A Bunch of Old Folks and a White Girl

Yesterday was Old Students Day at Union Christian College - an annual event, which is always held on the second Saturday in November and to which all alumni of the college are invited. There were several hundred there - many of them college graduates long before even my parents were a thought in anyone's mind. But, amidst all of that gray hair, I still had a fine time.

I had a few duties during the day: 1) Sit at the registration table and smile for a short time first thing in the morning, 2) Attend each event with camera ready, and 3) Be the token white girl. And, if I do say so myself, I performed each of my duties like a master - especially being that token white girl; gosh, I'm getting good at that!

In all seriousness, though, I was glad to attend the event. It began with a short chapel service, which I enjoyed because it was uplifting and prayerful and completely in English. This was followed by the public meeting, which took up the remaining time before lunch. And let me tell you, I got mighty hungry sitting there snapping pictures for three hours!

The meeting was actually quite interesting, though. There were two speakers, one a former principal of the college and one the vice chancellor (that's like a university president) of Cochin University. Both of these men were very honored guests, and I know the college was so proud to have them both there. And to top it off for the token white girl, they both presented in English.

After the speeches, a few awards were given out, and many old students were honored - students from the class of 1980 (their 25th reunion), as well as students who graduated before 1945 (oh my gosh, that's 60 years ago!!!). Each of these students received a memento from the college and got to shake hands with the honored guests. Last of all, old students were given the opportunity to share some memories from their college days. At this point, everyone began speaking that dreaded Malayalam, and my thoughts became preoccupied with when they'd be serving lunch and what it would be...

I was not to be disappointed. It was a feast on a banana leaf, complete with payassum! And that was Old Students Day at Union Christian College.