Becoming an Orientation Leader!

Hello all! If you guys did not know, I am one of Simon Fraser University's Orientation Leaders (OL) this year and orientation of 2012 was just downright awesome! It was a long winded process starting from applying and getting interviewed to be an OL and then going to multiple training sessions to get ready for the big event. It's so strange to think that through such a long process that it's finally over and I'm actually kind of sad that it is...oh but not to fret! There will be more clan meetings for the Jedi Ninjas! (as our clan likes to call themselves!)

Unfortunately because I don't have everyone's permission to post pictures of fellow orientation goers, there won't be any photos from the two days here but I'll try to liven things up with my somewhat-okay writing skills. There also seem to be a lot of copyright laws surrounding my school's logos as well so let's make do with what we can!

Some of the most memorable moments during these two days includes the Drum Cafe! They're a group that performs on different kinds of drums and percussion instruments at different events and locations. They're incredibly entertaining and the master drummer in the group is hilarious! The best part about it is that we get to drum along with the group! Everyone in the audience is given a drum (I believe it is a djembe?) and taught how to play. We went through the base and tall notes on the drum then incorporated clapping, finger snapping as well as shouting to the music. My hands felt incredibly smooth afterwards but they were sore. When I was a new student at orientation Drum Cafe was one of my favorite events! I enjoyed it a lot this year as well in the position of OL. I'm sure our clan had fun and that this will be a part of their good memories for a long time to come.

Another awesome part of orientation was the Mother of All Icebreakers! Every clan (all 30 of them...that's about 400 people!) is taken down to the main foyer of the campus and we play icebreakers like conga rock paper scissors, the human machine, silent sorting (into birthday months), and dance across the line! When I was a new student at orientation I never expected to be playing so many games! I loved it though (once I came out of my shell of shyness) and I truly do believe that through these little games people are able to connect and form long lasting friendships.

Through it all tours were given, pizza was eaten, laughs were shared and university lost a bit of its scariness and started to look brighter for many new students. Seeing that shy and confused face turn into happy and enthusiastic one really made the effort of being an OL worth it. For the new students at SFU, I wish only for the best and hope that they will learn to love the school as much as I do in this new chapter of their lives.

Thanks for reading as always and ciao for now~!