So this has been a crazy good week and a half.

For those who didn't know, we had our National Forensics tournament in Portland this past weekend. We flew from DC on Tuesday, and arrived that night. Unfortunately, we spend our days leading up to the tournament in a hotel preparing, so I knew from the get-go I'd be stuck inside a hotel with no chance to visit or see anything. When I got a message from Micah (Kakaru) I sadly told him this, and let him know that I'd be stuck at the hotel.

Micah, being the wonderful human being that he is, said he wouldn't mind driving down to meet up with me at the hotel. A few hours later that Wednesday night, and Micah and I were catching up at the lobby of the hotel. We spent an hour talking about BZPower, BIONICLE, LEGO, making art, and a lot more stuff. If nothing else, I got to improve the first impression I made at NYCC (I was so excited at the Bonkle booth that I stumbled into a fake potted plant and some BZPers and looked like a total buffoon). Micah also gave me a Hero Pack like it was no big deal, and I have to admit that the visit kept me elated the entirety of the prep days at the hotel. It reminded me the kind of wonderful people that BIONICLE fans are, and just how wonderful some people are. Micah totally rocks.

However, this was also going to be a bit of a weird and important final tournament for me. Forensics is a unique activity, because it allows us to perform and speak about topics that we're passionate about. For me, this took the form of my Program Oral Interpretation on Jaime Garzon. For those who didn't know, I started off this year with a piece on a Colombian comedian and historical figure that was murdered in 1999 for not only speaking the truths others didn't want to hear or couldn't say, but also for working for peace and understanding between all Colombians.

For me this was an important project, since Jaime's story is very intimately tied with mine. When I was four, my parents brought me to the front out our building, giving me a white handkerchief, to wave at the black car carrying his casket. Fifteen years later, that grown up boy was about to lay to rest this year-long project. Over the past year, I watched all of Jaime's material online. I did research on him at the Library of Congress. I called and interviewed Jaime's brother, a close family friend. I became an advocate for the peace process in Colombia, and did all this because I knew Forensics would allow me to teach others about this wonderful historical figure, and about my hurting country. For me, the Nationals tournament wasn't about wining awards or accolades. It was about the last time I'd bring Jaime to life, the last time I could present my art to others, the last time I could be an advocate for this cause I cared so deeply about. My friends and team knew how much this meant to me.

I don't say this to brag, but I am happy to have advanced to Quarterfinals in POI at the National tournament, and being given the chance to perform my piece in an outbound. Though I dropped after Quarters, I had one audience member come up to me and ask me more about Jaime, telling me he'd look him up later on and watch his material. That to me was the best way to let my piece to rest; I knew I'd reached at least one final person, let someone else know Jaime had existed, and had become more of an advocate for Colombia.

But the end of the tournament was also so important for our entire team. Last year, we barely made it as the 5th school in the nation. Under any other circumstance, this would be amazing no matter what, but last year there was a toxic and sour attitude within the team, and the post-tournament dinner was quiet and filled with tension.

This year, 35 of our 66 slots broke to outrounds, breaking the university's record. We rose up from 5th to 3rd place, even after we lost a third of our team in December. This was a team that was united by self-realization and love for every team member. We were there for each other, as a true family that was passionate about its message and everyone in the team. By the time the tournament was over, every single team member was happy and glad with what we'd done. We'd turned around a failing program, and individually and collectively overcame these difficulties to show the nation that when we fell down, we got back up and rose higher than before.

Finally, I got confirmation of another big event in my life. Right before the tournament, I applied to study for a semester at Oxford University. I got an e-mail the day before the tournament letting me know I'd been accepted. This mean I will, for the first time, spend a semester away from home. For someone with a rare illness, who has been coddled by his parents and relied on a heavy support system, this means that the next semester will force me to grow up and live, truly for the first time, independently. I am scared but excited, as I know that this semester will bring me great personal growth that I have been lacking and yearn for.

All in all, this has been a crazy week and a half. A month and a half ago I was in a hospital, with my stomach burst open for an operation, not knowing what Forensics or life would herald for me. I am now feeling emotionally elated, having seen performances that changed my way of thinking, seeing friends from both the BIONICLE and Forensics world that reminded me that there is good in this world, and knowing that the future looks at least a bit brighter than usual.

tl:dr: Happy Pablo is at peace