GRADUATION;
My red high heels were shaking just the slightest bit when I walked up the steps looking up to Dr. W and Mr. S awaiting me at the top. I flash a smile and feel a firm handshake then I touch the paper of my certificate. I turn towards the crowd and I see a bright flash light but I don’t have much time because I have to nod to another handshake and yet another flash light goes off. With my crystal and diploma in my hands I stand in the middle of the steps and smile. Then before I know it I have already made my way down the stair case again. The moment on stage are brief and it seemed like seconds. The realisation that I have officially graduated only sinks in when my row sits down and I have time to appreciate the crystal in my hands sitting on dark blue satin. I look to my side and see Z grinning at me and in front of me I see C studying her own prized possession. I have finally made it. I am a graduate.
As I was sitting in the front row I could look at the audience more closely and I see the teary smiles of the parents, the hopeful looks of the teachers and the satisfaction and happiness in the eyes of family members and friends. I also see the joy radiating off the people who have already received their diplomas and can sense the nervousness of those who still have to approach the stage. I was one of the first to graduate so I had time to let everything sink in.
When we took the group picture I felt the pride and love permeating through the atrium. Flashlights were going on non-stop for at least 15 minutes and I had no idea where to look. My sister and S managed to box their way to the front and all I could see was their fingers clicking constantly and the flashlight bursting every two seconds. I had my arms linked with Z’s and I couldn’t feel any happier in that moment. My face muscles started cramping from all the smiles but I was so happy and the smiles weren’t forced.
After the award ceremony we had a small reception and that was the opportunity for us to take pictures with teachers, family members and friends. I don’t know how many pictures I took and how many times I flashed a smile. I was showered with flowers and my arms were hurting from the bouquets from S, my parents, E’s mom and the cute little teddy bear from Z’s mom.
The ceremony was everything that I had hoped for. My family was complete, they were all there for me. I had S by my side and all my friends from the Graduating Class of 2012.
I had a wonderful time and the celebration was also inside of me. 12 years of education came to a closing and with that I have become a graduate of the Taipei European School on the 26th of May, 2012.
Anonymous asked: I just wanted to say that you seem to live a very enriched life :) very intriguing and enlightening.
Thank youu! I am very grateful for all the people in my life and the opportunities I have been given! (:
Anonymous asked: What r u doing for the summer?
I haven’t made any concrete plans yet because I am not sure yet where I am headed to uni. But right now I have London, Paris, Frankfurt and Hamburg on my agenda (:
OUR BIG DAY;
Summer break has been quite overwhelming, of course in a good sense, but still every day is jam packed with different events. With my grandparents here I have plenty to do: to show them around Taipei City, and attend family friend luncheons and dinners. I spent long hours at night talking to my grandparents catching up with how they have been and listening to their stories about my cousins. S and I have been spending more time together as well to make up for the times when I went MIA on him during exam weeks. We’ve been to the movies, walked along the river Danshui and spent hours just talking about random things.
I’ve also already been to two graduation rehearsals and who knew that it is so difficult to graduate? There are so many things to look out for, when to stand up, where to sit, how to walk, at what pace, how to smile, where to take the photographs… as I stood at the bottom of the steps I felt anxiety and nervousness about the upcoming ceremony. What if I trip? What if I can’t hold both the crystal and the certificate at the same time?
People always say that the graduation is for yourself, a celebration of your achievement. It is an event that marks the end of my time at high school, a goodbye to the secondary education but for me it’s not so much about me graduating but I see it as a thank you to all the people that have been there along the way: my family, my friends, my teacher. Everyone that contributed something to help me reach today. I know when I am standing on the steps I will be scanning the crowd for my family and S and I can’t wait for the moment for the group picture where I will be standing next to my friends.
There are so many things I will miss about my school. Of course the school itself, but truly it is the people that mark the memories that made my time here so special.
