“First learning about TAF
The very first time I actually heard TAF be mentioned was sometime during Elementary School where Andrew Huang, a junior and school friend of mine mentioned in a game he taught me. I didn’t know what a “taf” was and tossed into the back of my mind. Years later, I moved to Ann Arbor and never saw Andrew again. But through the power of Facebook, I finally was able to found him again and he mentioned TAF again, telling me I should definitely go and that it’s a lot of fun. So a few days later, I logged on to the TAF website with my mom and decided to register, not know what would even come out of this experience. 2 months later, I boarded the Detroit bus in Ann Arbor and made the 3 hour trek to Manchester College, Illinois.
The Bus
The bus was probably one of the more awkward experiences of TAF I experienced. It was my first year and I had known nobody at all. Next to me were people, regulars of TAF I suspected, playing and having incredible amounts of fun playing Mafia. I was incredibly jealous and longed to have fun in the long bus ride. I was asked by the person sitting next to me, Andrew Liu, to play with them, and I felt like I hit it off right away. In minutes, I was cracking jokes and having fun with all of the other people in the group and I had never expected anything like it. The people were so welcoming and I had felt as if I had known them for years which to me and I hope to everyone else, is amazing for knowing them for a few house.
Getting Off
Stopping at Manchester College, I did not expect to find a sophisticated-looking campus in the middle of cornfields. Suddenly, we could all see counselors lined up along the sidewalk, filming our arrival and cheering all of us on. At this point, I was nervous and did not know what to do. I was surrounded by cheers of everybody around me, and to be frank, I was scared. I stepped off, not knowing what would happened, and BAM, a wave of energy just passed over me and I could not resist smiling. Additionally, my good friend Andrew Huang screamed my name and as I looked over, my friend had gotten so different over the past 3 years and I felt distant from reality. My best friend from Elementary School and finally been reunited with me, I was in a crowd of cheers, and I was at a loss of words. How could I not cry?
Activities Right Away
Afterwards, I do not remember much of the unpacking, getting my keys, etc. I do however remember all of the games and introductions. One of my most fond memories of the first day was “Where the Wind Blows,” some sort of game having to do with shoes and running. When I was one of the last people looking for a pair of shoes, I sprinted over and did an Olympic-style dive, forcing my opponent into the middle and getting me a pair of shoes. Unfortunately, I happened to skin my knee in the process and still carry around that wound today. I never felt pain at that moment, only triumph that I had overpowered my opponent.
Small Groups
Coach’s Ark, led by Ji Liu and Liz Wu. This has been the most amazing small group in anywhere I’ve ever had, TAF or not. We combined a really great combination of funny and seriousness and it’s been great. I can fondly picture the memories of discussions, drawing a “caricature” of Howard, hugging random groups, late-night caroling and most importantly, the people. I feel the people and lessons from this small group will always have a special place in my heart.
Speaker Session with Roger Lin
Before attending these lectures, I had no idea what to expect. What were ethics and values to me? How can I change? What is the remaining 90% of the people and how do I get into the rein a week of these speaker sessions that years of trying tst of the iceberg? What soil am I? I couldn’t answer any of these questions before attending the speaker sessions. I will be straight to the point: I loved Roger and his speaker sessions were so fun to hear and see. He spoke in such a straightforward manner, using easy-to-understand manner. I learned more about myself in these speaker sessions than years of trying to discover myself, to see who I am and what I want to be in my life. I have only praise for Roger Lin and I wonder how he could talk about topics such as challenging as self-discovery, ethics and values and sprouting with such ease and easygoingness.
The Social Aspect
I had known only one person at TAF before actually going and that was my old friend Andrew Huang and I hadn’t even seen him for 3 years before coming. I was introduced to a number of his friends by the time we had dinner on the first day and already I had felt like they had been lifelong friends. Even further into the week, I had made so many more friends, I had trouble finding which group of friends I could hang out with. They were all so diverse also, from small nerdy people all the way to older and experienced people with 6 years of TAF under their belt. Though the power of social-networking technology, I can proudly say with confidence that I will not miss these friends as much as I might have. Even now as I write this reflection, an AIM group chat (which by the way, is an incredible distraction) is going on with fellow TAF members. To these friends reading this, I love all of you and if I do not return next year, your presence will truly be missed.
DAAANCE PAARTAAAAY
I will get this off my chest: I am a horrible dancer. I can’t hip or hop or do any of the crazy stuff other people here do. Seriously, my mind was blown away at how good of breakdancers people here were and I had never seen anything like this in my life. In the beginning, I didn’t do anything. I just stood there, dizzy from all of the screaming and the bright strobe lights. 10 minutes in, I was screaming and jumping up and down to the music just like everybody else and I did NOT look pathetic. I was so proud of myself and I saw the teahouse dance as a gateway of social acceptance, from being the new kid to someone people actually knew. My feelings of nervousness were now all gone and that night, I had felt so proud of what I had accomplishments at TAF, as little as they really are.
taflove
I went into taflove not knowing what it was. I kept hearing comments on last year’s how bad it was and how nobody cried. I also heard how ’07 taflove was beautiful and how everybody loved it. I was both anxious and confused. What happened over the next 2 hours I didn’t expect at all. When each small group tapped everybody who had made an impact on their life, I didn’t think I could cry, I only got heavy eyes. However, when we all stood up, I realized how much fun I had had over the week. I burst into tears of sadness, something I had never done before. I had only know these people for less than a week, why was I so sad about leaving? I think that is the magic of TAF. You can make so many close friends in so little of a time.
Conclusion
After it’s all over, everything seems to come to me. I had really gotten the meaning of making true and long lasting friends. These friends aren’t the ones you will make over time, you will really feel a bond form after a few days. I discovered myself, who I am and what I feel I have to do in life. In just a week, I feel in love with TAF. I loved everybody I had met and in that moment when I burst into tears, I had truly realized that I needed to come back next year and the years to come.“
This was Jonathan’s first year at TAF, and he was part of the Junior High program.
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