AZA and BBG, you know what time it is! Time for another #KeepingPace! March has been a full and busy month on the road post-IC riding the convention energy, you know. Get comfy, I have a lot of stories to tell:
In case you forgot, here it is! My #KeepingPace Table of Contents:
I kicked off the post-IC fun in Atlanta, GA where I attended Greater Atlanta Region’s Spring Fling dance. With tons of wacky shoes (mine had to be light-up high tops, of course), we danced the night away. I also got to attend a BBG Regional Board meeting and convention steering team meeting where I was filled in on all insights into GAR and SRC. After exploring Atlanta, eating some great food, and getting to know everyone, I ended my visit in the classic GAR BBG way: weekly Zumba – it was a blast!
I then flew over to Ohio Northern Region where I spent a few days getting to know the BBG leaders who are paving the way for the future of ONR BBG by welcoming their new chapters: Golda Meir BBG and Lev Kessef BBG. I tried Mitchell’s ice cream for the first time and at this point in the year, I think I need to rank all the ice creams I’ve tasted because there’s been a lot. Anyways, I also had the ONR honor of watching Jewball (AZAA Basketball League) before saying my goodbyes.
Onto the next as I explored Liberty Region’s vastly widespread chapters! From an ice cream social with Center City BBYO and shopping with Kol Echad BBG to pottery painting with Kochavim BBG and tourneys prep with Harrisburg BBYO, I had a jampacked weekend full of many amazing members of LBR. I also had the best time hanging out with BBG Regional Board after a delicious sushi dinner (one of my favs). The train home from Philly was definitely bittersweet!
My next visit wasn’t too far as I headed up to Greater Jersey Hudson River Region for their MIT Overnight. The night before the convention, I went to Koach BBG’s Color War program where my team competed in challenges and took home the gold! Then, the Wizard of Oz-themed overnight was awesome and gave me the chance to meet so many new members who are the future of GJHRR. And of course, I couldn’t leave without taking a famous New Jersey bagel on the road with me!
South Carolina was full of amazing things: the views, the people, and Eastern Region: Southeast Council! I landed in Columbia, SC, and was quickly greeted with beautiful weather – this was very telling of how the rest of the visit was going to go. First, I hung out with Lena Karesh BBG as we taste-tested Crumbl Cookies (you could check out our Tik Tok for our ratings). Then, I journeyed to Charleston, SC to explore a new city and meet with rising leaders. My few days with SEC were simply wonderful!
After spending some time on the East Coast, I took a flight over to the other side of the US to spend a few days with Evergreen Region. I started off my time in Portland, OR where I went to a Bella Abzug BBG and Solstern AZA Slime Night program – my team got second place for our slime, but I’ll take it. After a short train ride up North, I spent my next few days in Seattle, WA! From exploring the city to a Regional Board dinner, I loved every minute of my time in the Pacific Northwest!
I finished off the month hanging in the sun with Gold Coast Region and Miami at their joint Spring Regional Convention. It had been a while since my last convention visit, but I quickly remembered why I love them so much! From awesome services and programming to watching my friends give their Senior Lives, there was always something fun happening throughout the weekend. I even got to spend a bit of extra time with Miami on Sunday talking through their plans for the upcoming year while GCR was at Regional Elections. All in all, this was a stellar way to end this month’s travels!
Sooooo, that rounds out my March: a hectic month of getting back into the swing of things! This month taught me the value of taking a break. This whole year has felt like I’ve lived the motto of “go, go, go” but after IC, essentially the climax of my term, I took a week at home to just…do nothing; and honestly, it was really nice! I’m not the type of person who enjoys sitting still with nothing to do, but by letting (or rather, forcing) myself to take a break, I was then even more ready to jump right back into community visits afterward. It’s definitely hard to take a step back from something that you love, but from my experience, it can be just as beneficial as the thing itself. So, whether you’re a senior using the summer as a break before college or an underclassman who needs to take one term off of chapter board to reenergize, know that taking breaks is okay, and even encouraged. If you ever need a reminder to take a step back or take a breath, you know where to find me!
AZA and BBG, as my year winds down at what seems like the speed of light, I want to say thank you again. Thank you for believing in me and making this year what it’s been…I’ll stop there so that I can dive deeper into my gratitude in June. My next two months of travel have tons in store – I’m not going anywhere just yet!
Respectfully submitted,
Avi Gorodetski
78th Anita M. Perlman International N’siah
Avi Gorodetski is the 78th Anita M. Perlman International N'siah from Northern Region East: DC.
All views expressed on content written for The Shofar represent the opinions and thoughts of the individual authors. The author biography represents the author at the time in which they were in BBYO.
