Tadek’s Blog

After almost 3.5 years of work I submitted my PhD thesis today. I feel relieved, although I still haven’t fully realized this yet. It will come… On the funny side, now after having (hopefully) done most of the work, I am currently not even at the first out of 11-point Ablaufplan describing the quest of a poor PhD student. However, now that the machinery has been started, actionable items for me start at point 8 (”pass the defense”), which will take place some time in October

Finishing the blog entry, here’s a funny thing that happened to me on the train. I was carrying the a cardboard box, filled up with 5 copies of a nicely printed and bound dissertation. During the passport control (rarely happens, but today was my lucky day) a very bored customs officer got interested in what was in the box. The conversation followed like this.

Customs Officer: So, what is in this box?
Me: Papers.
C: How much are they worth?
M: Well… nothing? (I did not want to go into details of three-and-a-half years of pain or how much I was paid during that time)
C: Can I see?
M: Sure.
C: (opens the box takes one and starts browsing) Are they all the same?
M: Yes. Would you like to read?
C: (at this time I got a kind of look which tells you that you shouldn’t be joking with a customs official). So… were they printed in Switzerland?
M: Yes.
C: And you say they are worth “nothing”?
M: Exactly.
C: Why were they printed in Switzerland and are being brought here?
M: Because I work there?
C: Well…OK. Do you carry anything else that is also worth “nothing”?
M: No, I don’t think so.
(custom officer leaves)