September 9, 2020
I defended my thesis back in March. At that time, I had to cancel my thesis defence party, due to distancing guidelines. I decided that I would have an end-of-doctorate party combined with my birthday party in late August, when I officially met all the requirements for my degree. I had expected that the rescheduled party would have to take place outdoors. And ultimately, I ended up organizing a party in the park near my apartment.
I wanted to offer snacks. At first, I wanted to create loot bags, like the ones my mum used to assemble back in the day for my birthday parties. However, upon reflection, this would require me to handle other people’s food quite a bit, which I wanted to avoid. Luckily, stores start selling Halloween supplies months in advance, and in mid-August I was able to find Halloween candy – individually packaged, in variety packs! It was perfect. So, day of, my boyfriend and I lugged our treats, speakers, blanket, and cooler to the park.
It was a very cloudy, very windy day. I was VERY concerned that we were going to get rained out, and I’d have to reschedule once again. But I was determined, and thankfully it didn’t rain! Despite the lack of ideal weather conditions, my friends all turned up. A handful of people stayed well after the sun had set. At one point, I needed to do a hoodie run, so we could bundle up and keep the party alive. I was incredibly grateful that all my friends came out to celebrate, even though I couldn’t even offer them a warm place to spend the time. It made me feel loved and supported.
I also had birthday/end-of-degree dinners with my parents. They decorated their backyard, with balloons all around. I got to eat food from my favourite restaurant, eat chocolate cake, and drink champagne.
Overall, the end of August was a very special time…but on the other hand it also felt a bit anti-climactic…
I find it weird that I’m now finished all my degree requirements but convocation doesn’t occur until October. And this year, unlike any other before it, convocation will be taking place online. Graduates don’t get to walk across the stage. We just get to sit at home and watch the university personnel walk onto the stage, give speeches, and then we see our names go by on a list. I’m told that the ceremony is filmed beforehand to ensure that it looks legit, so we’ll essentially just be watching a video at a scheduled time, without any of our fellow graduates, family, or friends around us. It’s pretty disappointing…After 6 years, it comes down to a short video to celebrate our accomplishments. I wonder if I’ll even watch it.
[I really don’t feel like I should be complaining, given how many people have it much more tough during the pandemic. But this change in the way one celebrates huge accomplishments just highlights for me how different life was pre-pandemic versus the current situation.]
But not all hope is lost! I have yet another year of training before becoming fully licensed in my field. So here’s to hoping that by late 2021, I’ll finally get to celebrate in the way that I’ve been wanting to. Fingers crossed that we have some sort of vaccine or way to manage COVID by then, so that we can once again gather in groups, hug each other, and breathe the same air without any concern for our well-being.
-Roo