{"id":1644,"date":"2018-03-08T07:02:56","date_gmt":"2018-03-08T07:02:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/reports\/?p=1644"},"modified":"2018-03-08T07:06:53","modified_gmt":"2018-03-08T07:06:53","slug":"gp-diary-las-vegas-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/reports\/2018\/03\/08\/gp-diary-las-vegas-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"GP Diary: Las Vegas 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"QJ<\/a>

QJ Wong, Level 2, Melaka, Malaysia<\/p><\/div><\/b>I am almost a year late on this GP Diary entry – so much for the one-entry-a-month plan, but better late than never?<\/p>\n

So, Las Vegas. Where do I even begin?<\/p>\n

This GP would be the first for me outside of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. If you had tried to talk to me over the week and I was spacing out \u2013 my apologies. Every now and then over the course of the week, I found myself having to take some time to collect myself, simply because the event had been an overwhelming experience for me.<\/p>\n

Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone<\/strong><\/p>\n

It might come as a surprise to some of you that social anxiety gets to me easily. Over the past few years of establishing myself as a GP veteran in APAC GPs, I have gotten familiar and comfortable with the judges I regularly meet in my region. GP Las Vegas was the first time in a long time in which I had left my comfort zone far behind. I was very excited, yet there was this looming sense of dread as June approached.<\/p>\n

Sure enough, throughout the week there were times when I felt lonely or overwhelmed (or both at the same time). Thankfully, they did not last, for I would see a familiar face smiling and nodding at me, or hear a familiar voice saying \u2018Hello!\u2019 or \u2018How are you doing?\u2019 all week long. There were also many friends from the APAC region as well, either being on staff or playing the event.<\/p>\n

To be able to feel a sense of belonging in a place far away from home, it was an amazing reminder that I was never truly alone in this wonderful community of judges and Magic players. If you had spoken to me over the week and I had stuttered or stammered, sorry about that. If you had taken the time to talk to me, or even just a smile or a nod, know that I really appreciated it. Thank you!<\/p>\n

\"\"
Perfectly describes the GP Vegas week for me (source and credit to invisiblebread.com<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Working with New Colleagues<\/strong><\/p>\n

The anxiety came early on my first day working (Thursday) when I was assigned to help the LCTs, and then put in charge of a sealed LCT at noon. There was a general feeling of doom – \u2018What am I even doing here\u2019, you know, the usual stuff about\u00a0imposter syndrome<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So, I decided to busy myself with work to keep the pessimist side of my brain at bay. To start, I discussed what was expected from me with my lead, which is called a format coordinator here since they’re divided by formats.<\/p>\n

Support, help floor the LCTs, run the LCT I was scheduled to do. Got it.<\/p>\n

Next, I asked myself, “What do I need in order to achieve these two goals?”<\/p>\n

Two points came to my mind, namely:<\/p>\n