Reflections on My First A.R.O.Y. Conference
by Victoria Leca, Portland A.R.O.Y.

After all this time, it is a little hard to write something about our trip to Detroit for the 58th A.R.O.Y. Conference.  Memories come rushing into my mind but I can’t put them very well in words.  Detroit was like a second Romania for us.  In Detroit we felt like we were a part of the community, even though it was our first time there.  Everybody was so open and so kind to us.  I can’t even remember the many smiling faces we saw and the warm hands we shook.  We felt like home.

The Conference was a little confusing for us since it was our first time there.  However, there were plenty of informed people who told us how things work in the Conference.  They were sitting next to us telling us how the voting system worked and what happened in the last couple of years and why things happened like they did.  We felt spoiled.

Then there were the evenings when we got the opportunity to socialize with people.  I haven’t had that much fun in a long time.  At the parties there was a little bit for everyone.  If you liked to dance you could join the many people on the dance floor, and if you didn’t there were lots of people who were eager to talk to you.  Due to these events we made good new friends.  We spent a lot of time with the delegates from Atlanta.  They too, like us, came to America not long ago so we could relate to them better.  Together we have unforgettable memories.  We still talk with them and we are hoping to see them at next year's Conference.

This is what Detroit gave us; a taste of a second Romania and great friends.  The Romanian Orthodox community is made up of amazing people who we will never forget.  The events and the places we visited seemed more glamorous thanks to our companions.  Like the old Romanian saying goes, “Omul sfinţeşte locul.”  I want to thank everyone for making our weekend a memorable time.

[CLICK HERE for the 58th A.R.O.Y. Conference photo gallery.]