O-Week 2010

In total, I have spent 21 days at O-Week since I first began uni. This equates to having attended every single day of this annual student festival right from the first year.

Being a volunteer over the past (ahem) six years has necessitated my attendance, but was there any reason in my first-year days other than curiosity and a desire to see what was different about it? Possibly not. But that is neither here nor there.

A Sydney O-dyssey was the theme and although I felt that a few things were missing that might have improved intregration into the theme, it was a good year. Along with 2006 and 2008, in my esteemed experience ;P

First off, we had O-Week directors who knew what it was like to volunteer and be involved at uni, engaged with us vols and were highly organised. It always helps when people know what is going on. As for the SPOCs themselves; there were some aspects that could have been better organised, but on the whole, it was a good experience.

For me as a leader of two groups, I found that I had more free time to wander around the uni than I ever had in the past leading to expeditions to scout out freebies and pass on the tips to my volunteers. It's what a good leader does. Not that I claim that title. My vote would go to one of my more able colleagues, but one tries.

It's always exhausting, but I never feel as though I have done my job as a volunteer until I have helped people in some way or another, which sometimes requires me to eavesdrop on other people's conversations as I am passing by on my way to somewhere and offering some sort of wisdom gleaned from my years of studying and of service to the union. What else would I use the data stored in my head for?

I suppose I could as easily itemised the freebies I scored (not too bad), the clubs and societies I joined, the people I interacted with whom I hadn't seen for months. I could describe in excruciating detail all the events I partook of, the night events, the deep and meaningfuls with the SPOCs I stayed with at the hostel.

Somehow though, I can't quite see it. It's nice that I was able to get past my fear that somehow this year would be flat due to a jaded outlook from too many years as an undergraduate student. And yes, I suppose in some ways I may have reached that point a long time ago. But this will probably be the last time I do this (I say now).