program to be so life-changing, but it was definitely one hell of a ride. I met my challenges of taking courses in subject areas I had no expertise in, and taking chances with the work I did, and on the whole I'm very happy with how things worked out. I've also made some deep personal friendships, much to my delight.

I know I will miss the classroom, but on the other hand, what made courses in the program so special were the people I took the courses with. The program has a cohort model where only 20 people a year get in, and after spending a year together you then meet again as each takes their own personal journey in the program. That is of course the joy of the program, and even if I were to continue taking courses (I'll audit a few now and again I'm sure), I wouldn't be taking courses with the people I've become connected with and close to.

Thank you GLS - I'm not the same person I was when I started, and I'm not finished yet.