No Big Deal

It’s 6AM and I roll off my latest air mattress in a dark basement. I couldn’t tell you what city I’m in. I wash my face and begin my day. A beautiful thing about life that I’ve noticed is that it seems no matter where you go in Canada, when provided with cereal by any billet, the delicious brand of Raisin Bran cereal is unquestionably there. After a delectable breakfast, the day begins. I pack all of my things back into my bag, back onto the bus and cuddle up in a seat for Sleeping Part II until I get to the school. Once arriving at the school, I bundle up for the loading in process. I’m trusted with small cases, trusses, and rolling cases…but I have faith that I could take on the big heavy sub one day! Once everything is loaded in, we each start our individual jobs in setting up. I have to figure out the power, which never seems to be as easy as just plugging it all in. Things are all set up and the students start loading in and that’s when the excitement sets in. Zoe and I usually have a small dance party at the back table.To be honest however, the best part of the day usually starts once the shows all over. We could have had a terrible show, the sound cut out or maybe the lights computer decided to just turn off for fun, but without fail, students will come and hang out with us after and tell us it was an awesome show. I get to meet so many amazing students, some who have these incredible stories and some who are just plain fun to hang out with! And the number of awesome people I meet in a day just grows and grows by the time I arrive at a billet’s. These people have no idea who I am, but I just show up at their front door with my life contained in a duffel bag and they welcome me with open arms, food and a shower. Every day I am amazed at how kind and giving these people are to us total strangers. Despite the early mornings and often exhaustingly long days, it’s the people that I’m meeting every single day (not to mention the people I share this stinky yellow bus with) that make this all worthwhile. No big deal but…my life is awesome!Alex, a School of Leadership Student on the road