Fail Forever

No, I didn't fail my degree. I actually did surprisingly well, and I am so happy about that. What I am not happy about, is leaving the life I have become so adjusted to behind. Ever since school, and even a bit before that, all I have ever thought about is moving on, travelling, seeing the world. A few years ago, however, I decided I wanted to do a bit more than that. I decided I wanted to do something that required commitment, something I would truly have to work towards, something that needed to be earned. So, I went to university. It provided me with the first place, away from my birthplace, that I have truly felt settled enough to call it 'home'. But it has been a treacherous path, filled with tight deadlines, late nights and a lot, a lot, of hard work glue. This only meant though, that the bond between those I worked, played and lived with were even tighter. I have met some absolutely amazing, influential people who have truly changed me as a person. I am not who I am now, as who I was when I first embarked on aiming to obtain my architecture degree. And I have only my friends, my tutors and other companions along the way to thank.

Graduation, then, was a very emotional departure from those I had become so fond of. Of course not for good, many of them are life long friends and I hope to cross paths with everyone again at some point. But the life we have shared together, has indefinitely changed; we will never share this same experience again. So in that respect, it is a farewell.

Yet, what hasn't changed and I don't suppose ever will, is the subtle flaw in my character which always renders me to 'fail' in social situations. The scenarios I always seem to find my self in by my lack of, well, competence, never seem to fall short of funny. Graduation and the ceremonious throwing of the hats seem to lay testament to that. A hat, and it wasn't even my hat, landed on the sill of the building behind where we all threw them in the air. In the squabble of collecting hats from the ground after, everyone managed to lay claim to one - apart from me, of course. I was thus beheld with the task to retrieve the aforementioned hat from above the bar, or be left with a hefty fine from the garment rental company (a whole kit is £400!). It took me a good hour if not more of hunting around for a solution, thanks to good ol' health and safety. At one point I was even attempting to dismantle a gazebo to use it's poles to fish it down, but of course 'procedure' wouldn't allow for that either. Eventually, after even attempting to collect straws to fit together into a makeshift pole, we managed to persuade management into bending the rules and letting us use their ladder to collect the hat. It was an amusing escapade, which did result in me missing out on a lot of photos, but at least I have got a story to tell.