Tuesday, July 06, 2004 :::  

ok here we goes with the continuation...

the actual graduation and related fun:
day before ceremony was disneyland day with 12 people (family + close close family friends). i was excited cuz it was Bella's first time to meet my family (outside my parents) and my family is really cool. Bella was sorta nervous, but she passed with flying colors! (as if there was any doubt).

ceremony itself was actually kinda boring and long.
(pictures)

RYLA:
(for reference: last year)
one day Bella and I were at "the happiest place on earth", and then the very next night we were at "the real happiest place on earth," which would be ryla, in case you hadn't guessed.

wow. RYLA rocks. it was an awesome week. i grew a lot as a counselor, having to work harder to get some of my guys into it. but once they got comfortable and began to understand, it was awesome to see them develop over the course of the week.

that's one of the coolest things about ryla. on the first day when the campers are greeted by screaming counselors and have looks on their faces as if "um, why are these people ive never met cheering me off the bus and giving me high fives? what have i gotten myself into?" the week progresses and you can see it in their eyes as they're slowly understanding RYLA and the immenseness of it the experience. watching them stay up late making gifts for their sister cabins all on their own is awesome.

haha. yea, these are the guys in my cabin:

The Fly Fighter Pilots of B-9 (B9 is fine!)
(Hulk, Shaft, Snooze, Nemo, Curly Fries, Classy, DQ, B-Rent, Pink, Chihuahua, Rubber Ducky, Butter Knife, Strawberry, Demon ("d'mon") )
Yea, they came up with nicknames for everyone, too. Great Cabin!
We were of the Mile High Family with our awesome sisters from G-6 (the Foxy Flight Attendents) and G-8 (the Blazin Blue Angels). G-6 is sick! G-8 is great!

A few of my campers told me that "one day you're gonna make a good dad." it was one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. a bit later when i had time to think about it, i wondered if that's how i wanted them to see me. as a dad? wouldn't i rather friend? i think it's both. honestly, that's how i operate as a counselor: like a dad. that's the type of person i am. and i think it works. on a side note, at camp, i like to look around during staff meetings and think about how different each counselor is from everyone else. each person has his own style, each totally successful. i think that diversity is one of the coolest things about ryla.

Every year on thursday there's a barbecue that the Rotarians put on. It's a chance for them to see the kids they sponsored, get some good food, enjoy a little camper entertainment, and see testimonials of campers. This year I invited my mom, dad, and bro up to it so they could sorta get a glimpse into this camp that is so important to me. I think they understand a little better now, which makes me glad.

there are a lot of changes in store for ryla this year. the old director retired after 10 years. he's the same guy that sponsored my interact club in high school, and also sponsored me for the ambassadorial scholarship. he has an awesome and unique presence while in front of a group of people (i think much of it can be attributed to the mystery behind the man: walking cane, lack of pigmentation for a black man, always wearing long sleves and gloves, height, and the way he talks). one thing i won't miss is the way he notifies counselors of staffing decisions (by email, over the course of two weeks or more, which only serves to heighten the anxiety).

the new director has a lot of new ideas and things he wants to add to camp. some of them have the possibility of turning out badly if care is not taken. the next year will be quite interesting in the changes that occurs. most interesting will be who is chosen to be part of management to fill open spots (two). ive kind of always thought i would end up on management at some point, but im not sure i'm ready, especially with the new job, i dunno where my free time is going to end up. also, i still want to be a counselor for at least one year (maybe more). though i can see myself moving into the management role. i dunno.

ok, i gotta get to sleep, i'm getting my new car sound system installed tomorrow!
(alpine 9830 head unit with infinity speakers 4" in the front, 5.25" in the back)

in the next issue: the working world and what is to become of me in the future...

(how d'ya like THAT tag line!)

::: posted by Soup at 11:23 PM::: (0) comments

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Sunday, July 04, 2004 :::  

this post is long overdue, and may end up being long because i have so many things to cover.

on graduation and the end of my college era:
well, it's over. that's kind of how i feel. [long pause of maybe 10 minutes as i try to collect my thoughts and express what ive been feeling for a while] it's kind of like, "what did ucla do for me?" didn't win any of the games that counted. no, that's not it. i'll always be a bruins sports fan first and foremost.
maybe it's the whole public research university thing - "we teach you becaues we have to. the big bucks are in grants and federal funding. that's where the money's at. here, you got that blank piece of paper ready? lemme rubber stamp it for ya. ok, congrats to you. you've got a BS."

but don't get me wrong - i had a few high quality teachers who knew what it was about. who gave meaning to the material, who made me work for it, who taught (not talked), who cared. but the others who were none of those things and less seem to overshadow, leave a bad taste in the mouth. those are the ones who were proud of giving more A's in EE161 than the other professor who taught it. those who used lecture slides because it meant lectures could go faster (what about learning? where'd that go?) blek.

but you know, all in all, i should be very proud of my gpa. ucla is a tough school, and that's a superb engineering gpa. but, hey, 2000 cedis seems like a lot of money yea? and it'll get you a liter of bottled water. woot.

but ok, i'm less cynical than i seem. i did learn quite a few handy things - enough to land me an awesome job (don't start for a week yet). i met some awesome people (gosh, i really hope to stay in contact with them). i did some very memorable things (infrastructre and painted heads). i joined organizations and made a difference. i branched out. i learned to be an adult. but i suppose that's the real lesson of going away to college. it's about living life, becoming the person you're to be the rest of your life. i think i did that well at ucla. i took the class. i did the homework. i practiced. here comes the rest of my life.

i worked hard. i could've worked harder, could've worked less. but i did what i did, sacrificed (sometimes social, sometimes academic), and i don't think i would change a thing. i'm proud of who i am.

im gonna stop here and finish another time. sleep needs to be done. happy independence day, folks.

::: posted by Soup at 1:23 AM::: (0) comments

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