I’m back in Germany, safe and rested, after struggling to stay awake until dinner time yesterday and nearly dozed off at the dinner table. I finally climbed into my bed shortly after 8pm. Hope to counter jet lag by not sleeping too early so that my body can adjust to the change of time zone soon.

Three weeks had come and gone in such a short time. All in all, I’ve enjoyed my time off very much. Most important of all, my mom had her wish fulfilled and finally she had one thing that she wanted to see most, me in a graduate robe. I guess that’s one wish all parents hope to have fulfilled one day.

Studying at a university in Germany is quite different from those universities in the US or in UK. There is no official graduation ceremony upon graduation where certificates are handed out to the graduates by the dean of the university, a ceremonious occasion where graduates got to wear graduate robes and squarish hats.

I collected my certificate at the examination office (Prüfungsamt) and that was it. No graduate robes, no ceremony, no squarish hat, no flowers, no camera to capture the moment of my happiness, of me holding my cert, not even a congratulatory wish from the clerk at the examination office for my years of hard work and late nights of studying.

My mom still wanted to capture the ‘moment’ at a photo studio, although I find the whole thing a little funny. She dragged us all to a photo studio, which specializes in taking professional portraits for special occasions. Jeeez, the photo looks so surreal to me now. They have a graduate robe and a matching squarish hat for rent and to my surprise, a scroll to come with the whole attire. My cert was hanging on the wall in my room back in Germany. I didn’t know what to feel, somehow it seemed so strange, holding an empty scroll and wearing a borrowed robe. I think my experience of studying in Germany had really wiped off any notion of sticking to traditions.

It was my first time to have my picture taken at a photo studio, man, was it tiring. I gotta tilt my head this way and that way, my leg posed at the right angle etc, etc. But in the end, I was quite satisfied with the results, my mom was happy, so it was worth it after all.

So, I gotta plan for my next holiday now. Just kidding. Well, actually it’s never too soon to plan right ? Oh dear, Monday is coming and I gotta stop dreaming.