Graduation Day at TCU
Graduation Day, March 7, 2006.
The day has come where life at Tokyo Chrtistian Institute ends for most. The Japanese academic year ends in March and thus the season for graduation. Though I clearly know that people do come and go in all areas of life, I dread the day when it was finally here.
Everything was pretty much the same as the graduation every year. As usual, everyone was super excited on that day. People were dressed since early morning! However, I know that this time it was different… because, those who were graduating were those closest to my heart. Yuka was the recipient of magna cum laude along with another award for best thesis. You go girl! I am so glad and proud that it was you. You have always been an inspiration and worked hard for it. Congratulations! You deserve it.
Samiko and I sang the Alto solo together for Mozart’s “Gloria.” It was an honor to be able to play apart in TCI’s tradition as the first ACTS-es student to do so.
One of the things that pleases me most joining the choir is that I am able to have good seats at major events, i.e. Entrance Ceremony, Graduation… (there are so many guests for such events that one can hardly get a seat in the chapel if he or she doesn’t come early. I had that experience during my first year at TCU. Yuka and I had to sit at the entrance.) This year, this privellege meant extra lot to me as I was able to see my buddies from a close distance. Due to the seating and where I was placed, I was able to dedicate my singing in congratulating and blessing my loved ones at a perfect position. What overwhelmed me was that I was able to see every graduates face and expression as I sang to and for them. I almost cried and wasn’t able to continue as I looked eye to eye with those who were tearing. Oh… I am going to miss you guys too!
The ceremony was the one and the same like previous years. After it was over, the grauduate went out and sang for everyone. We later had a time of picture taking and light snacks in the courtyard.
Well, that’s it… it will be my turn soon, 4 months from this day. I am being filled with mixed emotions at the moment as I am still struggling with my graduation thesis. it also hit me that not only my closest of friends have officially finished and will move on with life, but it also reminds me that I will wrap up soon and have to leave too… *sob!
ps: please check out the album entitles “Class of 2006″!
