Sam Graduates from UBC

On Thursday, I attended the UBC Graduation Ceremony for my nephew, Sam, at the Chan Centre with his father (my brother, Ken), and Sam's mother, Gina.  Lots of people there, all excited for their family members and friends, and there were cameras and video cameras plus bouquets of flowers everywhere.  Sam only gave us one day notice to attend because he has been working this summer in northern BC planting trees to earn money towards the cost of going to Oxford University this fall.

Long, long lineup to get into the Chan Centre, all the way up the side steps and for several blocks back, but once they opened the doors, the lineup moved quickly. Gina went ahead to save seats while I waited outside for Ken who was driving from his office in Burnaby.

Chan Centre, UBC

After the attendees were seated, all the students paraded in, wearing their caps and gowns, looking proud and excited.  This was followed by the procession of academics, including UBC President, Stephen Toope, UBC Chancellor, Sarah Morgan-Silvester, and the candidate to be receiving the Honourary Doctorate, Tzeporah Berman.

UBC Chancellor, Sarah Morgan-Silvester

Honouree, Tzeporah Berman

Isabelle, Valedictorian (Sam's classmate)

UBC President, Stephen Toope

Sam - waiting in line to go onstage

Sam - the proud moment onstage getting his degree

After the ceremony, the guests and students mingled in the outdoor courtyard where families took photos.

Proud Aunt Donna & Sam

Sam and Dad, Ken

Sam with the official degree

Sam now has a Bachelor of Arts, Honours Political Science in International Relations, degree. He was accepted at many universities for his masters degree and chose Oxford University in England.  He starts in October for a 21 month term to earn his Masters of Philosophy in International Relations!

In Oxford, he has been placed at Lady Margaret Hall.  LMH was founded in 1878 and was named in honour of Lady Margaret Beaufort, founder of the Tudor dynasty and renowned patron of scholarship and learning.  

Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford

We look forward to visiting him in Oxford!

Mayfair at VC

On Saturday Neil and I went to Vancouver College to attend its annual Mayfair - a lovely spring fair.  It is the College's major fundraiser and is lots of fun.  

They had a huge outdoor food court featuring Italian, Korean, Vietnamese, Greek, Indian, and many other ethnic foods, plus an outdoor stage showcasing the school's many choirs and bands.  We went specifically to see our nephew, Dylan, playing guitar as part of the Senior Jazz Band.  Dylan is graduating this year, so this is probably the last time we will visit Vancouver College to see a family member.

We enjoyed trying the Korean food for lunch.  There were crowds of people at the fair, and hard to find a seat.

They had tables where you could buy home made baking (made by the parents); of course we bought chocolate brownies which were excellent.  And there was also an old fashioned cake walk (remember those?):

And I bought a raffle ticket for this exotic red sports car, but I didn't win!

They had a very large crowd of people and the streets were heavily congested with cars and walkers for blocks in every direction.  A very well organized event - the parents volunteer for months to put this together.

High Tea, Fine China and Hats

Over the past few weeks I assisted one of our sisterhood's committees with the marketing and promotion of a High Tea being held in honour of the wife of our Rabbi who is retiring soon.  The committee worked hard with all the arrangements, including determining and testing the food for the tea:  fancy sandwiches, baking, fruit skewers, and of course types of tea.  They decided that they wanted fine English china to be used for the tea and many of our sisterhood volunteered their own china.

The announcement of the event invited women to wear hats and gloves in the spirit of the English type High Tea.  The event was held this past Sunday, May 5 and was a tremendous success - with about 120 women attending.  I ended up packing up and using at the High Tea, my various fine china sets - about 32 place settings.  It was quite a job to get them there and back safely.

Here are some of the highlights:

Table Settings & China:

And the Hats:

And the Fabulous Food!  

Scones with home made blackberry jam, fancy sandwiches, about 25 different kinds of cookies, squares and tarts, and fresh fruit.

Lots of work, and it has taken me several days to recover.  But it as lovely and lots of fun!

Chris Starts His New Career

My nephew, Chris, started his new career today, studying under his father, Ken, to become a Trustee in Bankruptcy.  Chris obtained three university degrees, BSc from UBC, followed by Masters in Chemistry at UVic, and then last year an Education degree from UNB in Fredericton.  He then travelled across Canada last summer, returning to Vancouver from Fredericton, and this winter spent two months in Cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam, touring around and visiting all the beaches he could.

While he was away he made the big career decision to join his father's business, and study to become a Trustee in Bankruptcy.  This involves successfully completing the Chartered Insolvency and Restructuring Professional (CIRP) Qualification Program (CQP), and passing an Oral Board of Examination.  It takes approximately five years while working on the job.  Ken and the whole family are delighted with Chris' choice.

Chris has amazed us all by showing up for work on his first day dressed in a new suit he had made for him in Asia and getting a very smart hair cut.  Here he is - isn't he handsome?

Prior to this, Chris had long curly hair for over 15 years and we rarely saw him in a suit!  Such a big change - good for him for making these decisions.