Sitting here in the lobby of the Grant MacEwan Residences, in Edmonton, blogging away, catching up on emails, and paying bills (another month is upon us already?!). It always,
always, catching me off guard, how much conferences like these make you seriously step back and re-evaluate and rethink so much about your life. I mean, today was only the preliminary planning sessions, with only about 93 delegates in a lecture theater at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, or NAIT, getting to know each other, learning key networking and marketing tools, getting tips on how to find and secure funders, and the whole NGO/Project Management shibang. Tomorrow marks the first official day of the Global Youth Assembly, with the remaining 600-something delegates coming from across Canada, and around the world. It’s so exciting! And every time I get the privilege to attend one of these, I always find myself questioning what I’m pursuing in my own life, where my priorities lie, and what exactly I plan to take way from such an amazing event. I’ve met lots of amazing people already, in just one day, from New York, Whitehorse and Victoria, from big urban centers to small rural towns. Networking is such a wonderful tool, no?
Anyway, enough about GYA, tons more on that later. AK is gone! Yzma is leaving! Souljah Boy lost his cell, so not sure how I’ll be getting a hold of him for our Friday celebratory session. My new best friend has been keeping me company via email, and errbody else is always on hand via BBM to give me a nice break from all the youth empowerment/engagement issues we discuss. Haha, yeah, I’m genuinely enjoying myself here in (ugly) Edmonton. Which surprisingly isnt actually that ugly? Nonetheless, I seriously miss the Dominican Republic, especially since this is the first trip since then, and I took the same suitcase and bag with me. There’s so many memories attached with taking a shower and getting ready out of that suitcase.
August is a big month kids. I’m so stoked for so much. But yo, time for me to head. The opening ceremony tomorow begins at 9:00 am, meaning we catch the bus at 8:30 am, meaning I wake up at 7:30 am.
Peace, love, and style.
ps: if you think the title of this post has no meaning; then you really don’t know me at all.
