Waiting for Life to kick me in the face

It’s been hard the last couple of weeks to get any work done. I sent my application to Lancaster University as part of the duel master’s program at my University in Japan and the wait has been messing with my mind. I had to prepare an application, submit it to my university and pass their interview in order to be allowed to enter. They apparently liked what I had to say but I honestly didn’t know what I said. With that permission I contacted the other university and made my application to them. The nice thing was that it was free. For those of you out there Lancaster University has no application fee and everything is uploaded online in a fairly nice system to keep track of what you need.

They promised to get back to me in 12 days. By twelve days it could mean a lot more since they are talking about working days. So in my case 12 days turned into 16. When that day came I was jumping with excitement. The two week leading up to that was filled with all kinds of anxiety, self-esteem ups and downs. Some days I was full of “Yeah there is no way they can’t take me” and other days with “I suck, I’m a loser and why would they take me”. I hate that. The stress of waiting for answers. When the e-mail arrived it said that they are now reviewing my application and they will respond my June 20^th. Yesterday was June 20^th and I still have no ANSWER. I’ve been going insane. Hopefully today I will hear something.

In the mean time the last month and a bit seems too full of distractions, I use that term lightly, to get any of my research done. The work necessary for the classes this semester may be manageable but combined with working 15hours a week and assignments, I haven’t done much work. Every week I go to my seminar and I feel rushed with what I have to present. Some weeks I have to prepare a presentation and other weeks I have a visitor coming. In the last three weeks I had my friend Owen come visit and Helene’s Uncle Mike and his wife Elena. True that they didn’t stay for that long and it was absolutely wonderful to have them. Just I couldn’t do any work. Also, with Helene leaving on July 4^th we’ve been trying to pack as much as we can, given our schedules, into the days left.

Now all those things are not that bad but I’m worried about having to write two thesis’. If I’m accepted into this DMDP program with Lancaster I will have to write two separate research thesis’. That’s a lot of work for me. I’m trying to get the first one as finished as possible before I leave Japan but my plans keep getting delayed with all sorts of LIFE. I’m well ahead of schedule of my university but if I have to write two, I have until October to get it done. Which now that I think about it is not so bad. Good luck to me on the research and application.