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| Garber Garbarians! |
It is over, 1787 August Orientation is over.
I came home yesterday with so much free time that I could not focus because I didn't know what to do with myself! I had 8 hours of sleep, I ate dinner at a normal time, and I was able to actually wear normal clothes besides khakis and a yellow tshirt that I, unfortunately, never had the chance to wash during all of August Orientation (oops... I promise I didn't smell too horribly!) The past week has left me with feelings of ambition, excitement, gratitude and a new found love for JMU as well as the people and experiences I have made/encountered during my time here. The past week, I've woken up at 6am only to go to bed while the sun was beginning to rise and to repeat these events for 7 days. Crazy thing is, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
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| left to right: Wells, Hannah, Julie and Riley |
The week started off with helping another FrOG group move in their first years. It made us a little sad to watch as other FrOGs were able to spend an extra day with their group as we patiently waited for our own first years to arrive. Helping first years move in was a completely different experience. The organization and enthusiasm that all of the FrOGs exuded was contagious! It was a wonderful feeling watching as parents' faces were calmed after they saw how helpful our orientation staff was. The excitement from everyone part of the O-Team fueled me the first day as well as the rest of the week. It is definitely true that you feed off of other people's moods, and being able to feed off of the energy that the Garber FrOGs had, kept me going long after I was delirious from lack of sleep or even discouraged/anxious.
The first day of August Orientation, a few of us decided to take a stroll through campus and appreciate the beautiful area that we all call home. We walked up the steps of the ISAT building and overlooked Interstate 81 and the rest of our amazing campus. It was one of those moments that made me feel small, yet somehow reminded me of how significant a person is. It is a strange and big concept to think about all of the experiences and people that have led you to this exact moment in time; where ever you may be reading this, everything that you have or have not done in your life or has or has not happened to you lead you to this place right here. That concept is beautiful to me! The Garber FrOG group was thrown together, with so many different personalities and stories, yet we all taught each other so much through out the entire week. They are an inspiration to my life!
But moving on, I want to talk about my Garber Garbarians! I know, I will definitely sound motherly writing about them but I cannot help it! Towards the end of the week, they all became my babies (: I'm only three years older than all of them, but being a senior in college and seeing all of the angst and potential they have for the next four years of their lives makes me so excited and hopeful for them! Zach and I were blessed with a group of 34 males as our August Orientation group. Yes, 34 males, and I was the only female. I was extremely nervous to be working with only fellers because although I do have mostly male friends, I wasn't sure how I would be able to connect with them on a more personal or emotional level or if they would even want to connect with me in that sense! It built up my angst but Zach continued to calm me and reassure me that I would be great. (Thank you, Zach, you helped me feel 10x better about anything I was doing!)
If you saw the first picture in this post, those are my fellas (: The picture above is most of them minus four. It's hard to get a group of 34 guys to all show up to events, but most of them always came and they were all 5-10 minutes early! Surprising, right? Towards the end of the week, most of them started calling me "mom" which made me a bit apprehensive, but in the end, I think that's kindof the way I acted. I cared about their safety and well being much more than my own and only wanted to make sure that they all took advantage of the opportunities and adventures that JMU has to offer. Looking back at it, being a senior and watching first years adjust, I wanted to spew so much knowledge and advice that I knew they would never understand until they experienced it for themselves (which is hard because I only want great things for my first years and never anything negative).
I hope they all know that I want to be their for them through out their entire time here at JMU, even though I will be physically leaving the campus this May (yikes! that sounds scary to actually say). I tried to get to know as much of them as possible, it's definitely really hard with 34 of them, but I tried to make rounds and talk to everyone individually or in pairs. I hope they realize and know that I am always there for them for anything. Could I have done more? Or gotten to know more of them? A week is not enough time! Saying goodbye to my first years yesterday was so difficult. They do not know the impact they've made on my life, by just attending JMU and by sheer luck that they were placed in my orientation group. I told you, I'm a big believer of fate and this was definitely fate that each and every one of them was placed together and placed in this group. They are the most amazing group of individuals, with so much potential for excellence... I hope they realize that they have left a lasting impression on me. I am so lucky to have worked with them. My babies... haha I'm really like a mom...
Below are a few pictures of some of them (: I tried to get pictures with all of them, but it's so hard! They're some good looking fellas who will definitely make people swoon muhaha
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| Medium John (aka Papa John) |
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| Jake! (: He's the cutest |
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| Jigme (: |
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| Matt & Little John (they're probably the two I wanted to keep in my pocket because they were so cute) |
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| Nick and Jigme (my first years are legit studs) |
Having a group of all guys was definitely a different experience. In the beginning, I wanted a coed group, so that I could work with girls and guys... but everything happens for a reason, right? With a group of all guys, I was able to hang out and relax and just be a bro. They made my job easy because they all opened up to me (slowly, but surely) and gave me dating advice! Hahaha, a bunch of first years giving their senior FrOG dating tips and what qualities to look for in a guy because they told me the good ones need the best guy. They're too precious! Plus, watching all the single and straight ladies stare down my group was too hysterical! They eyed my fellas anywhere we walked, which is everywhere... hahaha! Anyways, they even trusted me enough to ask me to be their wing woman and try to help them talk to ladies even though they all don't need my help! Can you tell I love each of them? What makes me so sad, however, is that I won't be there for the next three years to watch them grow to become wonderful men. I really hope they do decide to keep in touch with me through out their time here at JMU. I'm going to be trying my best to always keep in touch with them.
This past week has taught me so much about myself. I've been inspired by the 12 members in my group, influenced and encouraged by them, and have grown to love each and every one of them. With my FrOG group, I've learned to accept people more openly, to never make judgements, and they've helped me find my own passion in helping others and being a nurturing and caring person to everyone you meet. This has been one of the most fulfilling experiences I've had the privilege in being a part of here at JMU. In a short week, my love for the school as well as the people here has grown immensely. The last activity that our FrOG group participated in was throwing a piece of yarn around in a circle that made a web, connecting all of us together. As we threw the ball of yarn to another person in our group, we had to tell them things that we had admired in them through this week and talk about their strengths as an individual. After speaking, we said "Dumale". Dumale is a greeting in an African language that means "I affirm you, I believe in you, and I see great potential in you". This activity made me cry! I love the word and everything that it symbolizes. It is the perfect ending to an amazing and unforgettable week/experience.
Below are a few more pictures from the rest of the week (: If anyone is interested in becoming a FrOG, please do! It is such a rewarding and inspiring experience that will open your mind to new people and new experiences. If you let it, it will change your perspective on so many different things as well as make you a better person (:
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