Graduation - ISOI C/O 2006

I've have actually made an effort not to write about my school in this blog. A number of people in high places seem to believe the worst would come of publicizing the International School of Islamabad.

However, the school year draws to a close and it's well past time for a bit of reflection.

In my first year at ISOI, a lot has changed. The year started with a huge expatriate staff turnover - as new shining stars came into the school. A few months later a 7.6 earthquake rocked our world. Protests sparked for a few weeks and our school schedule changed for the rest of the year, and virtual school was in effect for a few days. An American diplomat was killed in a bombing in Karachi. A veteran said these latter two events set back the time table for American dependents returning to Pakistan for probably five years.

Yet in the end, the school continues its pursuit of excellence and today we graduated 23 seniors - including some seniors who entered the school at kindergarten. They seemed different. I think they have matured through experiences [as our superintendent put it] that many people don't have in their whole lifetime.

I am sure it felt strange for their lives in this locale to come to a close. Graduation is a ceremonial closure to a chapter in their lives. Even for me, it was a bit surreal to see the year come to a close; it's been a challenging first year and often I've dwelled in the timeless realm of my imagination and work as the time has passed by me. I am happy to see our graduates move on even as it is sad to see them go away. These graduates are beautiful individuals, as young birds in a gilded cage; now it is time to release them into the world and hope that they are strong and successful in the outside world.

Congratulations to all the graduates and alumni of the International School of Islamabad!