graduation: uncut

Now, I've done a lot of stupid things in the last twelve months.

Here's a small list:

1. I forgot to take shoes to a job interview.

2. I waited and waited to pick somebody up from the airport. A day early. 

3. I pulled over my car and called for help, thinking it was over-heated. When really, I was just reading the petrol gauge, and I just had a full tank.

4. Last weekend, with five minutes to go before I was supposed to leave for a party, I superglued my hands together.

5. Fully clothed I was cleaning a shower. I turned it on.

6. While working in kids retail I was opening boxes with a stanley knife. A customer called for my attention, so I left the knife on the kids play table. No problem right?

And this is just the highlights.

But you know what stupid thing Australia has done in the last twelve months? Taken five months to graduate me, that's what.

I finished classes late November, and finally had my graduation ceremony yesterday. That's a long time to wait, especially when "waiting" means working a trillion jobs and not moving to America. 

Yesterday, was what I had been waiting for. 

That's why it was so great. And that's why I'm now down to my last 24 hours down under. Oh boy.

Yesterday, was the science faculty graduation day. And so I, with my "Bachelor of Arts" ended up graduating with molecular biologists, and people who had doctorates in the mating habits of bush turkeys (not even kidding..). And so, aside from feeling like a bit of an idiot amongst that crew, I did my thing, donned my robes, walked across the stage, and took it all in.

That's three years. Three years of development studies, essay writing, short story submitting, screen play composing, poetry scribbling, epidemiology spelling, global health care analysing, geography scrutinising,  economic misunderstanding, globalisation arguing, global health care distribution and  exam stress. That's a whole lot of train trips, early mornings, keep-cup coffees, bad tutors, long lectures, reading and printing.

And it's done. 

Perhaps forever, all done.

And now too, the waiting is done.

Tonight's the last sleep in my own bed. My bag is (almost sort of) packed, and my boarding passes are at the ready. 

Tomorrow, I take four planes, across three countries, with two airlines, into five cities and eventually, end up in Omaha Nebraska. 

It's go time.

And because I can never be serious ever, here is my un-cut, unedited and mostly hideous version of yesterdays events:

you can't tell from this picture, but I launched it at
 least ten meters in the wrong direction.

your colours are legit a hood. who knew.

everyone was staring at me.
I don't know why.

my hat was so dayum tight.
so pushing it forward made everything better.

a good one of my dad. 

fam bam.

my brother.

looking good.

mum shoving my socks back into my shoes. classy.

I'm so good looking.

gale force winds. just what I always wanted.

a hair moustache.

some people would say this was over exposed.

not even close to looking at the right camera.

a successful attempt at getting my mother and brother into the shot. 

wind wind wind.

what I spent 90% of the day doing.

again with the socks...

good job mum.

success.

saluting like a champ.

you can tell I'm happy?

tried to get free champagne. turned out to be punch.

grad hat hair.