I guess I'll start with working the BELL program!
This was my second year as a Junior Mentor for the NFB BELL Program. I spent two weeks having a blast with friends, experiencing a ton of "firsts" in my life, and watching some of the worlds cutest's kids grow in their Braille and blindness skills. Although this was my second year of the BELL Program, this year will stick out in my mind forever. I'm so proud I was able to be apart of the BELL team for two years so far!
NFB National Convention!
Back in May, I was selected to go to Orlando with Project STRIVE to attend the National convention. At first I was so excited, but that excitement quickly turned into fear as Convention approached.
The trip was the mixture of crazy, scary, and amazing all mixed into one week. I'm not going to sugar coat it, I was completely overwhelmed by how big the hotel was when we got there. It was already so late, and there were already so many people there. I wanted to cry! How was I going to meet anyone? How would I find my way around? What was I going to do?! I went to my room on the 13th floor, which already was by far the highest I'd ever gone in a hotel, found my room, and just laid in my hotel bed thinking "what have a gotten myself into?"
My mind was in so many places on this trip. I had so many decisions to still make about my life. I didn't know what to do. As I lose vision, I knew months ago I absolutely needed my training to become successful, but I also knew that there was so much mentally holding me back from knowing what to do. I didn't feel as I even belonged. I felt lost between sighted and blind. I just broke down completely one night. I couldn't stop crying. I'd look at my phone and cry, look out the window and cry, no matter what I did, all I could do was cry. I was confused, scared, lost, and everything was too overwhelming. As I FaceTimed my Friend on the bathroom floor of a hotel room, tears streaming down my face, I finally broke. The emotions I had tried to hide came out. The emotions I hid from them came out in bundles. This trip was making me open a new chapter in the big book of Chelsea's life, and frankly, I was scared to open the chapter of my life. In a moment, I posted on Facebook. I explained how I felt, and laid down and cried over half of the night.
I was having a hard time taking on this adventure. It was more than I thought it was going to be, but with the amazing support of the people we have here in Utah (even past Utahans!) I couldn't have made it through without our whole amazing group of people! (May I just say, our Utah group surely made me proud to be from Utah!)
As the convention came to an end, all we had left was our banquet. It was our chance to get all prettied up and have our last hurrah! We had our change to listen to our president one last time, and see out scholarship winners announced. Deja being as awesome as she is had previously promised Maddy and I that if she got the top scholarship, she would jump in the pool in our banquet dresses with us. When Deja won the top, the next stop after banquet was out to the pool. We had so many people ready to take pictures of us crazy Utah girls jump! We held hands, and jumped at the same time. It brought the best end to the craziness of convention. (That will forever be my favorite memory of convention!) Thanks Deja!
As we said goodbye to the friend we grew to love, we cried as we hugged at hotel room doors and parted ways. I have always hated goodbyes, and not knowing the next time you would see them hurt my heart, but its a comforting feeling knowing you will get to see them again one day. Saying goodbye to others you already knew was even harder, knowing that it'll be a while before you see them.
Monday as we packed up and left the hotel, I couldn't help but feel grateful. Grateful for the opportunity that Utah had just given me. Grateful for the opportunity that Project STRIVE had just given me. My eyes had been opened to the world that at first I didn't feel apart of. I finally felt as though I belonged somewhere. I belonged in the NFB, I found a part of my world I didn't know was missing. NFB opened my eyes to a world that stands for what matters to me, one that makes my blindness perfectly fine, and one where I feel normal. NFB isn't just an organization, NFB is a federation family, a family I am proud to be apart of. I found the hope of a normal future.
LETS GO BUILD A FEDERATION! 75 IN 75!!!
These past few weeks have been a bit of crazy mixed into a world of amazing. I am so beyond grateful for every opportunity I have been given so far in my life. As I tackle this next adventure in my life, I will look back at how much these weeks have made me grow as a person!
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