My Graduation Ceremony

Yesterday I had my graduation ceremony. Call me weird but I wasn't really looking forward to it. Don't get me wrong, I was looking forward to collecting my certificate and making my family proud but it was the rest of it that was making me look forward to it being over.

The ceremony was at 5pm yet they wanted you to get there for 3.30pm, so there was a lot of hanging around and waiting. It was rather irritating until I arrived inside the hall for the ceremony. Virtually every other student was in their seat as I squeezed my way down the row to my assigned seat and in the corner of my eye as I sat down I saw a pretty blonde girl next to me look as if she was greeting me. I assumed my peripheral vision had deceived me but then she said "hiya". It turned out it was Vanessa, a girl who I'd liked but actually felt intimidated by a bit during the last year (only because she always seemed to be in one of those hot girl packs that they travel in). I was in a couple of classes with her but never really got the chance to talk to her but here she was chatting away to me likeshe knew me as her best mate.

It did make the ceremony a lot more pleasurable, she and I talked a lot and I felt totally comfortable. It was really nice. The ceremony speeches went on for what seemed like forever, very boring and irritating- as it always is to hear self-boasting. There's no way I'd do that, I'm way too good for it.

However soon it was time to queue up and collect our awards on stage. I stood there in my very awkwardly long and fiddly gown and hat (which kept sliding off). It was nice to be wearing the ceremonial robes but also quite annoying. The woman who'd put it on me hadn't done it completely right as my right shoulder strip kept falling away from where it should've been, and the hat was too small. I suppose I'm the common denominator but that sort of thing always seems to have happened to me- even when I went paintballing when I was about 12 when I got a shoddy combat attire.

But nevertheless I managed to fix it temporarily before I got to the stage (the gowning, not my paintballing gear). Slightly daunted, I walked on stage and shook the hand of one of the boring speakers and had my image on a big screen for the first time in my life while I was applauded by a crowd. It felt like I was being substituted on a football pitch.

Next up were photographs with the amazingly exact (or fussy) photographer who was very particular about things like finger positioning and hand placements. It was a nice evening with the exception of the unnecessary hanging around and the heat caused by wearing that frigging gown in that hot hall. My main disappointment was not getting to throw my hat up in the air... they didn't arrange that for some reason.

So, to quote the many clichés used at the ceremony... so begins the chapter of my life filled with fear of the unknown and, hopefully, opportunities of career advancement!