Hello steemians it has been a long time since I have posted anything on steetmit but from today I will be posting each blog a day with a message which will make you learn something new about life and please follow me for getting the updates on my blog.
So let me introduce myself for those who are new and most of you might have forgotten me also, I am Ayush Pathak
Joined this organisation on 29th june I have been inactive for about 10 days but I will be regular from today itself. If you want to know more about me here's the link to my introductory postIntro.
We all know how graduation days are important to us and our family members
. It is a landmark day that marks the end of a cycle, just like giving birth, exchanging vows on a wedding day and death. Although learning never ends, graduation marks the end of those grueling days we spent reading and internalizing loads of notes just to pass few questions that barely covered even a quarter of the curriculum.
We had passed through the system successfully and the graduation was the official occasion that ushered us to the real world. Nothing could spoil the fun for me on this day. It was my special day that was bound to occur only once and I was therefore determined to make the best of it.
Graduation to me was a big deal and not because I wanted to be done with college and move out. On the contrary, I actually enjoyed my life in college. Graduation led to the end of the challenges I had to endure in college. Even though I studied through scholarships, I had to work for my upkeep.
The money I got from the scholarship catered for my tuition only and was not adequate enough to also sustain me. I had to enroll for evening classes, in order to be able to work during the day. Therefore, most of my days were spent in a restaurant, where I worked as waitress. It was not easy juggling between work and classes. Sometimes, I would just doze off in class due to exhaustion after a very busy day.
More times than not, I would skip lectures because my body could not keep up with both undertakings. If I concentrated on one, the other would get affected. I had to find a way to balance the two. I would only attend classes when I had to. I also liaised with my colleagues, who gave me lecture notes each day to study at night.
It goes without saying that I slept for less than four hours for the duration I spent in college. Any spare time I had at work I would spend it perusing through books. In the mornings, when there was not much work, I would read, without the knowledge of my manager of course. How I managed to score a GPA of 3.1 still remains a mystery to me. But, I know that it was from the grace of God, who gave me the strength to endure when I felt like giving up.
Aside from the library and the precincts of the lecture rooms, college life was nonexistent for me. While people were going to parties and having great time, I was always reading. Although I loved playing tennis and was part of the high school team, I could not partake on it because I was at work. As you can see, my college life was not at all fancy and memorable. But, I am grateful to God, because some of my colleagues who were going through the same challenges gave up on the way. There was one who came from Africa, he gave up and returned to his nation.
My brother could have assisted me, however most of his income was going towards our mortgage. Furthermore, he was not around until two months to my graduation. My father passed away when we were young and therefore my mother raised me and my three other siblings on her own. She has really struggled to see us through school. I have two siblings behind me, who are still under her care. She still has to feed them and pay for their school fees.
So, there was no way she could helpme, even if she wanted to. However, where she lacked in financial providence, she over compensated it with love. She would stay all night praying for me and fasting so that God could bless me to pass my college education and get a good job. It won’t come as surprise to learn that my mother was the happiest person in our house when we learnt that my name was in the graduation list. The graduation meant a lot to my mother than it meant to me.
The day was set for our graduation. It would occur during the week, which was contrary to the customs of the school, where graduation ceremonies were done on the weekends. My mother had taken an impromptu leave from her job to ensure that she did not miss out on the big day. My older brother bought a digital camera to capture all the fun moments, while my two sisters were more than enthusiastic to accompany us.
The ceremony was like any other graduation ceremony ever carried out, with the usual speeches of encouragement to motivate us to go out there and conquer the world. We were all donned in black graduation regalia, except for our loved ones and well-wishers who wore their personal clothes.
The moment of reckoning came when we went to the dais to receive our degrees. The whole procession was almost led to a standstill by my mother’s jubilant shouts. She was very excited to the point that I felt embarrassed. I do not blame her however. She was happy because very few people from our family were lucky enough to go college. She was therefore elated that her own daughter was among the selected few. We were all happy to greet and take a photo with the College Principal.
We shared a light moment with him when he learnt that my mother was the one cheering and causing all the commotion. Once the Principal had presented the Degrees and Diplomas and declared us graduates, we threw our graduation hats in the air in celebration. My brother
caught this shot very well that I had to hang the photo in my room.
After the ceremony, we went back to our house. My mum’s sister had stayed behind to deal with culinary affairs. She was an expert at that. There were various types of foods, but most importantly my aunt made sure to include my favorite dessert-the raspberry apple pie. Close friends and relatives also thronged to our house to celebrate this special day.
We started our celebration party with a word of prayer to thank God for the far He had brought us. Then next activity was to fill our tummies with as much food as we could. After that, it was time for the speeches. Almost everybody was given a chance to say something about me and they all showered me with praises.
The only person who had something negative to say about me was someone you would not have expected- my mother. She said I was very stubborn, despite having a brilliant mind. She reminded me how I used to get into a lot of trouble in school and how she would be forced to come to see the principal and as a result, she would lose her hourly wages.
She therefore had to put in extra hours to recover the money. She also confessed that out of her four children, I was the one who reminded her of my father and she loved me so much for it. Her words were so heartwarming to me that I could not hold back my tears. I ran to her and gave her a tight hug, as tears rolled down my cheeks.
My brother gave an awkward speech that had us rolling with laughter. Even after his service in the army, he still had not yet mastered his shyness. My two sisters were brief and to the point, but their words touched my heart. I was the last person to speak, since I was obviously the “chief guest”.
After the speeches, we moved to the gift giving session, where everybody handed me their gifts. It was the first time in my life that I received so many gifts and from different people. They ranged from diaries and pens to clothes and shoes. Some people gave me money, while others gave me contact cards and recommended me to various employers. We wound up the evening with a word of prayer.
The day of my graduation
is one of the best days of my life. On that day I realized that it does not matter where you come from, if you set your mind to do something nothing can stop you. Hard work pays and all dreams are possible. Always remember this: Life is not measured by the amount of breaths you take, but by the moments that take you breath away.
Okay that is it for today, it was a great experience to share with you all and if you liked it please give it a upvote as it gives me motivation to write new things.
Thank you for your time.