This past weekend I traveled back to New Home 2.0 to see Nighean Bhan graduate from her Master's program in Clinical Speech Pathology.
There were two ceremonies, one for her specific program (about 30 students) and one for her College within the University (a great deal more than 30 students). Each ceremony took less than two hours, which is about the amount of time I am willing to sit comfortably for such things. The specific program graduation was a bit more personal and very well done; the larger college graduation at least moved along quickly and we were spared the spectacle of a Keynote Speaker. Following the graduation, we had a pleasant dinner with her, The Fiancée, The Fiancée's mother, and some friends of Nighean Bhean and The Fiancée.
She now has an "M.S." after her name, followed by a lot of other letters.
As of this writing, she had at least one and possibly two job interviews. I suspect she will seamlessly move into the "work world" without incident.
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Returning to New Home 2.0 was about as odd as I thought it would be.
It is odd returning to a house that you lived in for a decade or more and. while still technically yours, has a mixture of your stuff and other stuff. It is odd driving on roads that you drove on for years and, even in the 5 months since I returned for Christmas, finding buildings (mostly apartments) springing up like wheat.
Seeing people was the usual way it is with these things: A lunch with former coworkers that was unfortunately canceled due to the sorts of things that happen: unexpected trips, rescheduled appointments, the work conflict that suddenly arises. We always swear we will get to it "next time"; I have no idea when next time may come.
On the bright side, I got to spend part of the evening with my friend who is the director of the rabbit shelter I volunteered at. We had a really nice visit and it was good to see the bunnies.
I have one more trip planned next month for Iai training; after that (and barring incident), I have no idea if I will be back before Thanksgiving or Christmas (or if at all for those two holidays).
Which, I suppose, if fine. New Home 3.0 is where we live now.
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As you read this, The Ravishing Mrs. TB and Nighean Bhan are on a cross-country trip bringing her car from New Home 2.0 to New Home 3.0.
They are taking a leisurely trip, stopping at some National Parks, making a visit to my Mother-In-Law, picking up Nighean Dhonn on the way, and then heading up here to be here for Memorial Day weekend.
Getting her car here will be another rather large dot in the relocation - beyond the room we are "renting" in New Home 2.0 and a new storage locker that has some of the things we could not move here, life will be here.
Back in the day, I skipped the big graduation ceremony and just went to the small one which was only for about 100 of us though maybe only half came to it. I liked being able to introduce my parents to the department heads I had known for those years. I think I go my diploma mailed to me in the mail.
ReplyDeleteEd, I do not know if anyone gets their diploma at the ceremony anymore. You get a certificate saying "If you qualify, we will send your diploma".
DeleteThe smaller graduation was better. Meeting Nighean Bhan's mentor, who was so kind in her praise, was the sort thing as a patent that does not much happen anymore past elementary school.
Congrats to the Master graduate and wish her luck in the tax paying world TB.....:) May her and the Ravishing Mrs. TB enjoy bonding time on the...... Road Trip! (uh....visions of Animal House suddenly spring to mind).
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nylon12. She worked hard to get there - and after all, someone has to take the tax mantle from us, right?
DeleteI suspect the bulk of the trip will be coffee drinks and national parks. They are trying to hit six naional parks on their drive.
I don't recall two graduation ceremonies, either when I or my kids graduated from college. The better intimacy sounds nice, but I'm not good at sitting still for those sorts of things, so it's probably just as well. Even so, this is a worthy accomplishment and deserves the attention and honor.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like Nighean Bhan has job opportunities near New Home 3.0. That's really nice.
Lee, I did not have two ceremonies either. Although I think this may be something of a trend now, especially perhaps at the Moore "named "universities were getting a degree with the name on it matters to some people.
DeleteActually, the job opportunities are in New Hime 2.0. Which still works out because that is where her fiancé is, and at least one of the jobs she's interviewing for I believe she did part of her clinicals at one of their schools, so she May already have an in.. And she is still renting our house, it is also handy to have someone we know there.
So "her car" refers to Mrs. TB's car! I misunderstood it as Nighean Bhan's car. But now I recall mention of getting Mrs. TB's car to New Home 3.0 at some time, so this must be the time. It works out nicely then, doubling as a graduation trip too.
DeleteNo no, you are quite right Leigh. I intuited which car I was speaking of (a bad habit of mine). This is indeed that trip - and worked out perfect, both for a post graduation trip and a backup driver.
DeleteCongratulations to the Masters' graduate, TB! It must feel so good for you two as her parents. I remember going back to where we had moved from to here (I think we had been gone about 8 years). Nothing seemed as I remembered it. Our old neighborhood, our house, the town, nothing was quite like I remembered it. It's not that these things had changed much (if at all), but at the same time, everything was different. It's strange how time and life lived elsewhere changes one's perception of the past.
ReplyDeleteThanks Becki! It really is a good feeling - she has worked very hard to achieve this.
DeleteWe have gone back once or twice to the places we lived in New Home 2.0, far longer gone (16 years) and the experience is the same as you describe it: it is different in ways that seem small and yet remembered. The store that was something else, the field that is now an apartment building or development, the restaurants and stores that are different. Perhaps it colours my vision of the places, but they always seem less desirable now that they were then.