San Diego SOMK Retreat (Work Trip)
For the past five days, I was in San Diego for a Speak Out For Military Kids (SOMK) Retreat. The goal of this retreat was to help 6 navy youth film a Welcome Aboard Video for all youth moving to the San Diego area who's parents are in the Navy. I, as all the other SOMK retreats, was a main part of planning and was the facilitator for the event. The event was on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
On Thursday, I arrived at the hotel, Springhills Suits Marriot, in Rancho Bernardo, and met up with my boss, Chanda, and my co-worker from Bakersfield, Berney. We drove down in one vechile to downtown San Diego. We held the event in a conference room on the fourth floor of building one on the San Diego Navy Reserve Base. For those who know downtown, they are the old looking buildings across the street from the USS Midway, Old aircraft carrier that is now a museam. The event started with a small get to know you game, then we had pizza for dinner, and created a timeline for the movie, a script, and a full write out of how the film is going to be layed out. We ended at 9:30 PM.
Friday was filming day. For some reason, the gaurd at the gate wouldn't let my park my work car inside the base parking lot, so we had to park across the street at the Office Depot. We called our main contact on the base, and she got the youth together and they walked over to where we where. We went over the plans, then went out to start filming. Berney drove the van with all the youth, while I drove my boss, and our main navy contact Susan. We filmed all over San Diego. The places we filmed where: Point Loma, San Diego National Cemetery, Point Loma Tide Pools, Point Loma Light House, Hotel Del Coronado, Coronado Island Bridge, Coronado Village, Coronado Pedestrian Ferry (While out in the bay), USS Midway, San Diego International Airport, Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo, Santa Fe Depot Train Station, Birch Aquairum at Scripps UC San Diego La Jolla, and Sea World. After all the filming, we took the group to Sea World to have some fun from 6 to after the firework show at 9:50. Got back to base at 11:00 and they all went home.
On Saturday, the youth stayed at the conference room on base all day, and I had them edit the video. We broke for lunch at Sea Port Village just down the street on the beach of the San Diego Bay. The video was mostly complete. I just have to take it and go some minor changes before it is complete.
My boss paid for me to say 2 extra nights in the hotel. On Sunday I was going to chill with Kristen, Matthew, and Jordan, but Kristen got sick, so they where unable to come. I spent the day geocaching on Fiesta Island (across from Sea World in Mission Bay), went to the San Diego Mission, the first historic californa mission, and went to Ocean Beach to watch the Sunset. On Monday, I woke up, and decided I didn't want to do anything alone anymore, so I decided to go home early. I was planing to go home at 8 pm, but i left at 10 am.
It is for events like this, which is why I love my job. Because i love running events, i love bonding with teens, and having fun on a project. I got to see most of San Diego in one day, and had a great time.
On Thursday, I arrived at the hotel, Springhills Suits Marriot, in Rancho Bernardo, and met up with my boss, Chanda, and my co-worker from Bakersfield, Berney. We drove down in one vechile to downtown San Diego. We held the event in a conference room on the fourth floor of building one on the San Diego Navy Reserve Base. For those who know downtown, they are the old looking buildings across the street from the USS Midway, Old aircraft carrier that is now a museam. The event started with a small get to know you game, then we had pizza for dinner, and created a timeline for the movie, a script, and a full write out of how the film is going to be layed out. We ended at 9:30 PM.
Friday was filming day. For some reason, the gaurd at the gate wouldn't let my park my work car inside the base parking lot, so we had to park across the street at the Office Depot. We called our main contact on the base, and she got the youth together and they walked over to where we where. We went over the plans, then went out to start filming. Berney drove the van with all the youth, while I drove my boss, and our main navy contact Susan. We filmed all over San Diego. The places we filmed where: Point Loma, San Diego National Cemetery, Point Loma Tide Pools, Point Loma Light House, Hotel Del Coronado, Coronado Island Bridge, Coronado Village, Coronado Pedestrian Ferry (While out in the bay), USS Midway, San Diego International Airport, Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo, Santa Fe Depot Train Station, Birch Aquairum at Scripps UC San Diego La Jolla, and Sea World. After all the filming, we took the group to Sea World to have some fun from 6 to after the firework show at 9:50. Got back to base at 11:00 and they all went home.
On Saturday, the youth stayed at the conference room on base all day, and I had them edit the video. We broke for lunch at Sea Port Village just down the street on the beach of the San Diego Bay. The video was mostly complete. I just have to take it and go some minor changes before it is complete.
My boss paid for me to say 2 extra nights in the hotel. On Sunday I was going to chill with Kristen, Matthew, and Jordan, but Kristen got sick, so they where unable to come. I spent the day geocaching on Fiesta Island (across from Sea World in Mission Bay), went to the San Diego Mission, the first historic californa mission, and went to Ocean Beach to watch the Sunset. On Monday, I woke up, and decided I didn't want to do anything alone anymore, so I decided to go home early. I was planing to go home at 8 pm, but i left at 10 am.
It is for events like this, which is why I love my job. Because i love running events, i love bonding with teens, and having fun on a project. I got to see most of San Diego in one day, and had a great time.
Comments
Post a Comment