Checking out for the very last time

Everyone checked out... for the final time

Exactly a week to the day after I had assigned my newest batch of students to develop their blogs and work on the topic for the week "A New Beginning", here I was today about to start a new beginning of my own (and with all new beginnings, comes an imminent end to the previous chapter in my life).

Without trying to sound all melodramatic, the School is finally moving to its new campus. Today is the last day we had classes in our recently vacated campus. Having had six hours of teaching load on Fridays, I had the honour of teaching the last class for my School (I had been teaching the graveyard shift at Fridays 2-4pm the last couple of months).

We had gradually cleared out our staffroom the last couple of days and today we came in to complete that task. One by one, as the hours passed, more and more lecturers vacated their rooms and surrendered their keys over to our trusted security officer/administrative assistant, Uncle Nava. Some of the faculty members left for home, some left for classes and disappeared for long spells, while some headed to the new campus. I think there were a few who stayed and relished their last moments in the peaceful solitude of their own rooms.

Some time just before lunch, the few of us gathered at Phua's room to have our group photos taken at the "old" campus. I call it the "class photo moment". Justin Lopez (J-Lo) has the photos so once I get it from him I'll reproduce it here (so, watch this space again!)

I turned down an offer to have lunch with a bunch of students today just to have lunch with my colleagues for the very last time at the campus. It's goodbye to affordable and value-for-money food. Our final farewell to our regular hangouts. Our last supper figuratively speaking, except that it wasn't supper per se.

After I finished my final class, I surrendered the keys to my room to Uncle Nava and took a nice last look at the room, now devoid of any furnishings, books, or stationeries save for the built-in cabinets. I took a look outside where the door was and had a last look at our "In/Out" signs. Hence the picture above: everyone is OUT for the very last time in this campus.

I was surprised to see that--other than Uncle Nava and some movers and cleaners--I was not alone. J-Lo, Ed, and Philip were still around. We threw out some boxes, salvaged a few things here and there and just helped each other clear out the rooms and the boxes. Then we headed down to have tea (our second session of the week) and took a breather and did some male bonding after all the packing.

To my amazement, there were lots of students--some from our School while others aren't--still lingering around as well. Of course, it was the last day of official classes for the semester. And why not?

As it stands, we will be moving to the new campus come Monday. Am I looking forward to it?

Well, to some extent, it is long overdue.

Doesn't answer the question if I am looking forward to it.

I know that I was contented in the "no-longer campus" campus. But now with the change, I guess it comes with a certain degree of ambivalence and with it, adjustments and challenges. And like all human beings, we are resistant to change. But changes are necessary evils that we have to live with.

Ambivalence.