Finally, it the time of the year again where all students are excited to take their vacation. The time of the year were those senior students leave their comfort zone and take a new chapter in their life. It is again the time of the year where families get together to celebrate a very special event of their life. Who would have thought, these who spend half of their lives in school are now ready to face the world. They are now a fully grown individual who are ready to face the challenges of the REAL WORLD. They have finally proved to their teachers, family and friends that they are capable of surviving the corporate world, and they are ready to apply all the knowledge that they have acquired in school. But before facing these challenges, why don’t we look at those moments when we ourselves have experienced this very joyful event of our lives. Let me share to you my experience.
I, Melissa, have graduated four times, in my whole life. I cannot actually say that graduation day is the happiest day of my life but I am really proud to say that it is one of those happy memories that I really treasure.
My first graduation day experience was way back then when I was in Kinder, I really cannot remember the preparations and happiness, but based from the pictures I have. I can confidently say that I was happy. I even got a medal and a certificate … (hmmm I wonder what that is for … LOL!) but I think my mom was the happiest person during those times, I can see in her eyes, her smile and how hard she hugged me that she was really happy.
My second graduation was the most sentimental graduation I ever had, when I graduated elementary, my mother was so proud because I received several awards and recognitions … (ha ha ha all of those recognitions was only for my extra curricular activities … but as all of them said … recognition is still is RECOGNITION!). But before we get into the fun part we had the hardest part of our life as well, we only had one week to prepare for our final examinations, which I may say is really hard. We also have one week to finish our clearance wherein the teachers won’t sign unless we completed all our requirements (I bet they are doing these things because they will be missing us and it is their last chance to make us suffer … ha ha ha) but after surviving these times, we had the most wonderful time of our lives. I must say preparation for the graduation was really fun, we had our graduation picture for the year book, and we had our class picture. We also had two weeks of practice for graduation, we practiced singing the graduation songs, we practiced the ceremonial rights, and we practiced marching towards our sits and to the stage. It was so fun because we all see each other all the graduating students … all my batch mates that I have been with for the last six years of my life. It was really fun going into these things, some of us even have the craziest idea of a souvenir from high school, some made us sign their slum books, some even let us sign and leave a message in their school uniforms, weird but fun, most of us have their cameras ready for each moment that happens in the practice. Oh and the music how dare me forget the music, it is one of the most important element of graduation practice. We have this radio in our classroom and my classmates would play sentimental songs during break times then a chorus of awww and a bunch of teary eyes will overflow our classrooms. The most famous song that is always heard in all the building of the senior students … is the song FAREWELL …
We used to be frightened and scared to try
Of things we don’t really understand why
We laugh for a moment and start to cry
We were crazy
Now that the end is already here
We reminisce ‘bout old yells and cheers
Even if our last hurrahs were never clear
Farewell to you my friends
We’ll see each other again
Don’t cry ‘cause it’s not the end of everything
I may be miles away
But here is where my heart will stay
With you, my friends with you
Yesterday’s a treasure, today is here
Tomorrows’ on its way, the sky is clear
Thank you for the mem’ries of all the laughters and tears
And not to mention our doubts and our fears
The hypertension we gave to our peers
It’s really funny to look back after all of these years
This song is really touching and could really make me cry every time I hear it in the radio or somewhere else it is my official graduation song for elementary. I said that it was one of the most sentimental graduations of my life because my very close friend is going to leave for another school that only means that I will not be with her anymore … I am really sad that moment, I even cried in the last day of our practice for graduation. I have only known my friend Princess for one year but we were very close, we shared a lot of things in common, we were even closer than those I have known for several years. There is this one line that she said that really made me cry that day … she said, “Stop crying, just because we are not going to the same school doesn’t mean that we are not friends, we are just apart but our lives are still connected.” Princess is the sweetest girl I ever met and I will never forget all the memories that I have shared with her.
Finally the most awaited day arrived; students wear for the first time, the uniform of high school. The moment I wear my very own high school uniform, I felt confident, happy, excited it felt like it was my day … finally I am going to march to the stage and receive my diploma. The diploma that serves as a proof that I have been a good student during elementary years, the proof that I am a grown up and ready to enter a new stage of my life, the proof that I can do anything as long as I put my heart into it. As I march towards the stage, a mixed of emotions came into me. I was really nervous with all these people looking at you, I must really be careful in walking coz I am a clumsy girl way back then, on the other hand I must walk smartly, walk like a lady just like my teacher used to say. At the same I was really happy; the fact that I am finally getting my diploma was a great experience by itself. I also feel sad, I am sad as I look at my teachers in the stage, I have been close to some of my teachers and actually became friends with them, I am sad because I won’t be seeing them regularly for the next school year. I am also sad because some of my close friends will be apart from me.
The moment I was in the center of the stage, I really felt proud, looking at everyone at the audience, receiving my medals and diploma. I am really proud of myself that I have made it until the last day. I am proud to make my mother happy. The whole experience was really incredible and no words can actually describe it. As I walk down towards my chair, tears fell into my eyes, I can’t really control it. I hugged my friends. I was really happy; it was a pure feeling, a feeling of heaven for a moment.
