Well, the big day final came! We Yanks tend to mostly do our graduations in June. Don't ask me why, but Buckinghamshire New University graduates all its students the first week in September.
Ellie finished all her thesis, course, and projects last December, but we got all cranked up with cap, gown, hood, and party plans a week ago Monday. She arrived on campus that day as a "graduand", awaiting the award of a Master of Arts in "Furniture: Conservation, Restoration & Decorative Arts," along with five others. There were another eight MA recipients in "Furniture Design and Technology." Together, the graduands came from the UK, US, Spain, Greece, Ireland, Korea, and Japan!
There were times when her life would not have been bearable at the University, were it not for the wit and salty language of co-sufferers at the other work benches. First among them was our dear friend Andreas, who came here for a year away from his family in Athens. We were so happy that he came back for graduation, and brought his lovely mother with him, to stay with us. Can you tell that they are making tasteless jokes about the "Masters" hoods adorning their rented finery?
Graduation was held at the Swan Theater, a performing arts center just off campus. It was filled with graduands anticipating their transition to becoming graduates, and their families. The stage was full of the faculty finery, with different colors granted by the Universities from which they had come.
And here are the Master's graduates, at least those who could be present. Dr. Campbell Norman-Smith (in the blue finery) was Ellie's course leader, and Paul Tear (far right) was a go-to-guy for lots of technical details. Like us, Keiko (at rear) was here (from Japan) on a student visa; our good friend Simon is at far left. His second son was graduating from University four days later!
There were times when her life would not have been bearable at the University, were it not for the wit and salty language of co-sufferers at the other work benches. First among them was our dear friend Andreas, who came here for a year away from his family in Athens. We were so happy that he came back for graduation, and brought his lovely mother with him, to stay with us. Can you tell that they are making tasteless jokes about the "Masters" hoods adorning their rented finery?
Graduation was held at the Swan Theater, a performing arts center just off campus. It was filled with graduands anticipating their transition to becoming graduates, and their families. The stage was full of the faculty finery, with different colors granted by the Universities from which they had come.
And here are the Master's graduates, at least those who could be present. Dr. Campbell Norman-Smith (in the blue finery) was Ellie's course leader, and Paul Tear (far right) was a go-to-guy for lots of technical details. Like us, Keiko (at rear) was here (from Japan) on a student visa; our good friend Simon is at far left. His second son was graduating from University four days later!
The larger group includes a number of the Furniture Design graduates as well.
So that night we took over a country pub -- the Bull & Butcher, located in the village of Turville, near Lane End. There were twenty-two of us, including various mates, parents and hangers-on, babbling in French, Italian, with bits of Greek and Irish thrown in.
Well done, all!
very nice photos! hope we can make another time going out together :) Sua
ReplyDelete