Gala day. We were excited, because we were going to Gala tonight. Actually, we couldn't stop talking about it. So, for some reason, we all work lunch together, but before we go to work, Mrs. Olin wants to see us in her office. We were all packed in, like sardines.
Mariam, Karen, Ulises, Priscilla, Christa, and I. And Isaac stopped by as well. Mrs. Olin asked Christa why she was a volunteer, because Christa wasn't here for the last visit. And then Mrs. Olin asks us an important question. Would we be willing to cover the entire weekend?
The interns would be graduating, and although Januaries would still be here, and she had some people assigned for a particular shift each day, she needed someone to be there that she could depend on. People who would make sure the job was done.
People who made sure that others reported to work. She needed people like us. Volunteers. And since we were just that, volunteers, we said yes. I wasn't too disappointed that I had to work all weekend, when just 5 minutes earlier, I had the whole weekend off. But I was ok with it.
Really. Mrs. Olin thanks us, and we report to work. And it turns out, they already had so many interns volunteering in the kitchen, that they didn't need us. So we all decided to go have lunch. It was a nice time. We got to talk. We hadn't all eaten together for several days...it was refreshing.
Karen made up a rule. No phones at the table. And it is funny. Whenever I am on my phone, Karen would reprimand me, and whenever she was on her phone, I would reprimand her. It's like we knew it was "against the rules", but it always seemed to slip our mind.
We ate a chicken sandwich. The chicken was good, but the bread was a bit too dry, so it was making a mess of crumbs. So I took off my top bun, and just ate my chicken and the bottom bun. It was really good that way. Andrew came and joined the party.
We all started talking about Gala, and then we saw Jorge coming to us. He came with bad news. He said he thought we could go to Gala, but it turns out, we weren't allowed. Unless we had already paid for a ticket, we couldn't get in.
I was ok with this...actually, an evening in the lounge didn't sound too bad. But I know others were feeling sad about it...so I felt sad for them. And then Karen raised up an important question. Where would we eat dinner? Jorge told her that the caf would serve us at 5pm.
Don't show up at 5:30pm or 6pm...dinner would be served at 5pm. Ok...we would be back at 5pm. As we are leaving, Jamie Rose comes and sits with Andrew and Ulises, and I deliver her the bracelet I made for her. Karen and Mariam are getting impatient, so I hurry up and join them. We walk to the lounge and make bracelets (imagine that!!).
Christina still thinks it would be fun to dress up and take pictures, but unfortunately, we didn't. I take a shower, and Karen helps me mousse my hair. She mousses her hair, and it turns out beautiful. I mousse my hair...it was a mess, but whatever. We walk to the caf for dinner, and we meet Ulises. He just got his hair cut into a mohawk.
We grab our dinner. They were serving vegetable lasagna. It wasn't that great, unfortunately. Well, it was to some...but I am not a vegetable kind of person...so it was not very good. I did try eating some though. At first, we were sitting at two different tables, but Mariam asked if we could all move it into one big table. It was so enjoyable.
We had everyone together...well, almost everyone. We were missing Rachel L, but that is because she was going to Gala with one of her intern friends. Another guy, Rashad, who is an intern, sat with us. So, we are sitting at this huge table. It almost feels like Thanksgiving.
And then Mariam has us go around the table, and each one of us tells everyone what we are thankful for. Already knowing what I was thankful for, I went first. I said I was thankful for the friends I had made. That I could be myself without any judgement or condemnation.
That I could truly laugh. Like the deep, stomach-hurting, laugh all night till your sides hurt kind of laugh. I found people I could laugh with. It wasn't easy to find those kinds of people, who truly accept you as you are. And this group of people. They didn't care. I can be myself...and they just don't care. I felt so loved...so at home with these people.
It was unlike anything I had ever felt before, besides with my own family. But to be with some mixed group of people. It was unbelievable. They were my family. They are my family. I am SO thankful for them...I don't know how to put it into words, to put it to justice. And really, I don't think I have to.
Those that were there understand, I really think that is all that matters. So we are going around the table, and we come to Andrew. His was funny. He said "I feel like I am always in the movies," referring to the way we speak...an American accent, haha.
Everyone has told what they are thankful for, and so we just sit there, talking, like a family. I look towards the doorway just in time to see my friend Aimee pass by. In an amazing blue gown. She looked stunning. She saw me and smiled. I couldn't just sit there, so I got up and I went to hug her and tell her how beautiful she looked.
She was always beautiful, but this blue dress looked GORGEOUS on her!! She said she needed help. She had to transport some pitchers (okay, not some pitchers. A LOT of pitchers. At least 100 or so) so since we are already all together, we volunteer to help her.
All of us were carrying something, and we carried it over to the sac. I walked into the sac, and my mouth dropped. I know they had gutted the building and had decorated for the Gala, but I had no idea to what extent. It was...breathtaking. In my opinion, at least.
We dropped the pitchers off, and for a brief moment, I felt like I was going to Gala. But I wasn't. And once I looked at my clothes, I shrugged off the dream. I walked with Aimee back to the caf, but since there was nothing else to carry, we started walking back to the sac...for what reason, I don't know. I take a picture of her unaware (as seen below).
We run into Ulises, and he takes a picture of Aimee and myself, and then Aimee goes on her way. Ulises and I walk back to the caf. He is telling me that he is going to Gala. I told him he kind of needed a plan. He laughed and said that he didn't. Whatever.
Karen, Mariam, myself and a few others (not sure who, because I would mention them if I did) walked back to the lounge. Karen and Mariam needed to do some laundry. I had taken my laundry when we went to dinner, but I needed to transfer it.
Karen and Mariam left, and I stayed in the lounge with the others. The plan was we were going to watch The Wedding Planner. But a few of them didn't want to...but...we did anyway. But before we watched the movie, we were waiting on Karen and Mariam.
Trey comes back from I don't know where and informs me that Ulises got into the Gala. What? And he didn't tell any of us?? I wasn't exactly thrilled that he got to go, but I wasn't going to go crash the Gala to tell him so. I walked all the way back to the caf to do my laundry.
Karen and Mariam had been gone for almost an hour. What could they have possibly been doing that took them an hour. Talking. Of course...I should have guessed it. I found them in the laundry room, I transferred my load, and we walked back to the lounge.
*Sidenote, I did a lot of walking...from the lounge to the caf is about a 1/2 mile...
We stopped by the dorm, and I folded my laundry. I didn't wait for Karen and Mariam because they were talking with someone, so I just went back to the lounge without them. Andrew and Desiree were watching a movie. I let them finish the movie.
I then went and told Karen and Mariam that we would be starting The Wedding Planner in 5 minutes. They arrived a little bit after we started it...and then we all settled in for a good movie. And even though some people didn't want to watch it, I saw them watching from the back of the room. During the movie, Rachel L came in. She was stunning.
Her hair was down, and she was wearing a black dress. She was beautiful! She came and sat next to me and Andrew. I asked her who had won the Bachelor to the Rapture award, and she told me that Fernando did. That made me laugh. After the movie, several people went to bed.
For the more adventurous...we watched another movie. It didn't really matter that we had to be at the caf by 6am...and even though it was past midnight when we started the second movie, we still watched it. We ended up watching Fantastic 4. It was about 2:30 or so when we got to sleep...only to wake back up at 5:30am.
Nickel
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| Ulises and I. Photo credit: Ulises |
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| Aimee and her stunning dress |
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| It isn't so secretive when the flash is on... |
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| No flash this time...still not secretive. |
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| Sorry Karen...had to post it :) |
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