Tales From the Past: A Wild AUSIA Reunion

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Tales From The Past: A Wild AUSIA Reunion

Over the years, I’ve had quite a few interesting experiences, to say the least. They are all part of me; they’re part of my own unique journey in this community. Especially if you’ve experienced a lot, it gets harder to remember the less notable moments. But there are certain ones that you just can’t forget. The one in particular that I’m talking about here is something that I haven’t forgotten for many years.

It was an AUSIA reunion that was legendary, at least for me.

...And it was WILD! 

To be quite honest with you, I’ve been to reunions before, and I’ve been to celebrations before, but this experience has stuck in the back of my mind for many years. Sometimes I just laugh about it for no particular reason, only because of the fact I was laughing so hard at what we were experiencing - laughing so hard that I could barely breathe (you'll soon find out why exactly this is).

I believe the experience I’m thinking about in my head as I write this brief recollection was in December of 2016, the 17th to be precise. (There's some uncertainty because I couldn't find any record of the celebration beyond the post below.) Flipmoo, one of the most important figures in our history for his unparalleled efforts that sent the ACP AUSIA division rocketing upwards, was the one who organized this AUSIA reunion.

I had already known him for some years, and I still remember moments on the original ACP xat chat of us talking and becoming friends in 2012/2013. Although this special reunion was hosted by ACP, everyone in AUSIA time zones was welcome to attend (and of course everyone else, like me would crash the party too; it’s not like we had bouncers and security😂).

I was pretty excited about this, as it wasn't too often you have the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and catch up, especially using the relatively plain flash-based xat chat. If you don’t already know, it’s part of ACP tradition to reunite and have celebrations that give a nod to our awe-inspiring legacy and go beyond a single generation or era, allowing officers past and present to share stories and learn from one another. These are the times to take a moment and come together, experience nostalgia, laugh, and have a good time. And you know what? That’s just what it was.

I remember getting on chat and finally getting to check in with my old AUSIA pals. Back then, it was far less often that I would have the opportunity to see them. My sleep schedule also wasn’t destroyed at this time (though it almost was as a result of attending -- whoops ). Since this was an AUSIA reunion, it was late for me, but I made a point to attend. So there I was, sitting under the bedsheets with a laptop at 3am, jeopardizing my sleep schedule and nearly causing my laptop fan to blow apart.

Later, we began to listen to music and watch music videos. Once “HOP” by Azis started playing, we all began to just lose it. If you’re not familiar with the video, it’s hard to picture what I’m talking about, at least to the degree I’m trying to convey. I was sitting there dying at almost 4am. It was so unbelievably hilarious to all of us, and I myself couldn’t stop laughing. 🤣

To this day, I have never forgotten the experience, with the ACP chat erupting with “LOL” and “LMFAO” and the utter happiness, gratitude, and contentment that I felt at that reunion, in those special moments. I kid you not, I occasionally will start thinking about past ACP experiences and will end up back here to this one, leading me to just start laughing out of the blue. Azis is one interesting character (he's actually quite popular in eastern Europe), as I’m sure some of you veterans reading this may remember the video I am referring to.

I’m sure there will be many more experiences like this, and there already have been countless since ACP returned in September of 2019. But I realize (especially now that I'm far wiser, and with time you certainly will be too) that these experiences exist differently than when you were experiencing them; bygone celebrations now exist only in my heart and in memory, and I’m glad that I enjoyed them as best as I could. (However, you just can't really go back to that moment and experience it the same way.)

I strongly encourage you to do the same: enjoy the moment, have some fun, go crazy, and have a whole heap of laughs. Cherish what you’ve got right now, whether that be in ACP or in life generally, and make those lifelong memories and embark on those journeys. Go for it. You may even consider recording your experiences in ACP or in other things as I am doing for you now.

But you know what, don’t just take my word for it. The legendary 13th-century Persian poet Rumi has a similar message for you:

Immer Fortschreiten,

(Always Forward)

King Mondo
ACP Legend & Advisor