Graduation I

It was finally here, this moment had been building up over the past 6 months. Nervous, excited anxious, and a bit of sadness as well this was after all the final act of this chapter in life. I must admit I had been waiting for graduation ever since my first year, this may be strange to some of you but I think most of my class was.

In our first year in Neuchatel, Switzerland our final service exam consisted of completing the graduation for the BA4s (the senior graduating class). We spent weeks preparing to ensure we knew exactly what was needed, how to complete our service, who was attending, who is responsible for what and when to be where. The week prior was spent mainly polishing, polishing cutlery, polishing glassware and moving around furniture to set up.

The week before the day of the ceremony went by at a much slower pace than usual. As if the university was giving us time to savour the last week of our first year. The day of the ceremony however went by in a flash, before we knew it we were carrying the furniture back to its rightful place. I think a huge part of this is because we were so extremely busy from 5 AM to long past 5PM we spent the day working tirelessly. Setting up, serving, congratulating, setting down, and cleaning up… of course, all of this was accompanied by the nerves of a final exam and knowing that you are being graded on your performance. The pressure was high but it led to some great memories. I had been assigned the foie gras station, so my day consisted of scoring, salting and searing and by the end of it I’m pretty sure I smelt like a grill.

The class connection grew significantly over this day because all we had to depend on were each other and this carried us through till the end. Where Mr Jaco and Mr Thompson our dean and programme leader congratulated us on the completion of this first step and wished us well for the next challenge… our internships. This is however a story for another time.

So after that day, I could not wait to have my own graduation and to arrive and watch the weeks of hard work and effort that the first years had put into our special day pay off.

Flying back to University this time felt different, usually, it felt like coming home but this time it was an odd mix of coming home but having no place to call home. We had all said our goodbyes and moved out months ago so although we knew the city and the campus like the back of our hands it was no longer ours to stay in.

The weather seemed to know exactly when to show its best performance, guaranteeing picturesque Swiss landscapes for our final goodbye. Most of the morning was spent showing my mom around Montreux and the city I had come to love.

Then as the graduation neared so did the time to get ready, in my case this did not only mean getting my hair, make up and outfit on track but it also meant the final touches of my graduation speech.

Those of you who know me quite well will know that public speaking is something I consistently need to work on, it's daunting to stand in front of a large group of people who are there to listen to your story. But I must admit with a great mentor along the way I have managed to improve my public speaking tremendously.

One final practice round with Ms Medico along the lakeside in the sun and a quick run-through on stage to get used to the space and I was ready for this big moment, all that was left now was to breathe, enjoy it and take the stand.

With the final look in the mirror, I made my way down to the casino, speech in hand, excited to see friends, happy that I had made it this far and thankful to all those that were part of this journey….