Hi-C Get To Know You Convention

Friday, July 30th, 2021

Recap post by Caitlin Chung ; Pictures taken by Lauren Lee

 

Short version (if you’re looking for a quick read)

From both perspectives, as an exec and hi-c member leading and participating in the event, I would say our first in person gathering in months was a success and went very well! I’m not lying, over exaggerating, or being biased, I genuinely believe it went much better than we had all expected. As a group of teenagers, we’re already socially awkward, it’s natural. But when we haven’t seen/interacted with each other, or even other people, in person in such a long time, I’m sure many of us were quite nervous and anxious to start socializing again. However, our recent gathering proved that there really wasn’t anything to worry about. Whether we’re in person, or on zoom, we can still have lots of fun of course, and form close bonds with one another as a community 🙂

As a quick recap… First, we ate some pizza for dinner, the better kind, thankfully not Pizza Pizza’s, had great conversations while simultaneously filling our stomachs and feeding our souls, efficiently got to know each other through one on ones (aka speed dating, but one on ones sound less intimidating and much more accurate) with Charley’s aesthetic question slides, played some diversity bingo, led by Gene, where we scrambled to find others who shared our interests and preferences to either win a pack of gummies or not be the ultimate loser, and lastly, we played an intense categories line game that tested our teamwork, speed, and common knowledge, which was led by me haha (shout out to Korean variety shows for their awesome ideas! :D)

Lastly! We missed all the members who weren’t able to make it that day, but we thank every single person who was able to join us that evening! Let’s meet each other through zoom or in person again soon!! Another big thanks to all the execs and Pastor Dave for all your hard work!

 

Long version (if you’re interested and have time)

For our first official in person gathering since the beginning of the pandemic, I’d say it went very well! 🙂 Zoom is great. It’s been a very loyal and helpful friend during this time of quarantine and all throughout 2020 and 2021, there’s no doubt about it. However, nothing beats real, in person, and physical meetings, where we aren’t bound to our chairs behind a screen, and actually given the chance to talk and joke around with people casually. The freedom we were given to truly bond with other people and have fun together physically was such a blessing. 

Unlike every other gathering we’ve had, the evening started off with a lively congratulations to Emily, one of our very talented execs, who coincidentally turned 18 on the day of the get to know you convention, followed by pizza, food for the body, and conversation, food for the soul. It was a great time of filling our stomachs and our souls altogether as a community. 

 

Next, led by our very talented exec, Charley, along with her very nice slide presentation, we engaged in Speed Dating, which might sound odd, but in reality is not weird or romantic at all, and actually a very fun activity to learn more about every single person present in the room. One minute of one on one per person, while discussing a random question each time, is actually a very efficient and enjoyable way of getting to know one another. 

The second activity, led by our other very talented exec, Gene, along with a whiteboard, some sheets of bingo paper, and high quality pens, was Diversity Bingo. A game I’ve never played before this gathering, but enjoyed thoroughly and could tell everyone else did as well. It was a high stress game, but games need to induce at least a little bit of good stress and adrenaline amongst players to be fun if you know what I mean. It was a fun time of getting to know the likes and dislikes of each person, as well as their interests, that we would’ve never known about if it wasn’t for this opportunity. 

And lastly, due to the shortage of time, we skipped the ‘Bang’ Game (a completely safe, reflex and memory testing icebreaker), and moved on to the Naming Category Game! Which was also the game I led for the group, and yes, I know, the title doesn’t sound very enticing. However, it’s a fun and exciting game, and really gets everyone involved and engaged (which is one of the most important parts of gatherings). Shout out to Korean variety shows for their awesome and ingenious game ideas :)) We tested each other’s speed, teamwork, and general knowledge, and I have to say, our hi-c is a group of very smart and equally competitive kids.

They helped make all the games and activities a success, with good laughs, good sportsmanship, and patience and understanding towards one another as well. I can’t wait for our next gathering/meeting together, whether it be in person or online, and I want to send a message of gratitude to our team of very talented execs, and our pastor, Pastor Dave. We’ve been doing a great job of getting through this pandemic, and thank you so much to all the members who’ve been enduring these difficult times with us as well! I really hope you guys all had a great time :))