Monday, June 24th 2024
As I got up I felt the excitement surge through my body at the thought of heading back towards the West Coast! Walking to the Uber, the air around me was cool (which I honestly didn't think was possible in D.C. lol). Getting to the airport this time around was much easier, and going through it was even more so! However, this time the flight was directly to my destination so I decided to take a nap and make almost six hours feel like 20 minutes! The entire Las Vegas airport was filled with ads for shows, events, and festivals. I felt like I was lost in the beams of a neon sun!
As we made our way to Caesar's Palace, I got hit with immense Deja Vu because the feeling was almost exactly what I had during my first day in D.C.! We unloaded our things in the command center where we were given information about what we would be doing the following day. Shortly afterward we were taken to Chinatown to go to one of the supervisor's favorite places to eat. The food was amazing, and we got to explore a few of the shops before we needed to go back to the hotel for a tour. It turned out, however, that we would, in fact, not be having a tour as they wanted us to get some rest for the week to come! So we went to our rooms where we got to see some amazing views and went to sleep.
Tuesday, June 25th 2024
Waking up in a hotel-themed-like palace was an otherworldly experience!! I dressed in my suit and made my way to the command center (the office where we would be spending most of our time when we were not doing something for the convention). Our directors were there organizing us and giving us a list of things everyone would be involved in doing. Initially, I was in charge of attending the Federal Training Institute (FTI) meetings to take notes and usher guests to seats. However, I ended up doing a lot more than just FTI (and I loved every second of it)! Besides FTI, I was running around printing things that were needed, checking in on people in the expo, helping others in the debates, and helping out in the sessions when it was needed. The entire day was spent running around the office halls, taking notes, and being at the ready for the next thing to help out with! Thankfully, I got to have an amazing burger lunch before having to get back to the convention, and it honestly carried me throughout the entire day!! After ending the day, I went back to my bed and immediately fell asleep!
Wednesday, June 26th 2024
I woke up with only half an hour to be at the morning meeting that we were having at the command center so I was speedily getting ready! I was able to get to the meeting right on time, and we got our list for the day again. This was the official start day of the convention, so everyone was running around doing whatever someone else needed them to do. The entire day was a scramble to stay on time and make sure that people were where they needed to go, and it was so exhilarating that I couldn't find myself wanting to stop! They had a mariachi group at the opening ceremony and a bunch of events that were planned for the people at the expo. I was really enjoying just going through the business of the entire situation, but I was starting to feel the jet lag hit me midway through the week!
Thursday, June 27th 2024
When I arrived to the meeting this morning, I was needed to switch out with someone for a position helping to donate chicken. So, like Spiderman, I swapped my suit for my normal clothes and made my way to the Uber. LULAC was collaborating with Tyson Foods to donate chicken to Food Banks, and I was there to help unload some of the boxes of chicken and to represent the organization. After we returned, we were back to the usual running around to complete the next task that was presented. This day was filled with more meetings, more sessions, and more surprises! By the end of the day I was finally starting to get exhausted so I ended up getting some Japanese food and falling asleep on my bed!
Friday, June 28th 2024
This was sadly my last day but also one of the most fun! At the morning meeting we were informed that we would be getting to go to a Kamala Harris event in Las Vegas!! So we all had our LULAC t-shirts on while we were doing our morning run-through, and I ended up running into Arati Prabhakar!!! She spoke to me for a brief bit because she had to go to a speaking event, but she was so nice! Soon after I ended up leaving for the Kamala Harris event, and it was my favorite thing I've attended so far! When I tell you that I teared up at the sight of tacos and paletas, it was a moment of pure happiness. The happiness that I had while eating as well as drinking aguas frescas, was a reminder of how much I really missed home.
After eating, I went inside and watched the various representatives of Las Vegas, and Kamala Harris present to an audience of people! After the event, we went back to the hotel to go to our final events for the convention. At the Presidential Gala, it was the first time that I was able to wear my zoot suit to the event!! Everyone wanted a photo with me, and I was happily standing there as cameras flashed! Toward the end of the night, I even got to meet George Lopez! He complimented my suit and took a few photos with me! We danced to some cumbias and after the night was over I went to bed as I had to be up early for my flight the next day!
Saturday, June 29th 2024
Today was the most exhausting day out of the entire week! I was so sleepy and I had to get up at four in the morning to leave for my early flight. I got to the airport and almost fell asleep waiting for the plane to board! I had a connecting flight in Dallas Fort Worth Texas, but there was a FOUR HOUR layover!! I was so sleepy but I didn't want to miss my flight so I stayed up the entire time to sleep on the plane! Eventually I landed in D.C around 8pm, but I was so tired after the flight that I slept as soon as I got to my room!