I will miss the early mornings in the cafeteria where all the H4s are sprawled across the tables, the registration mornings with Mr. S and his Christmas carols, I will miss my econ buddy Z and D with her hilarious comments, I will miss C who is always there for me and who understands me when I’m acting all weird, I will miss C my Math buddy for almost 5 years now! Of course I’ll be missing L for her encouraging words and I’ll miss A with whom I can always have a good laugh and who always gives me insightful advice. I will miss seeing the TES banner, the lunch hour with my friends, Mr. W who always brings us delicious treats, Mr. L who always tells me off for breaking the dress code, the guards that always greet me with a happy “Guten Morgen”.
There are just too many things I will miss because too many good memories were made at high school. Though many people say that high school friends last forever, some do get lost along the way. And I know this promise has been made way too many times and broken way too many times but I will still make it in the hope that maybe I won’t.
I promise that I will keep in touch with those people that have shaped me, helped me and encouraged me all this time. I have learnt a lot from them and hopefully they have learnt something from me too.
I will leave this school with fond memories and will always appreciate the things that I was able to experience. Tonight when I will be standing on the steps with flashlights, smiles and my diploma in my hand I will think of them. It is a milestone for me as much as it is for my parents, my friends and all the people I love.
Today is going to be our big day.
You shoot me down
but I won’t fall.
I am Titanium.
This cover is truly beautiful. Madilyn’s voice is so pure and clear and this acoustic version of David Guetta’s hit single Titanium gives me goose bumps. Whilst his version conveys strength and determination, her cover is more raw and reflective. For me right now this song means a lot because I am about to head out into the world leaving behind my safety net of family, high school and home to experience something new. There are many obsticles in the future that I will have to face but I believe that I am strong enough to counter them all and overcome them. Humans are strong, everyone is if they choose to show it. Ultimately we are all Titanium.
WENDELS;
Dad stopped by in Taipei for a surprise visit, which wasn’t too much of a surprise because Mom accidentally let it slip so we decided to turn this around and surprise him for once.
In Germany Father’s day has just passed and since he was so busy all the time we hadn’t had the chance to celebrate. K and I made him a big poster and I brought some cupcakes I made with S to Wendel’s for a surprise lunch. Dad had no clue when he arrived and was pleasantly surprised to be showered with presents!
I was starving since I haven’t had breakfast and I was out all night so I was eager to indulge myself in some heavy German food. May is the month of the year for white asparagus in Germany and my family LOVES to eat white asparagus. When we used to live in Shanghai my parents would always be invited to dine at Shangri La for a full course white asparagus dinner and we always envied them for having that opportunity since it’s difficult to find white asparagus in Asia and the price is always quite high. So when we saw the menu and spotted the white asparagus page we couldn’t resist but order the white asparagus soup!
My Dad went with ‘Wendel’s Gourmet’ dish which is a pork steak smothered in Emmentaler cheese, my sister got Beef pasta and mom and I ordered the German sausage dish with mashed potato and sauerkraut, can’t get more German than that!
I was so full after that huge plate and could barely move. Before we started eating I was determined to have their Spaghetti ice cream or at least a piece of their delicious cake, but my food baby reminded me there was no more space in my stomach.
We then sat on the wooden benches catching up and talking for another hour. It felt as if it was just another family day and not a weekend where Dad flew all the way over. I could tell my mom was already getting excited that summer was nearing and we would all be together again when my family moves back to Shanghai. The weather was lovely and it was nice to sit outside and we didn’t leave the place until all the bubbles of the beer was gone and the last bit of Sauerkraut scraped off the plates.
Ahhhh, just found this when I was browsing through tumblr and this reminded me of my bunny! It was just as cute and fluffy and the fur was so long and made it that much more cuddly.
I remember once it hid itself under our couch table and looked exactly like a ball of fur, just like this picture. I had to leave this fluffy ball of fur in Shanghai and after 6 years it went to bunny heaven :( I was devastated when I found out. I miss his cute little ears and the little nose that is incessantly going up and down. It had the softest paws and the cutest way of eating.
