Two weeks into Orientation...it was the fourth session of week 2. By this point in the summer, the 6 OAs felt pretty comfortable and confident in the day's routine. But as we have been told since day one, VT Orientation is organized chaos. Adaptability is the name of the game. And Thursday definitely threw us all for a loop!
Every day since Orientation has started, Blacksburg's weather forecast has "called for thunderstorms". Every day. But have we ever need to use our rain plan? No!
Monica and I were sitting at the info desk during the middle of the afternoon on Thursday. I looked over to her and said, "wouldn't it be crazy if we actually had to use our rain plan now that we have made it 8 sessions without it?" All of 5 minutes after saying this, it just started down pouring on all the OLs and freshmen.
The office went into a state of panic and ridiculousness. Yes, we have known about the rain plan for weeks, but we have never really sat down and organized it. The OAs were in charge of making sure the rain plan was executed correctly and the OLs knew what to do.
We had about an hour and a half to get this show on the road. And we ended up coming up with something great! Monica and I introduced the session by talking about VT traditions and set up a quick video about traditions. Then Tommy came on stage to introduce Rachel Parent and Hokie Camp. We played some cool videos and a prezi about Hokie Camp and then Carly came on stage to do a dance contest. That was a huge hit! The freshmen got really into it and the crowd was super involved and excited about it!
Phew! Made it through that minor freak out. Next up was leading a small group facilitation with the STEP students (Student Transition Engineering Program) in place of them attending a full 2 days of Orientation. Sean and I were partnered up to lead this session, and we had a blast! It was definitely a lot different than what we were used to because the students had been together for about 3 weeks already, so they knew each other and thought they were comfortable with VT. But we changed their minds real quick and got them to recognize how much more Tech has to offer than just engineering and what they were used to as summer students.
The OAs were rocking it out! To reward ourselves, we took the golf cart to Sub Station for dinner on NSP's dime. Free subs, chips, and cookies. And did I mention the 6 of us all happened to order the exact same sandwich? We really are a family. That's what you get for working together for over 2 years now!
We thought this day couldn't get any better. But Tommy and I had Parents Reception duty at the Inn at Virginia Tech for the evening. And that is our favorite OA duty...usually. Thursday night was certainly an exception. Something was just off. And for whatever reason, Tommy and I just had to get out of there! We couldn't even explain all the reasons why when we went back to tell the other OAs about our night. What a roller coaster of a day!
Here's to the final week of Orientation. Let's hope it's another week full of surprising challenges!
No comments:
Post a Comment