By Fumiya Uchikoshi
I submitted my interim report in January. Since then, I submitted my dissertation, applied for an OPT (optional practical training) for my postdoc at Harvard, graduated, and moved. The dissertation process was straightforward. It was partly because I had completed two of my three chapters, one of which had already been published. The last third chapter was halfway through at the beginning of this year, but I had clear ideas about what I should write. I submitted my dissertation in April and then had a final public oral in early May. The final oral defense was a sort of emotional experience, where my friends and colleagues came and asked questions. Perhaps different departments held the defense in various ways, but the way Princeton’s sociology department did made me feel I owe many people, intellectually as well as emotionally.
Meanwhile, I also applied for an OPT, which allows me to work in the United States as an extension of my F-1 visa. I had heard that it would take three months or more, so I started preparation quite early (thanks to the earlier offer made by Harvard). I was able to submit an application 90 days before the program end date (which is May 28), so I submitted the application on February 27. It turned out that my application was rejected because I submitted it a day earlier. I completely misunderstand what “90 days before the end date.” I re-submitted the application in early April. Assuming it would take 3 months, I could still get my employment authorization document by the end of July. I needed to receive it because my position was supposed to start in August. Unfortunately, the EAD card was not delivered by July. The delay affected my employment. Since Harvard needs an EAD to issue an account, mine was not issued for a while. My application was approved and I finally received the EAD card a week ago. I am still waiting for the Harvard account. Hopefully, I can start my postdoc shortly.
I graduated in May, and then moved back to Japan and stayed there for two months. During my stay, I visited Osaka University, taught at Sophia University, gave multiple talks, and did some research. But most importantly, I spent two months on vacation. The six years of PhD were full of uncertainty and stress. I needed a break. I spent time with family and friends in Tokyo, Osaka, and my hometown.
I recently moved to Cambridge, MA. The moving process was not comfortable, but I made it. So far, life in Cambridge has been great. My apartment is just a few minutes away from Porter Square. There are multiple groceries within walking distance. It takes 20 minutes to walk to the campus. I hope to spend productive two years here to move my research forward so that my scholarship can contribute to both public and academic understanding of demographic change and gender inequality in Japan and East Asia.
Lastly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Hsun Kwei & Aiko Takizawa Chou and the Friends of UTokyo, Inc. for supporting my study at Princeton.
Photo credit: PAA https://www.populationassociation.org/paa2024/poster-winners
