Mad Hatters 2014

Tonight I got to celebrate the class of 2014. Or specifically, I got to have dinner with a bunch of graduating students that included Matt and Galven. Prof Lockhart gave a speech that referenced ‘BGR’ on several occasions, the musical performances had serious hits and serious misses, and the food was equal parts tasty and plentiful. Li Ling was there, Prof Quek was there, and I saw Dr Brunero from the corner of my eye, but didn’t get the chance to say hi. Everyone wore silly hats. Galven had a straw hat reminiscent of Van Gogh’s selfie and Matt wore his grey fed with the clock – an object I swapped him for three seasons of Torchwood. That feels quite fitting, swapping an object of time for another object of time, especially when his HT was, well, about time. Galven arrived late, as usual. At least one can say he was consistent to the end. Li Ling was there too, and we got to have a quick chat, as neither of us were honours students (yet!).

On the bus home, I met several older people, all of whom I recognised from the Mad Hatters party. I chatted with them, and found out they were graduate students. I have no idea if I’m spelling their names right, but there was Sandar, from the Netherlands, studying the tensions between maritime traders, local bureaucrats and social policies of the Ming dynasty. There was Tri-er (spelling!??), a Cambodian studying Thai cultural history, and Ohm (again, spelling!?!), but I didn’t catch what she studied. And finally there was an Australian lady (who hasn’t lived in Australia since 1997), studying the history of health in Laos.

For all the times I complain about the insularity, bureaucracy, internal politics and myopia of academia, I still love that universities are a place where people come from hugely different backgrounds, all across the globe, to share their intellectual curiosities and challenge each other’s points of view.