Graduation

So last week I went to the UK to graduate. It was a very important week to me so I figured it deserved an entry. I won't write about the Nana London Pilgrimage here, as I'll probably write a separate entry on that since well, Nana. <3 Anyhow, I'll start with the travelling related crap first. xD



This was the first time I went to the UK by two flights - I had to since all the straight flights were really expensive around that time... and of course there would be trouble. I just felt it in my gut the whole week before I went. My first flight was three hours late, so naturally I missed my connecting flight in Frankfurt. The fact that I had slept only one hour the night before thanks to having been at work did not really improve my mood at all. I was totally unconscious when I finally got on the flight and that state definitely lasted all the way to Frankfurt. Thankfully things went really smoothly in Frankfurt and when I got to Heathrow even my suitcase arrived there without problems! Phew. The week rolled along nicely after that - until it was time to go to a hotel in Worcester. I decided to go to the hotel slightly ahead of when my dad and sister come around. And what do you know - our booking has not gone through. xD Or well, that's what the lady there said, but she didn't even check anything just flat out denied it. She managed to get us rooms at another hotel, which was actually at a much better place, albeit in the middle of some renovating lol. Oh well, I am not particularly complaining about that - just her attitude really ticked me off. Ha, then the bad luck with hotels continued in London. Dad had gotten us a room at a Hilton. You'd think that'd be a pretty safe bet for a hotel but... we went out to eat and purchase musical tickets and when we came back to our room - our stuff was gone and someone else's luggage was in there! What the hell?! It took them quite a while to fix things up, but eventually they  found our things in the luggage storage. I don't understand though why they took our stuff away and didn't just give the other people a different room when they had some issue with giving both of us the same room. I mean hell, we were already there! Luckily the flights back went just fine so at least something went the way it was supposed to. xD 

Though to be perfectly honest with you, I did not mind most of that. I've adapted this mentality over the last couple of years that an equal amount of shit and good things will happen to me (hehe, equivalent exchange), so considering how amazing my trip was otherwise, I could handle all of this no problem. Though I have to say having my things be missing was slightly too much for me, because firstly I had a lot of Nana stuff in there and secondly (+ mainly) because all my memories from that week, aka photos, were there and they'd be gone on me forever if I did not get my things back.

Anyway, to the good things now!

It was a really amazing experience to be in the UK, especially in Worcester, for the first time without being overly stressed or having lots of other random crap in my life going on currently. I mean sure I had that now too, but I left those at home so to say. But yeah, due to this I realized how much I did actually really love living there and how great my time over there had been. I'm really happy I got the chance to get this epiphany, since otherwise I'd probably not think that much of it. I even got the feeling that it might have been a good idea to spend my gap year over there rather than in Finland. It would've been very fun, but sadly not very feasible - I'd need to pay rent and I owed it to my family that I'd spend some time with them I feel, especially my dogs. 

Anyways! The same goes for the important people I saw during my trip, I had an amazing time with them. I think it was the first time I got to spend time with them all like this (I'd say in a more intimate manner, but that sounds bad xD) and for this chance I am very grateful too.

My Apprentice, I am so glad I got to spend time with just you. This was the most time we've ever, in fact, have had the chance to spend together in one go and without other people. I was able to learn so much more about you as a person and I am very grateful my stay also gave us the opportunity to deepen our friendship. It really meant a lot to me. You've come a long way from how you were when we first met and I am really proud of you. Also, I really appreciate all the things you did for me, like letting me stay over, cooking for me and driving me to Worcester and helping me with stuff there. I cannot thank you enough. I look forward to all the great memories we'll be making in the future too. <3

My Stalker Buddy, I am very glad we got to spend more time together. We've always been so busy that we've always hung out with limited time on our hands before + usually with other people around as well, but now we had a couple of days to be crazy together and I loved it! I really appreciate you letting me stay at yours for a couple of nights - ah the Nanalicious times we had together! <3 I'll be seeing you! In the meanwhile I shall stock up on foamy bananas..... >:D

My Japanese Teacher - It was really nice to see her again. I really love how she's taken a liking to us, considering how most of her students probably drive her crazy. She told me she had been contemplating on asking if I needed a place to stay during my visit, but didn't since she heard I was staying with Ayymeeyhh. She did say though that I was welcome to stay at hers whenever I come around again. I really appreciate it. We stayed over for like 3 hours talking about lots of random things, like how it'd be high time for Amy to make babies. Ha, bless her. xD I do love her.

My Supervisor and his Wife - I loved how it was obvious the moment they arrived to meet me that there had been a shift in how we were. Like it was not a meeting between lecturers and a student, but a meeting between friends. I even got hugs instead of just a wave unlike when I left! Really moved me. It was great going out to eat with them, as I got to see a new side of them - their casual side (not that we were always strictly business before, but still). We talked about so much random stuff, it was great! I really learned a lot about them too. They were even nice enough to come give me a lift to the hotel from Amy's and told me yet again that I was welcome to come stay at theirs whenever I come by again. I have to say I nearly cried at the reception after graduation when I said farewell to my supervisor and first he shook hands with my dad and my sister, then hugged me. They really pushed me to my emotional limits by leaving me a present at the hotel we were staying at, it really caught me by surprise and moved me very deeply. It was a book about the haunted places in Worcestershire and on the first page they had written "We hope this gives you plenty of reasons to come back". Made me extremely happy.

That concludes my "important people" section. So I guess now a few words on the graduation ceremony itself! It was very exciting to have the ceremony in the cathedral, it made it feel all the more special. I got my papers quite early in the ceremony and I have to say I felt really proud walking up there when they called "Graduating as a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Computer Games and Multimedia Development and receiving the Northams Prize for the Best Independent Study..." I didn't even actually know I was getting a prize until the day before when my old flatmate told me! Apparently I had been invited to a graduation dinner on the night before too, but I never got an invitation. Oh well, not like I'll die because of that. xD Just rather odd. Anyway - midway through the ceremony they had a footballer who had received an Honorary Degree, Dennis Mortimer, give a speech. I don't really know why we got the footballer - wouldn't that have been more fitting for the graduation day of sports students? I'd really have wanted to have Fay Weldon on our day, since I love her books - oh well. His speech was interesting, but staying true to my bad habit I dozed off at some point. Gomen. :( I told my supervisor about this later and he said "Why am I not surprised.." xD haha. Anyways, I had a cruel awakening when a bee flew straight into my coat. WTF! Where the hell did it come from?! It even looked half dead! Man it took a while to get it out of there, but finally I managed. Thank god I didn't get stung either. Later on it came back again to harass me. Whyyy meeee? Luckily that was pretty close to the end of the ceremony so I was able to escape outside pretty soon after the second assault.

And that's all folks. After that I had some nice family time with my dad and sister in London. We went to see the musical We Will Rock You and talked about lots of things and ate good food. :D

Now I am struggling to adapt to the daily grind back in Finland again...Blargh.

Well then...
Till I see you again UK and my great friends there! Stay Gold! <3