Calendar for the month of february

 

By Kimberly Damian
Bob Hope High School

 

Today I shall be writing about our adventures since we arrived in Austin. This city seemed full of the moment our bus rolled in. 

 

On Thursday, we arrived at the lively Kalahari Resort and Convention Center. This immediately became our headquarters for leadership and little sleep. After settling in, we had our delegation meeting with all the people in Districts 3 and 10. They playfully named us “District 13,” and this made everyone in the room laugh. After this, we had our section meeting and learned about our assignments, how many we had to do, and when they had to be done. We learned about the bare minimum we had to do. Every section had its own focus, and this made everything exciting because we knew we had different roles and responsibilities. 

 

At 2 PM, the ceremony to open began. There was so much energy in the room as the candidates gave impassioned speeches while campaigning for governor. Their speeches were about leadership, change, and how they could represent us well. I think I already know who I will be voting for, but that is still a secret for now. After that, we had dinner at 5 PM, followed by free time from 6 to 9:30 PM. By 7 PM, we were finally able to get our assigned rooms. At 10 PM, curfew began, and suddenly the hallways that were filled with energy were quiet. 

 

On Friday morning, we had to wake up early because the bus was leaving at 8:15 AM. We had to be downstairs by 7:45 AM. It was time for the first committee round. In my opinion, everyone did an amazing job. Everyone presented their topic confidently and was incredibly passionate about what they had written and researched. 

 

For SAF, lunch was at 12 PM. We had what looked like a Chipotle burrito. After a full day of sessions, we got back to the hotel at 3 PM. Dinner was at 5 PM. Free time was at 5:30 PM. This meant that water park time was upon us. We all ran to the elevators and went down as quickly as possible. The water park was a celebration of surviving committee rounds. 

 

After 10 PM, we were no longer allowed to go up and down the elevators, so we decided to go back upstairs at 10:30 PM, as our curfew was set for 11 PM, and we were already quite exhausted. Although we were already quite tired, this is our seniors’ last year, so we made every minute count, even as we walked around, made loud noises, and stretched our time as much as we could. 

 

Today is our last full day, and we will be going to the Texas State Capitol for a Governor’s Rally. Lunch will be from 12:10 to 1:00 PM, and then we will go back to the hotel, followed by the closing ceremony at 6 PM. Free time is also planned for 7:15 PM, but from 9 to 11 PM, we cannot go upstairs because it is going to be a dance party, and at 11:30 PM, we will have to go home, so it is curfew time. 

 

As the trip is coming to an end, it seems that we are not just going home with our luggage but also with the memories, friendships, and moments that will play in our minds even when Austin disappears out of the windows of the bus.