Trailing Off....: Graduation Vacation

4th year English majors

Being an English Language Expert at a second tier university by the sea has its perks. There's the seaview from the classroom. Free apartment across the street. A canteen where you can get three curries and a rice for a buck. And a lot of free time due to cancelled classes.

In addition to the national and Buddhist holidays, classes have been cancelled this semester for the following reasons: Sports Week, 2 weeks for midterms, various vague activities students must prepare for, education trips, and most recently, one week to prepare for the graduation ceremony. One week!

The "gown"is a lovely gauzy thing that is worn over the school uniform.

I didn't attend the ceremony (having not been told where it was) but I did participate in the campus-wide photo ops that were held a few days before.

The colored squares are actually real flowers

Faculty of Liberal Arts teachers. Teachers are considered government employees and have a uniform depending on their status.

I'm not sure why the armed guys were there but they didn't mind taking a photo.

The campus had a festive carnival like feel and through there were no vendors selling stuff on sticks, there were plenty of stuffed bears about.

Graduation Bears!!

egg and peanut vendor

Freshmen gathered around their elders and chanted congratulations and well wishes.

The freshmen were practicing the chants and moves all week (hence no classes)

I stood in the middle to see the routine and felt like a dork

Stephen sweltered in his Irish wool suit as we waited for the group photos for our faculty and department.

Stephen got the last chair so I'm not in the official school photo

The day made me reflect on my own university graduation day. I find I can't remember it at all, save for a pang of regret that I hadn't spent more time with my Dad. Perhaps I've blocked it out as I'd realized months before the big day that I didn't, in fact, want to be a public high school English teacher. But through a series of twists on education related paths, I've ended up here on the ESL Trail, living a rather comfortable life with a fantastic guy, a cat, good friends, and the sea always nearby.