(andwelcometheyearoftherabbit)
I hope finals weren't too stressful for everyone. Great job on finishing your first semester of the school year! We're almostthere...
It's finally 2023 which means..MORE SERVICE EVENTS ARE COMING YOUR WAY! To close off 2022, thank you everyone for attending our general meetings and signing up for our service events! With your help, we were able to be a step closer to our club goals. I enjoyed seeing everyone attend our general meetings and participate in our general meeting activities! Just seeing everyone every Wednesday made my week way better. We built so many memories in one semester andIhopetobuildmorecominginto2023!
Here is your reminder to apply for our CNH district contests! I highly recommend everyone to look over the details because it's totally worth it to apply!! Feel free to check out cnhkeyclub.org/recognition/contests moredetailsandletmeknowifyou haveanyquestions!!:) Cheering Through Service,
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Event Summary: Christmas in the Park has got to be my favorite Key Club event so far. I’d compare it to playing Papa’s Pizzeria, but instead of making pizzas by tapping on a screen, we had the opportunity to make hot dogs, hot chocolate, nachos, and popcorn in an ACTUAL food booth. Playing Papa’s Pizzeria for 4 hours straight would have been a dream for 6-year-old me. Fortunately, I had two shifts: one with two seniors and the other with two freshmen. My favorite activity was creating Santa’s Hot Chocolate, more specifically, putting on the whipped cream. I watched the eyes of little children widen as I ejected the foamy substance in a spiral-like motion and topped the soft, white cloud with lustrous chocolate syrup. I always made sure each hot chocolate had a supple amount of whipped cream to ensure customer satisfaction. One notable volunteer I would like to mention is Annie. Her ice cream and hot chocolate execution is not to joke about. She even received a compliment from Ms. Murray, who said her hot chocolate was “Instagram-worthy”, given how beautifully crafted the one she handed to one of the customers was.
back to the booth, the fun began. We were given a quick rundown of how each machine worked, shown where to get extra food items, and introduced to our Circle K supervisor. Our supervisor would shout down an order, and whoever was closest to the appropriate machine would make it. We made hot chocolate, poured coffee, scooped popcorn, and prepared various other foods to be sold. It was fairly rainy and we were running a morning shift, so it was fairly slow, with a customer appearing every five minutes or so. It was relaxing in a way: I'd hear an order, make it, and just talk until I heard another. And of course, I got to laugh at Andrew's attempts at using a soft-serve machine. The amount of deformations he managed to conjure was truly amazing. Although I had to miss half of my first shift to fill for a missing volunteer at a Santa photo-op, I still really enjoyed the time I had!
It was a rainy, soggy, and cold afternoon. Though I had thought nothing could cheer up this gloomy day, I found myself corrected. I remember I was attending RAFT today! As I got ready and brushed my teeth at the speed of light, I realized I was forgetting something. An umbrella! I was out the door and on my way. As I watched the raindrops race with each other on my car window, I wondered what we'd be doing. This was my very first time attending RAFT, I was a tad bit nervous. As I arrived, I was relieved to see the other key clubbers there! After instructions were given out, we quickly got to work. I decided to join Annie, and work on using a power drill to drill holes in popsicle sticks to prepare them for kits. It was very fun. The machine was very powerful and oddly satisfying to use. I would’ve never gotten the experience of using such an interesting machine anywhere else! RAFT is perfect for anyone who enjoys building and/or making things. Make sure to attend the next one!
One of the major New Year’s foods for Japanese people is mochi. Even though the New Year’s mochi is plain and unfilled, it is still very enjoyable to eat! However, not everyone has the time or knows how to make their own batch of mochi at the end of December. Because there is demand, the Wesley Methodist Church in San Jose Japantown holds an event in a small gym where volunteers of all ages make mochi for a fundraiser. The mochi making started at 8 in the morning, but I took the later noon shift. Volunteers either cut or flipped the mochi dough. Many people, including myself, were confused about why we were flipping the mochi, but the veterans told us that it was to cool them off before they were packaged. Although volunteers were not allowed to eat the mochi they were making, the church gave volunteers lunch, and on the menu was a coleslaw with dried ramen, potato curry, and rice, which were all very flavorful and filling. The meal was a 9/10. After all of the customers who had bought mochi picked it up at the back of the church, the small mochi factory, which had been open for one day, closed up shop.
NOOOO break’s over D: These two weeks went by so quickly…..I blinked and now it’s over… Speaking of things being over, 2022’s over already? Man… time really flies fast. Luckily, we have our newsletters to remind us of what we did this past month and what we have to look forward to in the next one! With January and the new year under way, how are your resolutions going? I’m sure many people have already quit after just one week- are you one of them?
