Utah in a nutshell
how can i even begin to describe this experience in Utah? it's been exhausting, amazing, enlightening, intimidating, fun, lonely, busy, crazy, and a ton of laughs. i couldn't have asked for a better experience.
i am losing my mind slightly ... i haven't had tv since seeing it @ 5am CNN on mute in the aiport terminal. i mean it's a good thing but i'll be glad to get home finally, sleep in my own bed, and pop in a dvd to fall asleep to. the flight here wasn't too bad ... i slept a lot (which i never do on the plane) and it was non-stop so that was good. i won't leave until a bit before 5pm (mountain time) and i'll get back to Philly @ 11pm. i'm jumping back 2hrs which will be very confusing. though here i get up at like 4:30-5am each day because it's really 6:30-7am on the east coast. i won't miss the weird hours or the altitude that's for sure!
but this Academy was amazing. i got put in a lab group that had amazing people in it ... and our lab group leader was the founder of ASJA and the person the Academy is named after! he was just a wealth of knowledge, information, stories and humor. he was so nice to all of us and talked with us as we were on the same level as him. this man is so well known, done so many things, is called as an expert witness ... i mean it was mind blowing.
we got really close as a group which i couldn't have asked for more. we became hated as well because we smoked other groups in student development theory jeoparody :0) Don (or fearless leader) couldn't come out to dinner with us when it was dinner in Salt Lake City but he did contribute to a round of drinks for us which i thought was very nice. we hit the bookstore as a group (mostly) and grabbed our Utah paraphanelia and then headed out to the city for dinner.
We went to the Melting Pot which was this fondu restrauant that had amazing sangria. i tried lobster for the first time ... and it truly was an experience not a meal. it was four courses and it was most of our group and 2 other conference people we roped into coming with us. we had so much fun, sharing horror stories, doing ice breakers (as fun really ... animal noises in a restraunt were never so funny to me) and we walked a bit around Salt Lake City.
i got to talk to some of the most knowledgeable people in the field. they listened to me and remembered my name, despite the large attendance at the Conference. i felt embraced and welcome. i got the Volunteer Chair position for the Conference next year. i'm so grateful for the experience.
tonight at the closing banquet we were eating dinner and laughing at the week. Don gave us our certificates (and we even got booed from those jealous of losing jeoparody) and gave us big hugs. we have a listserve set up from our group already. i met James Bond (another of the beseiged many in Student Affairs) and he told me i have the perfect "Bond Girl" name. we had drinks and i met a former FBI Agent ... we trekked the long way back to the dorms from the hotel.
there was so much that happened. i can't even think of how long it will take me to process. i'm going back with so many ideas and motivation. i'm excited about making changes at work, doing things that will be "more work" but easier process in the long run.
so that's Utah in a nutshell i guess ...
i am losing my mind slightly ... i haven't had tv since seeing it @ 5am CNN on mute in the aiport terminal. i mean it's a good thing but i'll be glad to get home finally, sleep in my own bed, and pop in a dvd to fall asleep to. the flight here wasn't too bad ... i slept a lot (which i never do on the plane) and it was non-stop so that was good. i won't leave until a bit before 5pm (mountain time) and i'll get back to Philly @ 11pm. i'm jumping back 2hrs which will be very confusing. though here i get up at like 4:30-5am each day because it's really 6:30-7am on the east coast. i won't miss the weird hours or the altitude that's for sure!
but this Academy was amazing. i got put in a lab group that had amazing people in it ... and our lab group leader was the founder of ASJA and the person the Academy is named after! he was just a wealth of knowledge, information, stories and humor. he was so nice to all of us and talked with us as we were on the same level as him. this man is so well known, done so many things, is called as an expert witness ... i mean it was mind blowing.
we got really close as a group which i couldn't have asked for more. we became hated as well because we smoked other groups in student development theory jeoparody :0) Don (or fearless leader) couldn't come out to dinner with us when it was dinner in Salt Lake City but he did contribute to a round of drinks for us which i thought was very nice. we hit the bookstore as a group (mostly) and grabbed our Utah paraphanelia and then headed out to the city for dinner.
We went to the Melting Pot which was this fondu restrauant that had amazing sangria. i tried lobster for the first time ... and it truly was an experience not a meal. it was four courses and it was most of our group and 2 other conference people we roped into coming with us. we had so much fun, sharing horror stories, doing ice breakers (as fun really ... animal noises in a restraunt were never so funny to me) and we walked a bit around Salt Lake City.
i got to talk to some of the most knowledgeable people in the field. they listened to me and remembered my name, despite the large attendance at the Conference. i felt embraced and welcome. i got the Volunteer Chair position for the Conference next year. i'm so grateful for the experience.
tonight at the closing banquet we were eating dinner and laughing at the week. Don gave us our certificates (and we even got booed from those jealous of losing jeoparody) and gave us big hugs. we have a listserve set up from our group already. i met James Bond (another of the beseiged many in Student Affairs) and he told me i have the perfect "Bond Girl" name. we had drinks and i met a former FBI Agent ... we trekked the long way back to the dorms from the hotel.
there was so much that happened. i can't even think of how long it will take me to process. i'm going back with so many ideas and motivation. i'm excited about making changes at work, doing things that will be "more work" but easier process in the long run.
so that's Utah in a nutshell i guess ...