San Francisco

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Originally uploaded by schmann.

So, San Francisco. Fun times. We started our trip on Sunday by getting to the airport to find out that our flight was cancelled due to mechanical problems. So 30 of us had to get on 2 other flights that afternoon. Yes, 4 hours later. So most of us stayed at the airport and hung out for a few hours. It was actually one of the highlights of my trip. :)

While in San Fran, we had a cocktail party the first night and those of us who had been certified got recognized. We had a couple of main speakers on Monday and small discussions as well. The highlight of that, for many of us, was a group of high school students from a charter school in Oakland. Many of them are first generation high school graduates and are involved in leadership. We are going to work with these students to help them transition into school. As one of my fellow coaches shared with them, they were very inspiring, and most of us are jumping at the chance to work with them in addition to our rosters.

Monday night involved dinner at a GREAT Thai restaurant in/near Chinatown (the spicy tofu was to die for...and made for a flaming mouth). Afterwards, we went to a club for dancing and drinking (see photo). Lots of free drinks all night long. I went back to the hotel after about an hour at the club--not my scene and I can't stay up that late anymore!

Tuesday we started the day with optional community service. I went with a group to the San Francisco Food Bank. I worked with 20+ other coaches to pack up boxes of groceries for low income senior citizens. In the 2.5 hours we were there, we packaged 600 boxes.

Then we wrapped up the day with lunch, highlights of the three days, and some large group closing conversation. All in all, it was much more fun and educational than I anticipated--mainly because I didn't know what to expect. I came home exhausted and ready for a break.