Day 1: Prep day, Friday, May 25, 2012
Well this morning was crazy. I woke up at 5am, in order to get to the University of Tennessee campus (40min away from our hotel in Pigeon Forge, TN) for my second DI performance of the week. We didn't go on until 8:30, but we obviously wanted to be awake. The performance went fairly well, and my improv team decided to do our tada, which is something normally done after our instant challenge (that we'd done the day before) but put off until today. Tiera, my ride to North Carolina, had arrived in Tennessee just in time for the first performance, and was actually able to participate in the second! It was an unscored element, so we were allowed to have anyone we wanted.
That said, we left Knoxville around 1pm (after a good lunch of course) headed for NC. I don't remember much of the first part of the trip because I fell asleep, but the second half we were able to have pretty good convos. We arrived in Boiling Springs around 3:20pm, just under the 4pm deadline to sign in, where I was greeted by old friends: Britt Becker, Colin Mukri, & Dustin Wells. Dustin & Colin were both going on the trip, and I ended up putting my things in Dustin's car, so that Tiera could go on to her destination: Fayetteville, NC.
After signing in officially with the Crossroads office, we were sent to the YMCA, where Justin Brock gave us a rundown of everything to expect, referencing the book we read on Cultural Intelligence & Sensitivity prior to our arrival. We ate some pretty shweet comida too ;). There we also established a number system for each person, to ensure that we never lost anyone. Eddie Stepp, our leader for the week, formally introduced himself, and briefed us on a little more of what we will be doing during the coming week: VBS, manual labor, and "whatever they require of us". So I'm thinking, what exactly are we going to be doing? How will I get to use my Spanish!?? Met a couple of cool-lookin dudes named Reid and Wes. Recognized a couple of old campers from last year. Mathias for sure, Natalie, Taylor (that's whose house I'm staying at) & I think there's a Emily in there, not 100% sure, dude w/ the Zac Efron 'do. Oh! And a girl named Elvia that goes by Beth. I'm probably gonna call her Elvia... Just cause...Idk we'll be in the #GUAT and I feel like it'd be fun... So yeah.
Felt a little segregated when we were sat down in the library of the Y, kinda like we had separated the "20-somethings" away from the high schoolers, while the "real adults/parent-types" kind of intermingled in various places, but it was nothing overwhelming or intentional, it just happened. I also felt super weird cause I was wearing like a pretty deep cut-off T that I'd worn for travel (it was HOT) & didn't want them to get a weird first impression of me. I got over it though. Hopefully no one thought I was weird or anything. Later, we weighed our bags and stuffed random things in them that we would be using both for gifts to the church we'd be serving, and for the crafts we planned on leading the kids in.
Tonight? I just got done playing basketball IN SOMEONE'S HOUSE. That's right, Taylor's parents (Charmagne? Charmain? Charmane? And her husband, Rick, I think, have a basketball gym in their house. Pretty tight. Had a pretty shweet convo with the two of them tonight too in their little upstairs loft area. How do they sleep with that ball bouncing?!?!?!? #CoolParents. Just got off the phone with Bobbie Sue. It's like midnight and our plane takes off at like 5:30 in the AM, so we're getting up BASTANTE (means quite; fav spanish word atm) early, like two, and meeting at the Crossroads office at 2:50. #QueLoco.
Guess I'll get some sleep. Noche!
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