SROW. Was. Amazing.
It was pretty much like a cheerleading camp on crack. We screamed cheers the whole time, and not just ours but other schools' as well. I met a lot of really cool people and learned a lot from the sessions I went to. And it was a really good bonding experience for the team. I feel even closer to them now than ever.
I can't even describe the feeling. There were SO MANY PEOPLE. It was a bit overwhelming at times. There were schools from nine different states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. It made me realize that being an Orientation Leader isn't just about helping your school. You're part of a community. All these teams are just from our region, too. I can't imagine how many Orientation Leaders are actually out there. It makes my job feel that much more important. And it was really cool listening to people from other schools talk about the different ways they run their orientations. Some people take it as a class for credit hours, some people only meet a couple of times a year, some people have a core group of OLs and a large group of helpers. Its fascinating.
I was introducing myself as Via to everyone, and it made me feel so good when I would see those people later and say hey and they would respond, "Hey, Via!" I can't tell you how much I love that.
Okay, I do have to throw this in there. We didn't win (or even place) in the dance competition. Bummer. But the school that did win absolutely deserved it. They also won the spirit competition. But it doesn't matter that much. Our dance is still really good and I'm still really proud of us. And about spirit, I feel so much more proud to be from UNCW now than I ever have. At SROW, we're like celebrities. People came up to us countless times and requested we do a specific cheer that has somehow become famous among our region. And every time we do that cheer, you can see random people all over the place doing the motions with us. There were even some schools that wanted pictures with us! It was insane.
Today, however, I feel awful. I developed a sinus infection over the weekend, I'm losing my voice, I've hardly gotten any sleep, and now its that time of month so I feel nauseous and disgusting. But its all worth the weekend I had. It was nonstop dancing, cheering, strolling, laughing, and generally feeling good. I just love it.
And even though I'm so, so sad that its over (the worst part of going on awesome trips; they always end), I at least have Florida to look forward to! Its supposed to be 85 degrees and sunny all week. I just need some time to sit back and relax. Maybe I'll get a head start on my tan. I'm also going to read The Hunger Games, since I finished my other book series.
One more thing, please say a prayer for my brother's girlfriend. I won't go into details, but she's having a bit of a hard time right now. And if you're not religious, that's fine, just keep her in your thoughts.
Well I suppose that's all. This blog really helps me get my life figured out. I was feeling really down right before I started writing (hormones?) but after reflecting on the good times I had, I feel so much better.
So, thank you. If you guys didn't read, I probably wouldn't be writing anymore.
