The End of an Era

Today is a very emotional day for me. My Big Girl is having her last real day of school today, finishing 12 years of initial education with her last oral exam in Geography. I’m endlessly proud of her.

Partly it is emotional because I’m not home to bid her farewell and good luck for the last test this morning, because I had to leave the house early at 4:30 to catch a flight to Dallas where I’ll be spending the rest of the week on business.

But it is also emotional for me because I can vividly recall my feelings on my very last day of Highschool some 29 years ago. The intense studying the days leading up to the final test, the anxiety before the exam, but also the upcoming  euphoria that after this final day I won’t have to go back to that dreaded building, all that studying of all that meaningless nonsense that I will never ever use again in my life, having to put up with ignorant teachers (not all of them of course!). And that better days are ahead. I spend the hours before the exam in a cafe together with my friends, I still recall the oral exam (mine was in history) and the very moment I walked out of that building and I had it all behind me.

Of course the better days came, but as I continued with the education and my career the studying continues to this day, albeit more focused. And I still have to put up with a lot of nonsense and ignorant people  in my job every day, but at least I do what I like doing and I get paid for it.

But for my Big Girl finally finishing Highschool (Gymnasium) with a hopefully successful final grade (she’ll know the outcome Friday) is still a big step. Now the party season starts (rightfully so) and hopefully she and her friends will have a great summer. Then she will enter the next phase of her life. In October she’ll start training to be a children’s nurse and later she plans to go to University to study Medicine.

So as I cross the Atlantic Ocean westward I keep my fingers crossed for that final test! And as at the time of the exam I’ll be 40.000 feet closer to the Gods I’ll put in a good word for her!

For me having my child successfully finishing school is also a big thing. It feels like the end of an era.

And of course I’ll be back in time for the Graduation.

Have a great day!

Marcus