National Convention- People Watching

     Its interesting, what you see and hear when your really watching and listening. It may shock you to hear the conversations and see the treatment of others surrounding you. As we traveled to The National FFA Convention we were asked to watch, listen, and observe, so basically people watch, to discover what was really happening around us and how things could be interpreted differently.

I must admit that I was extremely excited for this assignment, I would be graded on people watching how awesome. The week began with what proved to be the most shocking conversation that I heard, it went something like this. Boy: I can't believe your going to try and hook up with that girl at that party, Other Boy: She will totally hook up with you, she likes you. Teacher: Can someone please define hook up for me. Boy: You know when you talk to a girl and try to get her to go out with you.

Now I know what your thinking, this kid is pulling the wool over the teachers eyes but I was there, I saw the entire thing. These boys were genuine in what there term "hook up" meant, I was waiting for the teacher to scold these hormone crazed boys, but she instead chuckled at the term they choose to use and explained to them how this could be taken the wrong way... they didn't even think of that.

Another interesting term I heard thrown around was "hoe" as in I saw a hoe down by the sheets the other day. Hoe, as in backhoe, but if you had no knowledge of equipment you might think these students were being disrespectful but they were just talking about their passions for large equipment.

My most uplifting and depressing observations occurred at one of the CDE banquets. It was uplifting to see team members coming together no matter what place they received and embrace the efforts and accomplishment that took place for them to just make it to Nationals.

Then there was that team that left us all a little depressed. The team that was praying out loud that they didn't want be be 10th place, the team that sighed in relief as the 10th place team was called and it wasn't them. It disappointed me that winning was the focus and that this team made the 10th place seem like a terrible thing. 10th place at Nationals is awesome, outstanding, amazing, who is someone else to make that any less special for another, just something to think about.

Over the week I observed, listened and judged people and it was uplifting to see the agricultural education family come together and for the most part shine. Of course there were rowdy boys in the hotel that kept us up half the night and girls that fought over the little things but there were thousands of people coming together embracing agricultural education and FFA in their own way.