Flashback: First Regional Event (and the Making of a Mem/Kad)

So this is another flashback because we haven't done much yet on the regional board so I don't have any good stories about it yet. I also thought it was appropriate for today because Sunday in Yom Six Flags, which will be my first event while on board so I thought it is a good time to reflect back on to my first event and the road I took to get from there to here.

So as I said in my last post I went to the kickoff event my freshman year. I had recently started a new school and didn't have any of my old friends, and knowing no one I became a little shy. Anyone who knows me now will tell you that I got over that rather quickly. USY helped me get over my shyness. This is the story of how.

Cara dragged me to kickoff, it was in October of '09 and I had never been to a regional event before, and once again I was put into a situation where she was the only other person I knew. Unlike before that changed with in a few minutes. Since Cara drove me I was got there early (the board has to go to all events early), when we first got to the place, "Daddy's Extreme Sports", the place seemed a little sketchy, especially since we were the first ones there. Soon the rest of the board came and I met them one by one. And with them came one other freshman. The first thing anyone notices about this girl is usually her hair, but something else stood out to me that day, how outgoing she was.

"Hey, I'm Penina, Max's(the region president at the time) sister, what's your name?" Penina said as she reach out her hand to me (both literally and metaphorically).


I replied "Hi, I am Joan, I am from Cara's Chapter. Are you on board too?"

"No, I wish, but freshman can't be on board." She said with a smile on her face.

"Oh cool" was all I said next.

Penina and I at spring convention in our Togas. (I'm on the left and Penina is on the right)

We started to talk and I knew I was going to make alot of friend, the event hadn't even started and I already made one. Soon Dina, a friend of mine from my chapter, arrived and introduced me to some people that she had gone to camp with. But I was still a little bit shy. Dina and I stayed together for most of the time.

The next event I went to was Saturday Night Live, I still only knew a few people but by the end of the night I was exchanging cell numbers with a bunch of different kids. USY was the place where I didn't heel shy any more. I still didn't look at my self as that out going yet.

 Last week I read a post of a Facebook group called "You know you are in USY when..." and the person was saying that the think of people in terms of what board position they would be best at, one person comment that they think of mem/kads as really friendly and out going. I have always thought I was friendly enough but was never sure about that out going part. All the sudden I was scared that I had chosen the wrong position and was think twice about it. Then this week end I went on a shabbaton at a different chapter and did not know a lot of people. I didn't feel shy anymore and just started introducing myself to everyone.

About twenty minutes into the bus ride to the camp the shabbaton was at a girl turned to me and said "You are a very open person."

"I guess your right" I said with a smile and sigh of relief. Maybe I would not have been right for this board position two years ago, but now I am.