The Art of Fake Graduating

Currently Listening To: Shake It Out, Florence and the Machines

Disclaimer: The past few weeks have been so full – full of work, full of fun, of relaxing at the beach followed by the busiest of weekends, of packing and goodbyes to close friends and ending a chapter of life. I decided to break from the blog and just live it all, but now I am really grateful to be back, to have the chance to write here once more. Once again, thanks for bearing with me!

 

This past weekend, we graduated! But here’s the thing: for those of us in the five-year education program, we have to wait til next year to really graduate. Even though I’ve finished my major requirements, I’ll get my Bachelor’s (of English) and Master’s (of Teaching) at the same time a year from right now. But as all my friends graduated now, and I have finished undergrad, there was no way I wasn’t going to celebrate with them. Thus, as my new friend Merritt coined, it was my fauxmencement.

 

As my parents are in Kenya, I was on my own in a weekend full of families…but it turned out just fine, because they all wanted to adopt me (a special thank you to the Stricklands and the Bodkins for letting me tag along to fancy dinners and vineyard picnics!).

Having a house graduation party on top of Afton Mountain with a sleepover after, party-hopping for two days straight, realizing the number of dresses that needed to be worn in one weekend and raiding each other’s closets last minute, processing (meandering) down the Lawn while trying to keep tabs on all 25 people I was with, sitting in the heat listening to Katie Couric and hoping I wouldn’t get a one-shoulder-dress burn-line, and spending the afternoon eating Little John’s and drinking wine at a vineyard with my good friend Brecklyn and her family….all of these things made for a wonderful and highly successful fake graduation.

 

And if you ever fauxmence, let me know. I can give you some tips.

(pictures 1, 2 and 3 by David Drewry; pictures 4, 5 and 6 by Margaret Montague)