Through the Eyes of a Wombat

卒業しました!




Today was one of those days that simply ran to perfection. One of those days that seemed to go on forever, so much happening, so amazing.
Even as the sun came up it was already a perfect December day, hot and dry, and soon the sun was blazing down across the city.
Dressed in academic robes complete with blue and terracotta sashes we collected tickets and milled around at the back of the hall, listened to people give us instructions, then took our seats and waited as the hall filled with guests, and the ceremony began.
Ikeda sensei, somehow, was part of the official party with the University Chancellor, the crowd sitting on the stage, all sombre and official. It was nice to see though, as the procession walked past us, the graduands, sitting at the front of the hall, Ikeda turned to us, smiled, winked and waved, then returned to being very formal to go up on stage.

Then it was our turn.
One after another the Dean of the Faculty read out our names and to applause from the auditorium, one by one we walked across the stage, shook hands with the Chancellor and recieved our testamurs.
The ceremony moved swiftly - except for the sheer number of people crossing the stage. Its no wonder they break it up into five seperate ceremonies or we'd be waiting all day. I'm so very pleased we were able to walk across the stage. That makes it so much more a personal moment - even though its only for a moment, for that one brief period, the entire university acknowledges you, and only you, and your achievements.
An irrelevant speech by some honourable academic, and then we're done. The music you can play at the top of this page is the Recessional used, and they were spot on. This day will last for all time!

Outside the hall once again, and now we can relax! Now it was time to find each other and get as many photos taken as we could with everyone possible, drink champagne, and take more photos. Shun Ikeda made a point of catching up with every single student graduating whom he had taught or otherwise knew and expressing his congratulations to us individually - which was quite an effort, and really meant a lot.
Surprising me also was Duck Lee and Shun Ishihara, neither of whom liked me - Duck Lee was threatening to fail me through the subject I did with him, and we had quite a personality clash; Ishihara got his nose very severely out of joint because I pulled the pin on Year In Japan last year, and he did his best to make it as difficult as possible for me early in the year to enrol in the classes which I needed to take. However both of them came over after the ceremony, and both came up to me to congratulate me. Especially from these two, this also meant a lot.

Then into the next building for some professional photographs in my gown and sash - this time with my tassel dangling from the right hand side of my mortar board!
Photos in front of the ANU sign, in the Japanese Garden, the front of BPB and in the tatami room went down well, but soon came time to get changed and head off to lunch.

Lunch was a family affair - us and Lauren's family, and Vic and a couple of others, sitting on the verandah at the Hyatt, outside but sheltered from the now scorching sun. High tea - now that is an experience! Starting out with a glass of champagne and moving on to all the nicest, yummiest nibblies, savouries and sweets from the buffet, tea and coffee, and Lauren's boss from work sent over a(nother) bottle of champagne with his compliments. We all managed to eat almost constantly for three hours, a feat which surprised me as I had felt oh-so-very full last night after Julia's dinner, so come the end of lunch it was more a matter of rolling out of the chairs than simply standing up.

I'd planned to have a nap next, but instead went out for a coffee with a few new graduates that ended up turning into dinner with Nia's family. Food wasn't something I was really able to handle more of after such a large lunch, but the evening was magical.

Even up til late this week, I couldn't comprehend what graduation was all about. Yeah, you get your testamurs, dress up, isnt that it? Only going through it did I really understand it.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this truly a day which will last forever. To everyone who graduated alongside me, Lauren, Julia, Nia, Lavender, Onnicha, Yumi, Mark, Lyndal, Kate - we made it!; to the people who were there on the day for support, Elli, Mum and Dad, Victoria, Thomas, Aya, Camilla, and to the people who sent messages of congratulations from overseas, Izumi, Shiori, Mei, Nick, Ruth - thank you- it meant so much to me; to my lecturers over the years, Cindy Allen, Kent Anderson, Avery Andrews, Peter Hendriks, Shun Ikeda, Shun Ishihara, Louise Jansen, Duck-Young Lee, Narangoa Li, Phil Rose, Gi-Hyun Shin, Zhengdao Ye - thank you; to everyone else who couldn't be here, Fergus, Jackie, Emma, Yusuke, Matt, Nathan, Lauren K -you were here in spirit!
You have all made my life what it is today, what it has been, and it wouldn't be the same without every single one of you! Thank you for everything. I can't possibly hope to convey in words everything I owe you all. Thank you.