On Friday I put on a cap, gown, and hood along with all the other economic and international development students from my cohort at Eastern University. Friends and family came to watch us walk across a stage and NOT graduate. We still have half of the summer term and the fall practicum to complete, but since we will be scattered across the globe in when we actually graduate, having a special service now made more sense.
Standing in line waiting to walk in the auditorium, one of my classmates suggested "Livin' on a Prayer" as an anthem for our commissioning service. The lyrics to the chorus were perfect, so a few of us started singing.
Whooah, we're half way there
Livin' on a prayer
Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear
Livin' on a prayer
After the service, I went out to dinner with my parents, and everyone who saw me in my robes congratulated me on graduating. Meanwhile I was thinking of all the reading I still had to do for the next week. =) It was a great night despite the heavy rains and flooding and the fact that I still haven't actually graduated.
On another note, after the service, as we were all mingling and taking pictures, one of the speakers congratulated me for being the only girl wearing flats instead of heels. I wasn't sure exactly what to make of that, but at least I was comfortable and less likely to slip on the very wet sidewalks. =)
