Get It & Thrust
Being a teenager is all about getting it and doing it the best way you know how. Everyone is different and there are so many things that make us all unique. Where we come from, how we were raised, and what we've been through, all come together to determine who are. When we interact, meet up, and collaborate, amazing things can happen. You've got to get it and then thrust. Put your own spin, add your own flavor and do it like only you can. *Part 2 of my NACURH 2013 recap - check out this vlog all about the conference NACURH 2013
When I say that I was legit tired, I mean it. Like I've never been more tired in my entire life. I fell asleep anywhere and everywhere. The position, place and time did not matter. I physically could not stay awake any longer, and yet I was tasked with getting up and getting ready for the last day of NACURH 2013 at the University of Pittsburgh. Running on three hours of sleep would leave anyone a mess. It was off to breakfast where by now everyone had become comfortable with one another and were mingling like early morning mixer. My delegation, and I went to lay around before it started raining and we headed had into the Cathedral of Learning to hang out before our morning sessions started. Jeff and I, naturally, went to one called "Candy Privilege" which had giving/taking pieces of candy from those who were more/less fortunate. It was definitely a great visual representation of what we all have, where society places us and which identities reign dominant. From there we popped in to "What Would You Do" which was all case studies in ethical decision making. I even made a reference to the Beyoncé butt slapping incident (no matter what someone is wearing or how "overtly sexual" their performances are, you never have the right to spank or disrespect them - focus on the big picture people; blame the aggressor not the victim) and blew everyone's minds. It got a little heated in there, but it was all in good fun. Lunch time had us all stuffing our faces like nobody's business and then calling it an afternoon. I am unashamed to say we dipped out back to our rooms and hit the hay. It was the most ridiculous couple of hours possibly ever. Jeff and I fell asleep on the ground, under my bed, mid-conversation and when the rest of my UVM peeps came up they had to mess with us. Cue the wenis licking (yup, please reread that), Capri-Sun sucking, and boom clapper ramming/biting. It got real weird super fast and we spent a few hours relaxing, cracking jokes, and being our quirky selves. I was in and out of sleep while everyone else did the most. I gave none and was having none of it either. Top 40 program time came around and Jaime, Taylor, Jeff and I went to "Sex in the Dark" which was all about asking/answering our burning sexual questions. Let's be real, we're all some frustrated teenagers/twenty-somethings. Some interesting stuff was said and I appreciated people's ability to be explicit, sincere and candid on the often taboo subject. Back to the room shenanigans and soon enough it was the evening. We got it and we thrusted.
Sometimes you just know when you're getting it. All of us were getting ready for the banquet and closing ceremonies. The desperation was real when I had to have my linen shirt ironed with a hair straightener (we went there). None of us cared and we were just changing like it was NBD. We were off to dinner where it was ribs (no pork for this guy), chicken, corn on the cob, cornbread, and some brownies. All that was missing were the collard greens and I would have been in heaven #fulfillingstereotypes. We hit our little photoshoot swag - all I have to say is that is shouldn't be possible for people to look like us. The flawlessness that we exuded shouldn't be humanly allowed - it's too much. On to our regional break out for more NEACURH bonding. Tears were shed, heartfelt speeches given and the exiting RBD bowed out and the new regional board of directors took their own with moose pride. So excited - the old people were absolutely amazing, and the new people are going to take our region even further than we ever thought possible. Back up to the stadium, all the while my delegation, Sam, Tori, Steph, Brendan, Tayloir and Jaime were keeping the morale high and the spirit up better than other people I'd been with at conference. The closing ceremonies went down and I can't stress enough how thankful I am to the conference staff and especially the most awkwardly debonair mass gatherings chair, Evan Kremmel from Pitt, for staying on time. Last year, they went over the time allotted by 2-3 hours and cut into dance time. They finished exactly on time and we had 45 minutes to change and get rowdy before the dance. Forever grateful because you all know we're really there to get our twerk on, drop everything low, and dance with our conference crushes. Tank tops, headbands and tight and bright everything thrown on. We were more than ready to hit the floor and we literally twerked on street objects on the way to the rave (fire hydrant, benches, glass walls etc.). To say we dominated and ran that thing would be an understatement. You were sure to find us doing the most in the center of the dance floor. Soon it got way too hot, too crowded and the music lost it's infectious beat. We joined the outskirts and just broke it down harder in dance circles. The dance is the highlight of conference always (the NEACURH ones get ratchet as heck and we love them always). Soon we were drenched with sweat, trading phone numbers, snapping pictures and saying our goodbyes. The lone survivors of Jaime, Taylor, Steve from U. Wisconsin - Green Bay, and I scrambled back to our building just plain spent. Back to the ground of the room I went with everyone else struggling to stay awake as we all packed and got ready to leave. Oh we got it and we thrusted ... everywhere.
