NPDO 2018

Moinsen

In the last post, I mentioned volunteering at this year's National Pre-Departure Orientation (NPDO) with YFU. Since this is the event that's spurred my return to the blog-osphere, I wanted to begin there.

Showing some team spirit for my crew

The NPDO is a weekend program designed to prepare the year's outbound exchange students for their upcoming journeys abroad. Over the course of three days, students are led through thought exercises designed to get them thinking about how to handle some of the difficult aspects of exchange, and give them the tools needed to make the most of their time abroad. As a team-lead, the two days leading up to the orientation were spent going over the session material, and practicing how we wanted to present the lessons.

When I went to Germany in 2011, NPDO wasn't a thing. As a CBYX Scholarship winner, I attended a pre-departure orientation in Washington D.C. with the other scholarship winners from YFU. Looking back, I can remember the material being similar, but ahead of the NPDO, I didn't know what to expect. Sure, I had the material to review and attended the Skype calls before arriving, but I had never seen it unfold. I was excited and apprehensive.

During our two days of training, I got to know my fellow staffers better. I began linking up more names and faces, getting to know each person's YFU story. Where did they go on exchange? How long ago? Was this their first NPDO? I quickly learned I was the only one who was an NPDO-virgin. Everyone had either attended NPDO prior to their own exchange, or had helped as a staffer in years prior. I felt a little more concerned.

When Friday came around, I began the day on airport duty. I was to drive a fellow staffer to the airport and then assist in bringing the arriving students to where the shuttle would be picking them up to take them to the orientation. Honestly, I was a bit bummed by my assignment. Part of the students' arrival involved speaking only non-English to them as soon as the got off the shuttle. Directions to registration, registration itself, navigating to the next building, and then hanging out until everyone arrived was to all be conducted in non-English. It's designed to simulate their few weeks (or months) in their host country. I had hoped to be a part of that. From what the other staffers had explained, it sounded like a lot of fun! However, I ended up not having to spend all morning at the airport.

Pink Team thought the Red room needed some redecorating

I got back in time to be able to relax a bit before getting involved with the second wave of students getting off the second shuttle. I helped hand out the students' YFU t-shirts. All in German, of course. The confusion on their faces was priceless!

The rest of the weekend was mostly filled with sessions for the students. Both Friday and Saturday evening were spent on team-building games. The finally event on Sunday was a chant competition, where each team had to come up with some kind of cheer or chant and present it to the other teams. The team voted to have the best chant won some candy. My team (Pink Team) won with a little ditty inspired by our friendly rivalry with Red Team. It went a little something like this:

I don't know, but I've been told,

The Pink Bandits

That Basic Red is getting old!
A brighter shade is what I think!
For me, I'll take the color PINK!
P-I
N-K
PINK! PINK! PINK!

I was really proud of my students for getting on board and coming up with that all their own. They build a little drum out of a box of granola bars, decked themselves out in pink stuff, and even put on some pink face paint. That final day was so much fun!


The whole thing ended up being quite emotional for me. It was a hot five days with high humidity and rain for two days straight. Nights were late and mornings were early. Many meals consisted of a fun-sized candy bar and coffee, because there wasn't time to sit down and eat. Even when there was time to take a breather, I never could really relax, because there was another session to start prepping for. I ended up having to take Monday off work, because I just could not keep my eyes open when I started getting ready for the day. Since I had driven to the orientation, I was literally the last to leave. Tears started welling up as I waved "goodbye" to the staffers on the bus and turned toward my car. More tears sprang up when began reading the messages written to me by the other staffers and my students.

The whole Pink Crew

It all brought me right back to my exchange. I became greatly nostalgic for that time again. The time when I was truly embarking on something new. Getting on my first plane, by myself, to go to another country for a whole year. It's something I know I'll never be able to do in the same capacity again. I envy these students. I wish I could relive the experience again and again.

My students have left for Germany today. I hope they cherish every moment of it, the good and the bad. Ich drücke ihnen die Daumen, and can't wait to see where their adventures take them.

To the right, I've added one of my student's exchange blogs. Feel free to hop on over and see things through fresh eyes.

Bis bald

(written August 6, 2018)