Graduation

Saturday, June 11th, 2005, I, M.I.C graduated from Portland State University.

Man, I was such a nuthead. I was so nervous and stressed out that I was barking at everyone. There was a huge parade... the "Rose festival" parade in Portland... I was afraid that I'll get stuck in traffic so we were going to leave early...

We got there about half an hour or so early... Eventually my bro shooed me off to where I'm supposed to go... Sadly, I trudged towards the Exhibit hall all by my lonesome. My friend wasnt graduating with me since she has few more terms to go, and the people I knew werent going to walk for the graduation... I was dreading. I've been dreading this since I went to bro's graduation 2003.

So eventually find where the Sociology Majors were supposed to be... I also got my picture taken... A few of us stood around... Then I saw my Capstone partner... talked to her for a few minutes... She belongs to the Social Sci major, so she had to go to her spot... After a while, I saw a familiar face... someone I had "Sociology of aging" with... We decided we'll stick together since none of our friends were there... After a while, all that standing around, two other girls started talking to us, and it became a group of four.

Waiting was a pain in the butt... We were to head into the Rose Quarter coliseum around 2.30ish, and the P.A system stunk... While it was going off, everyone was just blabbering away...

A couple of Sociology professors came and hung out with us, and they were representing us. There was this other professor that I never had a class with... He was walking around telling us if we have funny names, to write it out so it would be read right... We all shrugged and said we dont need to do that... He looks to me, walks over and goes... "no funny name huh?", and he looks at my reader card, "lemme see that...", and goes... "AHHH thats too easy!", and gave it back to me... LOL.

Then he walks by again after a while and tells me not to make any trouble jokingly, so I give him an innocent look... From then on whenever he passed me he gave me the... "I'm watching you" look... I asked my classmate why he's picking on me?

After about standing around for like 1 1/2 hour... we headed into the coliseum... I got the look from the professor, I gave him a stupid grin... Walking in there was so scary. I felt so small... Everyone looked like ants... The setting was scary... The audience (family/friends) were all seated around like they were watching basketball... Heck, thats where Portland Trailblazers play basketball! And we were in the spot wehre there would be a game normally... I didnt bother looking for my family, I mean it felt like there were millions of people.

So for about 2 hours we had to listen to people making speeches... and the next hour is when everyone get their degree blah blah and greeted blah blah... As it got closer and closer for our row to get up and go... I was freaking out... My classmate would watch me everytime she pointed out how many rows were left cuz I was like "OH MY GAWD!!!!!! OH MY GAWD!!!!!!". Finally our row gets up walking down the isle... seemed long and draggy... I didnt want to get there... My heart was pounding in my ears, and yet I couldnt hear it or feel it cuz of the noise of cheering clapping... I was the next one... and I was so nervous... I had to hand over this one lady's reader card for her cuz she was goin on the disability ramp, so I waited till she went, while that I looked up ahead and saw the Dean of College of Liberal Arts & Sciences... He was also my "Soc of aging" professor. He saw me and smiled broadly. Everything felt calm right then and there... I handed over my reader card, went up there... shook his hand... he is like "come here you", gave a kiss on my cheek and hugged me. That was that.. I came down the ramp, Social Psych professor greeted me and then the professor who's been teasing all afternoon, also shook my hand and said... "Inspite of everything, You did great". Then I went and found my seat... By the time, the whole thing was over... Cuz the sociology people were the last group to go... Bahahahaha...

I was glad it was over with. It didnt seem all that bad... After it was over, I roamed around to find my family and I did.

Bro was like, "mom's heartbeat elevated".. I was like "WHY?". He goes... "Cuz the old guy kissed you". I told them he was the Dean,and that he was also my professor. I've talked about him a zillion times before to them... They were like "Oh... you mean the professor who invited the whole class to his apartment and a small party and everything?". YES thats him. He's so awesome. MOm said that he only gave me a kiss... Me think she was blind. But anyways... I kept nagging my bro about PSU's motto.. "let knowledge serve the city"... and how PSU taught me to help others... Bro was like.. "I didnt learn that..."... he's a selfish lil person. But I love him anyways.

Thennnn... we headed home.

This year had the highest graduation rate it seems... over 4000 students. A lil over 2000 were present in the ceremony, while the others decided not to walk the graduation. Thats still a lotta people...

So... 2 hours driving to Portland... Plus 2 hours waiting... Plus 3 hours ceremony... Plus 2 hours driving back to Astoria, really tired everyone out . When we got home it was 8pm. I was awake for about an hour or so, and then I was out like a light. I'm still recuping...

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