August 15, 2010

To Attend or Not To Attend

Audio:

Writ:
I am planning a trip down to visit my BFF in Utah. The original idea had been to go in the two weeks between work and school. (I am taking two weeks off so I can relax and get ready for school. Go home, do my dentist and doctor visits, etc.) Things just were not working for that break, so my BFF suggested I come down the weekend of General Conference. Instantly I thought that was the perfect idea. I would get to see her and her new husband, go to conference with them, and then I remember that is the weekend that the mission usually has the reunion. 

I have never wanted to attend the mission reunion for two reasons. I know the one question that everyone ALWAYS asks is, "So you have a girlfriend?" It is also the place to show off the new brides. The other reason I did not want to go was because there are only a few elders who I feel like I would want to see again. One of them I will for sure see when I go down, but that is because we will make plans to see each other outside of the reunion. Its not that I dislike the others. In fact there are only a couple missionaries that I wish I never had contact with again. The thing that I hate is the awkward conversation that goes as follows:

"Hey what up elder BLANK?"
"Not much how are you doing?"

"Good, how are you? Going to school, dating any special girl?"
"Yeah I'm in school and love it, and no, no GF. What about you?"
"Yeah school too and I'm engaged!"
"Cool"
........
"Well good talking to you."
"Yeah you too."

Repeat this conversation 15 times with everyone else who can remember your name.

(I may sound bitter, but this is not my intent).

I just dislike the awkward conversations. Any time, any where, I try to avoid them.

I would however like to visit with my Mission President, and his wife. Since I came out to them, I would be interested in what the conversation would entail, and also I genuinely like the them.

So I am deciding whether or not I want to go.

Do any of you have awkward or good stories about your mission reunions?

5 comments:

  1. I attended several reunions while I was at BYU. Heavens... Half of my mission (literally) went to BYU. I disliked the official reunions for the same reason that you do. The awkward conversations with people that I was never close to in the first place.

    I will say you are potentially setting yourself up for some pain by going. . .

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  2. I have a feeling I may be the exception, but of the four mission reunions I've attended, I've only been asked once if I was dating anyone. I'm only out to one other Elder (self-defined as of the SGA persuasion).

    I never felt like I was setting myself up for some sort of social discomfort. Generally, I felt like the conversations went wherever I felt comfortable-- career, grad school, mission gossip.

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  3. I went to a reunion about a year after I got back (while I was attending BYU). It wasn't anything too special either way. Most of the Elders I was closer to were not there and my mission president was present for such a brief period of time that it was just like hearing him give a short speech and then having him whisked out the door.

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  4. I only went to a few, but they were all the same--they were the "report your status in marriage, career and education" meetings. Uncomfortable, not really much fun.

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  5. Thank you all. When the time gets closer I will decide, and let you know.

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