At the end of the day, we have been given time to reflect on our third day for GUF orientation. To start the day, we were able to practice what actual days during the trip would be like with having to pack the vans with our bags before we set off on our rides each day. This is much needed practice so that when it comes time to having to quickly wake up, pack, and get ready for our rides each day we are prepared. We then practiced our ride in formation, which is what we will do whenever we ride into friendship visits each time. This allows us to be better prepared when we need to actually execute the formation for arrivals so that we can look professional. After that we had a brief practice ride to Brucie Ball, which is a school for people with disabilities. There we met a wonderful group of people. At Brucie Ball, the staff set up an incredible carnival type party with multiple different games for us and a bunch of the students to play. We connected with a bunch of the students and had an overall amazing time playing games and eating there with all of them.
After Brucie Ball, we rode back to FIU. At the end of the ride, team members, who had already finished the ride, were waiting for us and cheering us in as we completed our practice ride for the day. This really solidified all of our feelings of unity among all of the members of the team. We then ate a fantastic sponsored Chinese dinner provided by Miguel Salazar, who is a Pi Alpha through Build America. It was great to talk to a Pi Alpha to listen to his stories of his times on his trip and throughout his college experience as a Pi Kapp. After dinner, we had a team bonding exercise that aimed to unify the team even more than we already were. Through this team bonding exercise, each team member was asked to think about and explain why they decided to sign up for GUF. During this exercise, each team member respectfully listened to the stories and experiences of the other team members that lead to their decisions in joining the 2019 GUF team. Being able to reflect on today, I am proud to say that the team has become close with one another through the experiences throughout the last couple of days. We are excited to continue biking and working with people with disabilities throughout the next couple of weeks.
