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Sydney Uni Graduation
Here is the view that got me in the mood. Graduates back-dropped by the lovely view of the Great Hall. Graduation Day
Leading Up To Graduation Day
So the weird thing is that I’m not done yet and still I’m preparing for a graduation that is coming all too soon. I have three weeks left of classes then two weeks of exams here in Sydney. Not to mention the correspondence government course that I’m falling terribly behind on.
(sidenote: NEVER take a course by correspondence that you are not interested in, in the first place. It does not go well when you have no deadlines.) This week alone I have two assignments due on Friday. One worth 40%!o(MISSING)f my grade and the other worth 15%! (MISSING)
Ha this post is turning very American, as in I’m trying to show how cool I am by complaining about the amount of work I have to do. Australians don’t discuss how much work they have to do. They in fact stress the catchy phrase “P = D: Pass equals Degree.” Meaning that all they have to do is pass their subjects and they will get a degree just as well as if they tried really hard to get better marks but this way they can Graduate
Here is a grad tossing his hat. enjoy life more.
Anyway so I spent up until 5 o’clock on Friday working on my assignments (because that was when they were due). I didn’t have much time to prepare myself mentally for graduation. I did mention to a couple people in the house that I was graduating and they just gave me confused looks. The fact that I’m not done with school yet has been really messing with my head and it doesn’t feel like I’m graduating. I didn’t have any parties or expectation of a sense of relief because I’m still in the middle of a semester. It just didn’t feel like it was real.
I did start to feel a little more like graduating on Friday when I went to turn my paper in though. I had to turn it in at a office in the main building. As I walked into the quad (courtyard of the building) I saw people milling about in caps and gowns. Evidently Sydney Uni has been having some graduations of their own. I got some photos of graduates with the backdrop of the beautiful buildings here. I felt like the graduation was put there just for me
Professional Graduate
Here I am all presentably dressed to graduate. to feel like its real. I’m graduating!
Graduation
As for my actual graduation I think the time zone difference kinda did me in. UT’s College of Education graduation was at noon on Friday the 16th of May. Unfortunately for me this translated to 3am Saturday morning in Sydney. I couldn’t miss graduation so I sucked it up and set my alarms for 2am to get up and get everything set up to watch and *participate* in graduation. Karen French is a technology guru from the college and she helped me set up my virtual graduation. She one-way video skyped with me so I could see and listen to the graduation ceremony. She also recorded it so I can watch it in the future etc. I couldn’t return the video chat because I don’t have the bandwidth here to support it well. I had to upgrade my internet, for graduation, just to get a good image one way.
Because it was three o’clock in the morning I didn’t really have to go anywhere and wasn’t awake enough to get dressed up. I didn’t have a cap and gown here so I did the best I could. I
Comfortable Graduate
But I couldn't get out of my PJs at 3am even for graduation. wore my UT polo shirt to show my pride. I didn’t however get out of my PJ pants. I was a very comfortable graduate.
My dad was the commencement speaker so I got to watch his speech. He said hi to me and waved at the Camera. I said hi and waved back but he couldn’t hear me. I enjoyed the speech and think he did a wonderful job.
When it came time for the graduates to walk across the stage I watched many friends walk that I didn’t know were graduating. It was fun. I cheered for my friends and sent clapping icons on Skype chat. After my friend Erin walked across the stage she returned for another go around carrying my Mom’s computer with my photo on the screen. So my name was read and I “walked” across at graduation. When Richard Mattingly read my name he said “G’Day Mate”. It was very cool! Karen has it on film for me and will send it to me. I got to do some things most people don’t get to experience. Long-distance graduation. Graduate in PJs. Watch myself walk across the stage. It was very cool.
After
My computer Screen
Here is how I watched my daddy giving commencement speech. all the graduates went across I cheered and danced in my seat as the graduates processed out to the song “Celebration.” Thanks to everyone that made it possible for me to participate in graduation.
After thoughts
Just after graduation I got to two-way Skype with my mom and Tere and some of the platform party. I was glad to be able to throw my horns up to them and say hi. Then my computer froze from too much bandwidth use probably and I had to restart so I lost the connection with everyone. I was glad I got to say hi.
To all of my friends who graduated too, Congratulations! You guys are awesome and I’m so excited that we are finally done… Thanks to everyone at the college who helped and allowed me to participate so unconventionally. Thanks Erin for carrying me across the stage. I’m sad that I couldn’t sit next to you but glad that we are done together. We are definitely gonna hang out in Iowa next year.
As to my feelings about graduation I dunno. It still feels a little unreal. Some of my friends at brekky this morning congratulated
me on graduating. It was exciting but kinda weird. I think it will sink in more when this semester here is finally over. I won’t have long in Texas before I have to head to Iowa this summer but I’m planning on having the graduation party that I didn’t get to have this weekend like everyone else. I hope everyone can come, It should be in mid July around the 17th or so. I will update y’all more later on that. As for now I have some school work to do and some celebrations to think of. Thanks for everyone’s support over my four years at Uni it has been a truly amazing and unforgettable experience.
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