Today is our last day of the 2022 Fall Fest. I felt tired the moment I woke up. I guess after 2 days, the 4:30 AM alarm was still yet a habit. And that’s okay – we were thriving regardless because it was Fall Fest.
I discovered my new favorite bagel besides the everything flavor – blueberry. The one from Wegman’s, after being toasted, was surprisingly delicious at 5 in the morning.
Food serving was actually interesting today because the dining hall was busier. My job was at the food helpdesk; I guided people to the right kind of butter, honey, cream cheese, and yogurt toppings. An hour in, the kitchen manager pulled me into the kitchen because they needed extra help inside – washing grapes, to be specific. This was the first time I had ever seen the interior of Villanova’s kitchen! I befriended the kitchen ladies. They said they were all Filipinas and they loved working here, as there were always lots of things to do. They didn’t cook because that was the job of the chefs, but they prepared fruits and sweet desserts.
After that, I visited Young Athlete Program in the Performing Arts Center. Talking about cuteness overload? This place was it. The whole setup was super impressive – the YAP team prepared various activities to suit the diversity of young athletes’ preferences.
Then, I watched DelCo’s volleyball match in Jake Nevin and talked to T, former CEO & President of SOPA for 9 consecutive years. His son was an athlete in shirt number 13, playing in the volleyball team of Westmore county (?). Delco won that match I was watching, but I wasn’t sure about their final standing. Still, it was wonderful to see the team play in full spirit with loud cheers and lots of encouragement from the audience!
Finally, we wrapped up the night with a banquet, where I invited KF to come with and we sat next to B from the VPrint office and T, this year’s recipient of the award for the best-supporting staff. I don’t remember the name of the award, only the story behind it. This was an award to honor a former Special Olympics Committee member, who was with SpO all their undergrad years and became the Festival Director in his senior year. He got married to the Festival Director of the year right after. It was a beautiful story. Unfortunately, he died in a tragic event and the award was to remember his contribution and significance to SpO. Then, HS and SM were honored for their contribution during this year’s Fall Fest. HS was low-key my SpO crush. She was an inspiring person whom I look up to. I will forever remember this one time when I bumped into her in the library and she told me that she was so grateful to know me and have me on Committee because I was like sunshine and I brought so much joy to Committee this year. I was so touched… I think I was even more grateful to know her and be inspired by her energy and mission at Fall Fest!
So… That was it. I called it a night, got back, and rolled into bed. It was a tiring weekend, but so full of joy and magic that I would love to relive it again and again!
Trang "Tee" Nguyen 