Finished.

My final graduation recital was last Monday, and my goodness did it feel great. I think I played really well and really musically, I know I made mistakes but I’ll have to wait until I get the audio recording to decide how noticeable they were. My immediate family flew out to see the recital, plus a couple aunts and my boyfriend. My closest friends from the past four years were there, some of my boyfriend’s family, classmates and coworkers from the School of Music, and even some people I didn’t know were there too. I got enough applause that I received a second bow, and I was given a big bouquet of flowers and a friend brought me fancy chocolates.

I felt totally supported and very proud of what I have accomplished since I arrived at UBC. When I played that last chord I knew that I was done, I was free, I was an educated woman! I mean, I have loved my time at UBC but knowing that was the very last thing I would do as part of my degree felt very momentous and liberating. Thinking back to those last moments of applause puts a smile on my face even as I write this. It’s just – this is what I was striving for for years, you know? This is what I’ve been hoping for since I applied to UBC. I guess this is what it feels like when a dream comes true.