It was already Monday morning and slowly but surely we all went our separate ways. All different times, we made our way to the airport. I was alone and literally hadn't slept. I caught the shuttle with our favorite Salem State people and zoomed through security with the alternative security checkpoint. I hit McDanks and got my bfast on. Everyone had their evolUtion conference shirts on and were making vine videos, tweeting and snapping all over the airport. We had taken over. Time came and I caught my plane without any nonsense going down (for once), but the rest of my delegation had way worse luck. I'm texting them, and we're trading facebook messages back and forth and just all their flights were either delayed or cancelled, along with most of the other people from our region. To say the struggle was too real wouldn't even come close. Some got back home over 12 hours later than expected, diverted planes, roundabout airline agents, and too many #hashtags to count. Finally they all made it home safe and I was back home blogging up a storm. Night came and I was kicking it with my sister watching our nightly dose of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and I couldn't keep my eyes open. I felt delirious and zonked out for 14 hours. Conference was officially over and it was epic. Got it and thrusted.
Sometimes you just know when you're getting it. All of us were getting ready for the banquet and closing ceremonies. The desperation was real when I had to have my linen shirt ironed with a hair straightener (we went there). None of us cared and we were just changing like it was NBD. We were off to dinner where it was ribs (no pork for this guy), chicken, corn on the cob, cornbread, and some brownies. All that was missing were the collard greens and I would have been in heaven #fulfillingstereotypes. We hit our little photoshoot swag - all I have to say is that is shouldn't be possible for people to look like us. The flawlessness that we exuded shouldn't be humanly allowed - it's too much. On to our regional break out for more NEACURH bonding. Tears were shed, heartfelt speeches given and the exiting RBD bowed out and the new regional board of directors took their own with moose pride. So excited - the old people were absolutely amazing, and the new people are going to take our region even further than we ever thought possible. Back up to the stadium, all the while my delegation, Sam, Tori, Steph, Brendan, Tayloir and Jaime were keeping the morale high and the spirit up better than other people I'd been with at conference. The closing ceremonies went down and I can't stress enough how thankful I am to the conference staff and especially the most awkwardly debonair mass gatherings chair, Evan Kremmel from Pitt, for staying on time. Last year, they went over the time allotted by 2-3 hours and cut into dance time. They finished exactly on time and we had 45 minutes to change and get rowdy before the dance. Forever grateful because you all know we're really there to get our twerk on, drop everything low, and dance with our conference crushes. Tank tops, headbands and tight and bright everything thrown on. We were more than ready to hit the floor and we literally twerked on street objects on the way to the rave (fire hydrant, benches, glass walls etc.). To say we dominated and ran that thing would be an understatement. You were sure to find us doing the most in the center of the dance floor. Soon it got way too hot, too crowded and the music lost it's infectious beat. We joined the outskirts and just broke it down harder in dance circles. The dance is the highlight of conference always (the NEACURH ones get ratchet as heck and we love them always). Soon we were drenched with sweat, trading phone numbers, snapping pictures and saying our goodbyes. The lone survivors of Jaime, Taylor, Steve from U. Wisconsin - Green Bay, and I scrambled back to our building just plain spent. Back to the ground of the room I went with everyone else struggling to stay awake as we all packed and got ready to leave. Oh we got it and we thrusted ... everywhere.
It was already Monday morning and slowly but surely we all went our separate ways. All different times, we made our way to the airport. I was alone and literally hadn't slept. I caught the shuttle with our favorite Salem State people and zoomed through security with the alternative security checkpoint. I hit McDanks and got my bfast on. Everyone had their evolUtion conference shirts on and were making vine videos, tweeting and snapping all over the airport. We had taken over. Time came and I caught my plane without any nonsense going down (for once), but the rest of my delegation had way worse luck. I'm texting them, and we're trading facebook messages back and forth and just all their flights were either delayed or cancelled, along with most of the other people from our region. To say the struggle was too real wouldn't even come close. Some got back home over 12 hours later than expected, diverted planes, roundabout airline agents, and too many #hashtags to count. Finally they all made it home safe and I was back home blogging up a storm. Night came and I was kicking it with my sister watching our nightly dose of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and I couldn't keep my eyes open. I felt delirious and zonked out for 14 hours. Conference was officially over and it was epic. Got it and thrusted.
Being a teenager is all about doing you. Nobody else compares to you, no one is like you, and no one can be you. Our generation is so obsessed with what other people think of them, how we're supposed to act, and who we're supposed to be. Screw it. We are who we are. We break the norms (as in old worn out preconceived notions and outdated traditions) and determine who we are. No one has the right or can do that for us. Identify yourself on your own terms. Get it and thrust.
My blog post question for the day is ...what did you learn from conference? This time conference was more about people than the programming - but I definitely got a couple of ideas on stuff to bring back to my campus.
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