ES - Are we welcoming enough?

[Dovie]

I don't post here very often, but I feel that I have to jump in on this one.  I've 
been in SCA for 6 years now (most of it in Elfsea), but I remember very well 
being a shy newbie.  I would sneak off and cry at my early events because I was 
afraid to approach anyone to talk to them and meet new people.  (After the last 
Crown Tourney, a few of you know that I'm not kidding!)  I wanted to meet 
people, and to *belong*, but I was just too shy to get the ball rolling on my 
own.  A lot of you are probably thinking, "Gwennydd -- shy?!? No way!!!"  Yes, 
way!  If it hadn't been for Ld. Raimond, I probably wouldn't have ever met 
anyone (thanks Raimond).  And I still had periods of shyness when I couldn't 
talk to people after that.  I was even too shy to go to an SCA 101 -- which I 
*still* haven't done.

At one of my first fighter practices, I was told by a brass hat "My proper title 
is . . . "  I was crushed!  If I hadn't been stubborn, that probably would have 
stopped my playing altogether because of that.  But I'm more stubborn than I 
am shy, so I'm still here. ;-)  My point is, though, that I think the mentor for 
newbies idea is *OUTSTANDING*!!!  I wish I'd had a mentor to follow around, 
someone to answer all of my questions.  "What does that crown mean?"  "Why 
are they bowing to that guy?"  "What do you call that?!?"  Newbies have a 
*LOT* of questions, and the shy newbies often don't get any answers -- 
because they aren't going to approach *you*!  

Yours in service,

Gwennydd of Dovey

P. S. -- I'm going to be moving closer at the end of summer, in case anyone's 
interested.  I'm leaving Rice (I'm miserable here), and transferring to Baylor in 
the fall.  Emerald Keep is just a hop, skip, and a jump from Elfsea, so hopefully 
I be able to play at "home" more often.

Ceinwen wrote:

> I plan to take on this challenge.  I being a newcomer can remember
> tagging along with Tanwyn at my first event, not knowing if what I was
> doing was right or not.  I was lucky.  I had friends already established
> in the SCA.  Some are not as lucky.  I intend to make a special effort
> to search out these individuals so that they may have the same
> opportunities as we do.
> 
> Because Life Is Good In Elfsea!
> Ceinwen ferch Rhuol
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