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| Left is Yana, Right is Jess. |
So I wasn’t sure if I was ready to write this post yet, to be honest. Honestly, a better way to say that is, I wasn't sure I'd EVER be ready--to face the end of my time here at Embry-Riddle. The end of the year is upon us and that means so many lasts. But, apparently, there’s still some “firsts” left too. On April 13, 2019, I attended my first Dancing Eagles Formal, or ERD-ormal. I’m not big on dressing up, and Alexis usually does my makeup for performances, since anyone who knows me knows quite well that I am completely hopeless at the task. This time around, my Best Friend Jess, who was over celebrating our last Best-Friendiversary that we will celebrate together in college, and one of the RAs in my complex, Yana, helped me get ready and made me look like a princess.
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We even went outside
and Yana took pictures
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So when I got there, I felt SUPER awkward, what with the whole "hating to dress up thing." I never think of myself much as "one of the girls" preferring the role of team manager at basketball, or stage manager of a show. But Alexis saw me arrive and quickly brought me into all the festivities, where the fun photo booth was taking place. The group shot was not my idea, but I was smiling to know I'd been included and wanted.
These two had me in hysterics, like it was The Price is Right and I was one of the prizes. I was laughing at their weirdness, but also at being center stage, instead of backstage. It was a good feeling to have people who wanted me there in their pictures.
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| It came in a very nice frame. |
So, as I may have mentioned, It was also my senior night. I was not ready to be a senior, and wasn't much on the path of acknowledging it, with the exception of Astronomy Club, where about half the club is graduating. But somehow the dance team got their hands on that information...
I was also given the ERDE Proud Award-for someone who represents school spirit. I didn't nominate myself, considering my color of choice is black. But I guess enough people appreciated my homemade Dancing Eagles jacket that I made out of puffy paint and a $6 sweatshirt from Goodwill that I got nominated. It was actually kind of a cool moment for me. I displayed it in a place of honor when I got home.
The food was delicious, featuring fun colored Cannolis like this and an Italian-style buffet. (I ate mostly noodles and a lot of the bread.)
The setting was absolutely gorgeous, lots of gold and silver-it made me think of the song "Make New Friends/But Keep the Old/One is Silver and the Other's Gold." These people will certainly always be gold, but it also provided me some clarity in facing the future-that these people will always be there, enshrined in golden memories, but that it’s ok to go out and make new “silver” friends. As Lauren reminded me when I was a tear-stained, mascara-run mess (yes, I was actually wearing Mascara) at thinking about how much I would miss everyone, "You can always come back to visit."
Of course, there was plenty of dancing; the Wobble, the Dance Circle...
...And then a conga line broke out.
Eventually, Hafiy called all of us over for one last huddle with him as President. There was a definite feeling of melancholy, at least for me, because it would be my first time seeing off a sitting president the "Dancing Eagles" way, but also my last.
And then we welcomed in the new President the same way. It was a mixture of melancholy and hope for the future, sadness tinged with brightness. It occured to me, watching this, filming it from up high on a table and trying not to slip (And ripping the third of the ERDE tablecloths I have managed to rip in one semester) that this is the kind of thing the Greeks talked about...Pandora left us hope, so that when sadness-like leaving-happens, there's still something good to come-like a new President coming into the organization, or new friends in the future...Ok, I'm not trying to cry while writing this, so I'll stop the analogy there.
The competition team danced when the music they did their routine to came on, and figured out that their dance (which works in 8 counts...2 sets of four...) worked even when the version of the song that was playing (Which was 4/4 time...so two bars would work the same as an 8 count...) changed from their version. It entertained me to watch these guys, they'll dance at every opportunity, and it's so fun to watch how much they love to do it
Afterwards, I compiled a short video, combining my own photos with some of the team photographer's, Ryan. (Pictured Right.) I wanted to remember everything that happened this year with ERDE, because I can hardly believe it myself. The team went to NDA Nationals. I got an award. I went up on stage and performed--TWICE (and somehow didn't fall off; that mystery remains.) I performed onstage, and I helped the team out. I did something totally outside my comfort zone. The team talked a lot about family, and, in a way, I guess they kind of became a little family-away-from-home. We supported each other, we talked to each other, we looked out for each other. Isn't that what family does? I know there were probably arguments, times we felt out of place or out of sorts, but family is like that too. I hope, I sincerely hope, that this year I've made life long friends who I'll hear from years and years from now and laugh about some of the funny memories and stories we'll tell about this year. This year, I was given a little corner of the world where it was safe to be me. There's surely more to come, and be sure to check out more photos by myself and the team photographer on the Google Drive. But for now, I think I might go cry a little bit.
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
This is the video I made out of all of the photos, even the ones from the formal that night. Song isn't mine, "Long Live" by Taylor Swift
That's my Martian's Eye View as the year starts to wrap up! More to come, including Graduation!!!
xo Martian