It all started sometime in September or October. My teacher began to request that I make some sort of presentation to show at the end of the school year. So, with my limited ability to actually understand what she said. I set forth to accomplish this task. Now and then, as the class was nearing its end in December, she would mention this endeavor. She would talk as if I was doing a Powerpoint presentation and I would inform her that I was thinking more along the lines of a little film. So, after the initial begining, I lost some steam and stopped working on. However, as I realized that the end was nigh, I realized I had to get my ass in gear and completed it. I rethought it and reworked it and finally came up with the final version.

Now, all this time, I labored under the impression that this film was going to be shown at our end of year immigrant group party. I put up with her demands to cut some of it when she said that 17 minutes was too long. I refrained from poking her eyes out when she said it would be played actually at our school graduations ceremony. However, I couldn't stop myself from flipping out about it. How stupid was I? All this bloody time, had she been telling me that and had I misunderstood her. Why did she never correct me? I told her no, I won't play it at the grad ceremony only our private party.

Somehow, she never listened to me and was annoyingly insistent. Damn it. Having the ego that I do and after the praise it received at its screening at our immigrant xmas party, I consented to have it showed on graduation day. However, I washed my hands of any worry of setting up the video. I just gave her a copy of it. Well, she still managed to make a fuss and try to throw me into a frenzied panic by telling me I had to come early and I had to make sure it worked. In the end, I arrived to find it already playing in the lobby of the school and her telling me everything went well and everybody loved it so, that they played it twice. Did she think I was some temperamental artist that needs that kind of reassurance?

I don't know, all I know is I forgot my goddamn candle that I made sure to buy. I had to borrow one which struggled the whole time to stay lit. I didn't even get to watch the crowd as it played because by the time I got back from putting my coat and laptop (which she insisted I bring) away, it was over. Well, the ceremony went ok, but that is another movie entirely.

Click "Lukuvuosi 2005" to stream this movie, , or right click and save it to watch later after it has downloaded. Afterwards, we had coffee and cake. As we were gathering our coats and saying our goodbyes this one chick in my class kept nagging me about burning her another DVD of some footage I took. She wouldn't stop insisting that I email the teacher who would email her and blah blah blah. I told her look, that is my email, you email me and I will get back to you. With that I literally ran out of the classroom. I don't know if I was so annoyed or I am not so good with goodbyes. In my defense, I was leaving for California the very next day. That night I had to take my dog and cat to there babysitter. Also, I had to rush to the työvoimatoimisto by Hakaniemi to show them my todistus. That is my graduation certificate which read at the bottom, "Special mention; 'Her movie about our immigrant group's school year was played at this year's graduations ceremony'". Wait a minute, before you get all sympathetic for her and disapproving to me. I must tell you that at our xmas party, my film wasn't even on the bill. It had to be squeezed in near the end. I guess that had to do with me misunderstand the whole thing.