Today is Friday, February 17 & we've just wrapped up World Ag Expo 2023. In my primary job as professor at College of the Sequoias, we run a concessions booth during WAE each year as a fundraiser for our student Ag Council club. All profits earned go right back to fund student events & activities.
But, wow, it's exhausting.
As an introvert, being "on" to interact with people from 6:30am to 5:30pm each day is draining. That includes directing students, guiding them through their customer service experience, answering questions about what forms of payment we accept & what we don't, what do we do if our registers go down (or if our internet dies in the middle of lunch rush & never returns - yeah, that was Wednesday). It's also interacting with customers. What type of pizza is it, do you know where I can get a milkshake, can you give a discount, what flavor ice cream is the best.
But it's also such a fun opportunity to grow together as a team. With both my colleagues, who really do feel like family, & with our students who get to see us as more than their professors, but as actual people who have personalities & relationships with their other teachers.
Another complicating factor this year was our pregnant ladies (cows & ewes) did not follow my rules of waiting to have their babies till after Farm Show & so we got a few lambs & calves while I was not on campus or easily able to leave Farm Show. One of our ewes was observed lambing but wasn't pushing for her second lamb, so I walked two of my students through pulling the lamb over the phone. No complicated manipulations, just a straight pull. Hearing them cheer on the other end when the lamb popped out was a great end to our last day at Farm Show.
So all that to say that I appreciate my colleagues & our students for their hard work these last few days. It's always a bonding experience & I gain such an appreciation for everyone during this challenging event!
Thank your teammates!
