A Day of Surprises: LCCC Mystery Cell 2013

The day began with five of the six executives of LCCC meeting at Concrete Beach, half an hour before the final meeting of the 2012-2013 LCCC year was scheduled to begin.  It was a little chilly, so they quickly decided to meet at Centre Spot to go over the planned activities for the day. The cue cards were distributed to each exec, and Viatrix hurried off to UCC379, where some of the general members were already anxiously waiting.

Alana, Gary, Jason, and Irene moved deeper into Center Spot to avoid the risk of being seen by nosy general members. They chatted for a while, and when 4:50 PM came, Alana, Gary, and Jason left for their respective stations. Irene stayed behind for a little bit since her station was the closest of the four at Alumni Hall. This worked out to the advantage of the other three because they each had to take one of the secret scrapbooks prepared for the departing execs from Alana’s ever-present backpack. They each grabbed a scrapbook so that general members could sign them as they visited their stations. Alana headed to Health Science Building, Gary to Delaware, and Jason to Middlesex.

Meanwhile, Viatrix and the curious general members were in UCC379, entertaining themselves by playing Draw Something and trying to figure out what the surprise was. 5:00 PM came, and Viatrix divided the members into four teams of two, finally revealing to them the instructions of the game. It would be like The Amazing Race, with the teams going from one station to another. At each station, the teams would have to answer two Catholic trivia questions. Given four chances per question, team members were forced to do silly punishments if they answered incorrectly. Punishments ranged from making team names and cheers to giving free hugs to strangers. When the questions were answered correctly, the teams were given cue cards that had clues to the final destination of the day: "SING K"! It was a chilly – but fun – afternoon for all.

Around 6:30 PM, all the teams and execs convened inside UCC, recounting the fun they had in the afternoon. Stories of talking with strangers, fun songs, and even injuries were told. The group eventually found itself on the bus heading downtown, where they had a very cramped dinner at Taste of Asia’s miniscule karaoke room. They supped for two hours, chatting happily and even welcoming a couple strangers (ish) from Waterloo into their midst! At 9:30 PM, the group rushed to take the bus to Star Karaoke, the surprise place for the day.

This was the moment the group had been waiting for the entire night. The departing execs had planned surprise letters for the group – and what great letters they were! The three letters were memorable and heartfelt as Irene, Terrence (who hadn’t been able to make the final meeting because he had a symposium the next day), and Viatrix made their final impressions on the club as undergraduate members. Then came the best part of the night. People who had to leave early purposefully stayed behind just so they could be a part of the joy that would follow afterwards. Alana, Jason, and Gary presented the scrapbooks that LCCC had been working on for weeks to Viatrix, Irene, and Joyce (who was there to accept it on Terrence’s behalf). The “WHAT”s that came from Viatrix and Irene were unforgettable, and made the surprise that much better. Everyone spent the next half hour flipping through the three scrapbooks, admiring the photos and the collective efforts of the members of LCCC (minus the Old Ones). The rest of the night was spent – what else? – singing their hearts out to songs of a language foreign to this blogger.

A special mention must be given to Marianne, who originally took the initiative to contact LCCC in February. An exchange student from Singapore, this night was the last time that LCCC would be seeing her, as she would be heading back to her home after April. She was a valuable member of the LCCC community, attending every meeting and easily making friends with everyone. We’ll all miss you Marianne – hope you had fun and you won’t forget us!

The LCCC 2012-2013 year was a big step forward in the history of the club. Some members saw each other on a weekly basis, and others not so often, but everyone became fast friends. The community feeling that had long been sought for was finally beginning to become established. The seeds had been sewn, and the roots had planted themselves. The flower, though, is still blossoming. This was truly a year that opened up so many opportunities for 2014, 2015, and beyond. Sweaters were designed; ideas were created; true friendships were formed; and traditions were started.

The seed has been planted, and it is well on its way to becoming beautiful. To the London Chinese Catholic Community of 2013-2014: Your chance to celebrate your faith, to become a community, and to nourish your relationship with God is here.

God Bless, thank you for the year, and have a great summer! We’ll see you all soon!