01 Jul Back from Tampa. Trip 1 of 3, check!

Sorry I took so long to write!

Over the past 2 days I’ve been working on an awesome video to recount the Convention experience that I had in Tampa this past week. Unfortunately, the finished product is… well.. really awkwardly  jumpy for some reason. It didn’t export well. I’m pretty mad, it was awesome and I worked really hard on it! Oh well, I’m going to keep trying to fix it, but I apologize, it won’t be for a few weeks now…

I wanted to make a video because I don’t exactly know how to put the entire week into writing… It was an experience you had to see, had to feel, had to be a part of. Being a room with 500 women who all live by the same purpose, who all know the same ritual practices, and who you, despite never meeting them, share an automatic connection. It’s remarkable.

One of our business meetingsFor those who don’t know, the AGD convention happens every 2 years in different cities, usually in the US. It lasts 5 days and consists of meetings and workshops and awards for any member of Alpha Gamma Delta who wishes to attend. It mostly consists of delegates from every chapter and alumni club, but there are also the sisters who just enjoy the experience. I was lucky to be there with a bunch of girls from my chapter, Zeta Chi.

Kaitlin, Megan, Stacey, and I at the Zeta Chi flagThis year I met women who had been in AGD for over 60 years! Lucky for me, because there were delegates from all over the US, I was able to see the sisters I had met on my AGD roadtrip during reading week this year!

Alex from the University of Kentucky and I at the Feast of RosesThe convention was largely, in part, a learning experience. We had workshops on anti-hazing initiatives and on how to better the  functioning of the chapter, among others. We also had tons of banquets and award ceremonies which had great food and were wonderful excuses to get dressed up. This picture is from the last banquet of the convention, the Feast of Roses;

Megan, Maggie from Mercer University in Georgia, and I at Feast of RosesBesides all the workshops and meetings inside I was still able to get in some sun and fun time as well, hanging by the pool on the Friday afternoon and going out on the town both Friday and Saturday night. It was really fun.

Megan and I before going out on Saturday nightLike I said, I can’t really describe the trip in words, because you really did have to be there. I almost wish everyone could have been there.

Well, to all my AGD sisters, see you in St Louis in 2012 :]

Now I’m off to get some rest so I am ready for my trip to Muskoka for the Canada day long weekend and for my trip to Calgary for ostomy camp on Sunday!