U.S. Campus Life Final week in Boston By Masako Yamada	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
ボストンを離れる いよいよ、雅子さんがボストンで過ごす最後の週です。土壇場まで準備に追われた博士論文の口述審査ですが、当日は予想したよりもリラックスして臨め、無事合格することができました。合格後、指導教授や友人たちが心からのパーティーを開いてくれ、雅子さんの思い出いっぱいのボストン生活は幕を閉じました。

My final week in Boston was extremely busy. I had submitted my thesis draft several weeks before the defense date, so I gave myself a little break. I should have known better; I ended up editing the seminar slides and the text until the morning of my thesis defense.

論文合格を祝って、指導教授が主催したパーティー。

After the seminar, the audience members were asked to leave, and the real fun began: The thesis committee members started asking me questions. I was surprised by the overall casualness. We simply sat around a table and talked about my work.

1426の元ルームメイトたち。

For the past couple of months, my advisor, Professor Stanley, has been preoccupied with the care of his wife, Idahlia, who has lung cancer, but he was amazingly supportive of my thesis-writing, as well. He even insisted on hosting a celebration party for me after the defense. He told me that he had hosted a party for each of the 81 Ph.D. students he had mentored so far. He was utterly gracious as a host. But this was the first time Idahlia could not make it to one of these graduation parties, and we all missed her. (To the ST readers who have so kindly responded to my article, "Urgent call for help," the Stanley family sends their gratitude.)

My former roommates at 1426 also hosted a party for me, and several of my initial roommates from 1426 came, as well as some friends from Wellesley. After living in the Boston area for almost 10 years, I have accumulated a lot of friends, and seeing them in one room made me realize how much I have relied on them for support over the past six years. I would not have made it without them.

Early this morning, I took a 20-seat propeller plane from Boston to Albany. After I arrived, I happily scouted out my new neighborhood. Later, I felt odd being in a large apartment by myself and eating all my meals by myself. I was with a stranger: ME. In Boston, I ran from one activity to the next, and like it or not, I was always surrounded by people. In that kind of environment, it's easy to forget to think carefully. I'm eager to make new friends, of course, but I know it would be good for me to spend more time alone.

This is the last of my "Letters from Boston," but I'll be reporting on life in Albany once every month or so. Writing "Letters from Wellesley" and "Letters from Boston" has been a consistent pleasure for me, and I have been tremendously encouraged by the positive support I've received from ST readers. Thank you so much.

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