Graduation
Today was a big day for me: graduation, birthday, end of the first week of 'work' (which has really been a week of classroom-training prior to the official start of the official training programme. and even then I skipped work for my Graduation.) A kind of symbolic climax of the fluctuations that have dogged my life in the recent past/present.
I've never really been keen on attending my Graduation Ceremony. If my parents hadn't insisted on making the long inter-continental flight to witness the culmination of all their years of effort and anxiety, I certainly would have happily attended the last day of my pre-week course, taken the mandatory test, collected my nifty gadget, and take an introductory Excel course. Having attended previous Graduation Ceremonies as a part-time steward/usher, as far as I was concerned, it is nothing but a boring time-waster.
In the process however, I found that I enjoyed myself, even though I felt silly in the graduand's robe which kept slipping off my rather narrow shoulders, and the over-large hat which fell off my head more often than stayed on. Among other things, I got to shake hands with LSE's Director Howard Davies, an ex-chairman of the FSA, the regulator of the other LSE, who turned out to be an amusing and natural speaker as well. Also, I got to meet fellow schoolmates who I barely speak to in normal circumstances, but, too-heavily-made up, over-dressed, robed in fashion-disaster gowns, with emotions running high from undergoing the time-honoured ritual of symbolically passing through the portals of learning into some kind of realm of Knowledge (and Wisdom?), all parties engage in warm, nostalgic leave-taking, all bad memories supressed, as the past is captured through soft-focus lens. Cameras are whipped out, photos taken, news shared, plans discussed, numbers exchanged.
It is good to hear news, plans: where who's going, when, what. Graduating from university means embarking on a new stage of life, because this is when the paths start diverging for this class. Friends and acquaintances are scattered across the City, UK, Europe, and the globe like dandelion seeds. It means anxiety and excitement. For a few, uncertainty. I wonder when I'll see some of them again, recall their hopes and fears then and now, and wish them well, in all the different ways they need.
A girl who I hugged outside class one day, both of us seeking reassurance that our studies will go well. Some girls I know, finding various ways to stay on, still job-hunting. A guy who finally secured a job, starting Monday. A girl going to Paris for business school. Someone who's trying to stay on to be with someone she loves. Friends who are returning home because of commitments.
That I don't usually talk to them suddenly doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is that, on our own, and sometimes shared, we've all essentially been through the same process: had broadly similar experiences, hopes, dreams, fears, tribulations. And which side of the line one falls on seems almost more a matter of luck than anything else. I feel very lucky and fortunate, and today, I fervently hope for the best for every one of us. Because I am in every one of them, and every one of them is in me. So today I feel strongly the urge to keep in contact with them. When I give and take phone numbers, I am genuinely hoping to hear from them, and fully intend to meet up with them some time soon.
-- the end --
I've never really been keen on attending my Graduation Ceremony. If my parents hadn't insisted on making the long inter-continental flight to witness the culmination of all their years of effort and anxiety, I certainly would have happily attended the last day of my pre-week course, taken the mandatory test, collected my nifty gadget, and take an introductory Excel course. Having attended previous Graduation Ceremonies as a part-time steward/usher, as far as I was concerned, it is nothing but a boring time-waster.
In the process however, I found that I enjoyed myself, even though I felt silly in the graduand's robe which kept slipping off my rather narrow shoulders, and the over-large hat which fell off my head more often than stayed on. Among other things, I got to shake hands with LSE's Director Howard Davies, an ex-chairman of the FSA, the regulator of the other LSE, who turned out to be an amusing and natural speaker as well. Also, I got to meet fellow schoolmates who I barely speak to in normal circumstances, but, too-heavily-made up, over-dressed, robed in fashion-disaster gowns, with emotions running high from undergoing the time-honoured ritual of symbolically passing through the portals of learning into some kind of realm of Knowledge (and Wisdom?), all parties engage in warm, nostalgic leave-taking, all bad memories supressed, as the past is captured through soft-focus lens. Cameras are whipped out, photos taken, news shared, plans discussed, numbers exchanged.
It is good to hear news, plans: where who's going, when, what. Graduating from university means embarking on a new stage of life, because this is when the paths start diverging for this class. Friends and acquaintances are scattered across the City, UK, Europe, and the globe like dandelion seeds. It means anxiety and excitement. For a few, uncertainty. I wonder when I'll see some of them again, recall their hopes and fears then and now, and wish them well, in all the different ways they need.
A girl who I hugged outside class one day, both of us seeking reassurance that our studies will go well. Some girls I know, finding various ways to stay on, still job-hunting. A guy who finally secured a job, starting Monday. A girl going to Paris for business school. Someone who's trying to stay on to be with someone she loves. Friends who are returning home because of commitments.
That I don't usually talk to them suddenly doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is that, on our own, and sometimes shared, we've all essentially been through the same process: had broadly similar experiences, hopes, dreams, fears, tribulations. And which side of the line one falls on seems almost more a matter of luck than anything else. I feel very lucky and fortunate, and today, I fervently hope for the best for every one of us. Because I am in every one of them, and every one of them is in me. So today I feel strongly the urge to keep in contact with them. When I give and take phone numbers, I am genuinely hoping to hear from them, and fully intend to meet up with them some time soon.
-- the end --
1 Comments:
thanks abi. =)
By
e*, at 7:30 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home