This just really makes me miss him again…
(Source: weheartit.com)
A LITTLE PIECE OF HOME;
I heard the metal gate shut and the sound of mutiple foot steps as I spin around and see my grandparents walk up the steps. They have arrived from Hong Kong. My grandma drops her luggage and gives me a big hug and then gives me three huge plastic bags.
Your favourite!
Before I even take a glimpse into the bag I already knew what it was going to be and the other two mysterious plastic bags that my mom carried inside the kitchen were to hold the treasures that Hong Kong has to offer. As I untie the first bag I can already smell the sweetness of the bread and soon I see the golden top of the crispy pine apple bread reveal itself. The bread itself is not actually made of pineapple, it is just sweetend bread with a crunchy crumble top which looks gridded resembling the pattern on the outside of a pineapple. Hence, the name.
She also brought a ton of other delicious things from Hong Kong inlucing the infamous SIU MAI. Actually, they might not be that famous because the one you are probably imagining right now is the yellow little meat things sometimes with a shrimp inside, but the ones I mean, the ones I ate whilst growing up, is the one fish SIU MAI. They are plain with no filling but the yellow coat and is eaten dipped in soy sauce. A delicious breakfast I can never resist.
Next up are the fish balls and Hong Kong has a variety to offer. They have it in the shape of spheres, a long strip or even as a big circle. They are all made out of different types of fish and flavoured differently. This would definitely be in one of the dishes for tonight.
When we were eating lunch it felt like one big family reunion and I couldn’t help but light up as a hear bits of Cantonese thrown around mixed with the broken Mandarin that my grandma manages to pronounce. The last time I had both my grandparents here with me was last year Christmas and I didn’t realise how much I have actually missed them.
I felt so loved that they decided to come all the way to Taipei just for my graduation. Though I caught myself looking longingly at the empty seat of my Dad I felt that I was surrounded by all the most important people in my life. My mom always tells me that family always comes first and that those are the people that will never leave your side and will always be there for you.
I can’t wait to spend more time with them and to listen to all the anecdotes they have to share with me. I always love to hear about how dorky I used to be when I was younger and the hilarious things I used to do. I’m always in for a laugh! They always bring me a little piece of home.
A NEW START;
This post is long overdue but I couldn’t get myself to press the POST button up until this morning. The feeling of finally finishing all exams hasn’t really sunk in and as I walked out of the MPR towards my bag to pack away my plastic bag with all my pens once and for all didn’t feel liberating or different. It was a routine after 15 days of stressful examinations.
I looked at the people around me and tried to pinpoint the emotions that their faces let slip but all I could see around me where composed faces looking around a bit lost. Then K’s face broke into a smile and I couldn’t help but feel a certain excitement flow through my body. I was done. Actually done. The Business and French people still had exams coming up the next week so I did still spot some anxious faces but some of them like I and D were already bouncing around the steps happy to have finished an important chapter in their lives.
I didn’t have much time after the exams to sit down and reminisce about my high school life because I was on a tight schedule to bring back all my books, get teachers to sign my leavers sheet, clean out my locker, track down my form teacher and get the office to give me the OK. S was going to come pick me up to celebrate the end of exams.
As the last signature was written on the black line I felt that this was a moment that marked the end. It was official when I handed in the leavers slip that I was really going to leave my high school. I walked out into the bright sun shine and spotted the red car from S and a feeling of completeness filled my heart. Right now I didn’t feel any sorrow or nostalgia but this surge of energy to embrace what is to come after this chapter draws to an end.
I wouldn’t trade this feeling for anything in the world right now, this freedom that I can almost taste on my lips and this state of utter and pure happiness. It’s bliss.
ONE MORE FREAKING DAY;
IT HAS FINALLY ARRIVED. MY LAST DAY OF EXAMS. I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT FOR ALL MY LIFE.
I have been crossing out the days on my exam schedule and tomorrow is finally the last day. I can not await the moment I step out of the MPR with all my 15 exams done and over with. It’s going to be sunshine, unicorns and rainbows all the time and all over the place.
ONE MORE DAY ONE MORE DAY ONE MORE DAY!
