Well, posting this now is going to put things a little bit out of order, but I want to get to it while it's fresh in my mind. Last night I went to Ana's college graduation. College over here, like pretty much everything else, is a little bit different from in the United States. The best colleges are the public, state or federally funded, and they are totally free if you can get into them. The competition for these schools is understandably fierce. Private colleges also exist, and there are a few of them in the Fortaleza area. When you finish your undergradute degree, you need to do what is called a "monografia" which is a big research paper in your area of study, sort of like an undergraduate thesis. This is submitted to the federal government along with your transcript and your signature and they send your "sheepskin" about 3 months later.
Ana's college didn't hand out fake degrees to everyone in attendance, but only to a representative from each area of study, the one with the highest GPA, if I understood correctly, so the ceremony was mercifully short compared to the nearly 5 hour marathon we had at RPI. What they did hand out, however, was confetti, whistles, streamers, and balloons. They not only condoned the noise and mess that goes along with the graduation ceremony, they actively encouraged it.
This may sound a bit sappy, but I'm really proud of Ana. She has gone through a lot in the last few months since she got back to Brazil, and she toughed it all out and graduated. Congratulations Ana, I love you.
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