2015 TCCA Leadership Conference in Houston Reflection - Frank

Reflections of a Curry Crew Member

            Hello there. This is Frank Xu, Houston TCCA curriculum team member, writing to you about the experience known as “being on curriculum team”. The past three months have felt like an escalating five-way train wreck; except everyone in the trains survived and the trains didn't actually crash into each other.

Left: Frank Xu
Right: Kuanhung Lin

Here in Tzu Chi, we are often encouraged to make vows. When I first was approached to be part of the planning committee I accepted with little consideration to the time and brainpower required for the position. So, before making a vow, try to think about what you're getting yourself into first (get out while you still can). Before I scare everyone off, I want to make it clear that the workload of a curriculum team member is very doable as long as you're semi-responsible/diligent. I sorta didn't do that at all. Kids, don't make the same mistakes as your predecessors. When you get projects over long periods of time, pace yourself.

            In hindsight, if I had worked on my classes twice a week I could have prevented a few gray hairs. Yet, the beauty in all of this was that in the end everything turned out okay. Actually, not just okay. Frakkin amazing. Being in Tzu Chi is like having the greatest safety net ever, because all your efforts are worthwhile. Even if you fail, people will still cheer/support you. It's like elementary school sports! Everyone's on the same team and we're all winners. I mean this in a completely unironic way. So, moral of the story: Nothing you do matters. Haha, just kidding. I think... that even if everything may work out in the end, being diligent and responsible about our duties can prevent a lot of stress along the way. It is nice to know that everyone at camp wants you to succeed though.

OSU Tzu Ching, GPS of Life Workshop (skit)

            Planning for a class felt like a culmination of all my life skills. I had to communicate with my team members; I had to be mindful of who my audience was; I even had to critically think for once. All of this leading up to camp felt like an intense balancing act. Then camp started, and I proceeded to have my best TCCA year ever. Much in part due to my fellow curriculum team buddies. The bond we created in those 5 days is intensely unique. There's a beauty in becoming close friends with people you only see for 1 week and maybe only once a year. No time for petty squabbles; just teamwork and good feelings all around. Beyond curriculum team, I really gotta give props to all the staff and people who contributed to this year's event. This year's camp went as smooth as conceivably possible.

            I had a lot of fun. Fun in a different way than attendee or group leader. There's a bit of freedom which comes with being a curriculum team member. During camp, I had the choice of facilitating ongoing classes or preparing for future classes. Being a facilitator for classes required awareness of the attendees and the lecturer. When I floated around groups and facilitated discussion I was able to meet all sorts of people. I don't wanna say that I screwed with or derailed group concentration, but I did enjoy prodding attendees by uh... creatively engaging them. There's a lot of entertainment in making others entertained. I suppose there's a balance to be had. Ideally, a class is both interesting and meaningful. If I ever got tired of class, I could then duck out and prepare for my own class, help another team member prep for their class, or even take a nap (not that I abused such privileges). Disclaimer: I will admit that the time leading up to my class was nerve wrecking; however, afterward it was all YOLOSOLO no holds omgwthbbq joy. Overall, going to Houston was comfy and nerve wrecking at the same time.

2015 TCCA greatest of all time? Until next year that is. See you all in San Jose 2016.