I GOT MY MASTER'S DEGREE YESTERDAY!!!!

It wasn't nerve-wrecking, at least not as much as I thought it would be. I knew my work from head to toe, I knew the professors who were evaluating me. I feared the questions but I didn't do too bad. A bit more than 24 hours ago, the director of the master's program was dictating his sentence: I got a perfect score defending my thesis and I earned my degree.

*tears of joy*

I remember attending events of this kind. I'd cry by the time they got to the reading, it was to me like it is for some people to attend weddings: such a joyous moment that moves you to tears. It was unreal that last night it was me.

I don't feel that much different but...yeah, a little. I'm not a bachelor anymore, I'm a master. In psychology! And psychology rules, man. Also, I feel that weight off my back, I'm done with classes for a while.

My Nephew and Andrew attended. Andrew got out of work to be there. A few of my classmates from the program showed up to support me, too. Others who didn't attend me wrote to congratulate me. I haven't announced this on social networks but the closest people to me now and the word has spreaded a little. I appreciate so much the love.

I don't quite believe it. It all happened so fast, and this...well, this was a dream of mine. For some reason I think about Joseph, perhaps because my life plans of going abroad and getting a master's degree were tied to him, in my mind he was in this with me. I guess it's something like, "look, Joseph, I made it! I finally made it!". Oh, well. I still got my wish! With much more than I bargained for when I embarked on this trip to the south.

I think of my family. I owe this to them. I sent them some pics, told them this achievement was dedicated to them for always being there for me. I'll be with them in a couple of weeks (though it breaks my heart leaving Andrew), I'll be home soon to celebrate this with them.

Now! In the near future: Andrew, Nephew and I are going to Valdivia tomorrow and will return on saturday. I'm looking forward to it, I'm so excited. SEA LIONS!

As for MY future: I'm looking into a few job opportunities. I still have to turn in my thesis to publish it in a journal, until then I will get my degree officially. So it's a good thing that I presented it in december. I did it so I could spend January becoming a permanent Chilean resident (Andrew and I agree it would be easier if we just got married, but I think it'd hurt my family ; it makes sense to us, but the distance has made them oblivious to my wonderful relationship).

December and january are slightly complicated, I have to juggle with finding jobs and becoming a resident and having good closure with the scholarship agency. Andrew and I calculate that we'll be very short on income by january, due to his situation with his own scholarship and job. So we're not sure if we'll go to my home in february as originally planned. I'm actually crossing my fingers I don't have to send proof that I'm back in my country after the scholarship ends. I'm hoping I only have to send proof that I left the country. I can get those stamps on my passport on my way to Argentina.

I don't know. I just got a master's degree and yet right now I don't know anything.

But for now I'm just grateful and happy. Not just for my degree, but for having all the conditions that allowed me to get it. Come have some wine with me. Cheers!

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