TAF 2009: Let it Sprout!!

As a second year camper, there were some doubts and fears in my mind as I stepped onto the bus that was heading toward Manchester College. I feared that this year TAF has less to offer to me compare to last year. Boy was I dead wrong on that one.

Small Group

If I could describe my small group with one word, it would be "eccentric". No, that would be an understatement...BLAH it's simply too awesome to be defined by words =P
At first, our small group was leaning toward the "quite side", meaning there was clearly a lack of familiarity as well as communication. However, as more time was spent together, we eventually opened the windows to our hearts. Thanks to Bum's amazing questions after his lectures, we learned how to enjoy and take comforts in each others' presence. Group 3, the small group I was a part of, was consisted of Eddie Huang, Travis Overton, Peter Shaw, Harry Tsai, Olivia Schieber, Carrie Hsieh, Katherine (Pamina Lin), Alicia Shiue, Eric (don't know his last name) and Karen Lai. Oh, and me! ^_^
Interestingly enough, our small group included the only two Caucasians in youth, Olivia, Willis's girlfriend, and Travis, the half Taiwanese kid. Despite the possible cultural barrier, they fit in just like any other Asian campers. Gracefully enough, Olivia contributed greatly to group disses as well as chants, which made her a great asset to our small group. Travis, being a Pokémon fanatic, boldly suggested the theme of our small group with the idea of Bulbasaur, which saved a lot of brainstorming time. Hence, our small group was named Bulbasaur Stinky Tofu Evolution.

Speaker

I really loved the speaker this year. Bum Kim masterfully and carefully worded his speech in such an elegant way that I had not seen a single bobbing head throughout the whole week, which wasn't the case in ANY other lectures that I had attended in my life. This year, the theme was Ethics and Values. Bum, although Korean, could easily relate to the academic pressure as well as cultural expectations. And he showed it in his speech. His constant humors and touching stories had kept the speaker sessions one of the best times throughout the day. Yes, it even tops some TAF activities, believe it.
Among his many valuable lessons, I found the concept of sacrificial love the most meaningful of all. What is sacrificial love? Was it love among families? Was it the unconditional love? Honestly, this concept was rather confusing. However, I identified myself as one that had provided such love in the past in a relationship. However, it did not have a happy ending. I guess that was why such topic was especially captivating.
I especially loved his demonstrations with water and cups. He stated that in order to provide love, one's cup must be filled with love. If the cup was empty, then the person would attempt to fill it up with all sorts of bad stuff to prevent emptiness. It really made me wonder, how full was my cup prior to TAF this year? How full would it be after TAF? A lot of other things rushed into my mind as he performed this demonstration. It made me realize that it was important to provide love to those that were hurt while maintaining the level of fullness.

Roommate

So this year, I had the pleasure to room with Justin Wang, a veteran TAFer who actually graduated from the JH program and advanced to the Youth program just this year! Every night we would talk about schools and, of course, our TAF crushes. As a high school veteran, I gave all the advices I could in order to prepare him for his junior year, knowing that it will be his toughest year of high school. He's such a cool kid. I wish I had him in my high school...But to be honest, most of the time we were just chilling and talking about our ideal girls as well as our TAF crushes candidates (well, more so for him because I only have one girl in mind the whole time ^_^)....hehe...its a guy thing =P

Little Sib

Oh my god! Like seriously, OH MY GOD!!! Was it pure coincidence?! If it was, then O-M-G!!! This year, my little sib happened to be a former church member, Tiffany Teng. As acquainted as we were already, we actually had not seen each other at all for a whole year! Of course, being so familiar with each other, writing sib letters had been awesome. I most definitely enjoyed my time taunting/making fun of her for miscellaneous things....mostly about the huge water fights =P Then I also got to see my previous little sib: Kyleen!!!! Coincidentally, she was my TC's little sib! (Coincidence?)She had some mad skills for Diabolos, also known as Chinese yo-yos. Of course, I am not surprised by that because she was taught by none other than the awesome Mark Chen!

TAF Night Performances

I had mixed feelings about this special night on Saturday. Mostly because I knew that TAF had finally come to an end. However, that did not stop me from enjoying this wonderful night! It really touched my heart to see the effects of TAF showing on everyone on that night. Juniors putting on the biggest smiles they could possibly make during their swing choir and choir; the Junior High campers were full of youthful energies as always; and the Youth campers showed their maturity via the expression of music. However, the most special thing about TAF night was the fact that I got the chance to perform with Mark Chen once again. It was really something special. Not because we did everything on the spot, but because we worked together in our old high school crew Midnight Rave. I guess it brought back some memories...blah it's too complicated to explain!

FINAL THOUGHTS

TAF '09 means a lot to me. Not only did it solidify my determination to come back every year, it also taught me what I need to do to as a Christian and as an individual that has the capability to make a difference in someone's life. This past week is TAFabulous!!