I clung to them during the hardest times in my training and they helped me through it. I am very close to many of them to this day."
I was really curious about how they saw the relationship between the training and the active social life within the community. Sage laughed and replied "I think the social side of Austin did help me in my training. Socializing with the members of the community helps you see them in a different light, or costume or setting. You see that even Master Ratzu, our fearless leader, isn't afraid to dress as the green hornet and have fun. It shows us the human and fun side.
This helps in our training because we see those who train us as more human I believe." Dakota added "I think the social side has helped with the bonding process at Austin. And bonding becomes important in the training. This is not a classroom setting where there is distance between professor and student. This is a community of human beings. And when you are sharing such deep moments with people, I think it becomes imperative that you have an opportunity to build trust.
" After a moment's though she added "I'm going to tell a secret to you, and I guess everyone that reads this, I am a complete wallflower. My immediate instinct is to run to a corner and hide out during parties.
But...I know my big loving family won't let me off that easy. So I come out of the shell, drop the serious, and find myself....having fun! Plus, I'm not sure I could find a better excuse to shop for new outfits than an Austin party." On that agreeable note I thanked them both and moved on.
Exploring further I caught up with Melinda, helping prepare for a formal dance. I know Melinda as an Amiee at Austin, someone who is not undertaking the training but still contributes a lot to the life of the community. I told her that whenever I saw her she seemed to be doing something for the community.