Up With People - you meet them wherever you go. Whether you were staff, a cast member, a host family (or all three) the non-profit organization has a way of leaving its mark for years to come. Focused on traveling, performing, and impacting Up with People's mission seems to only scratch the surface of all the amazing memories and skills that come with being part of its legacy. Here are 21 ways you know you were once an Uppie.
1. You're comfortable living with just a suitcase to your name.
Everything I own has to fit in a 21kg suitcase for the next several months? Including a wardrobe that will keep me alive in all weather conditions? Sounds like just the challenge I can handle.
2. You can sleep almost anywhere.
Falling asleep in a bus, plane, or car? Pft, that's for amateurs. Uppies have no problem taking a snooze in classrooms, gym floors, strangers houses, or even standing up. Sleep is a rarity, so you've got to get it when you can - wherever you can.
3. Most dancing ends with step touching.
The signature in all cast movements. You might have found "the step touch" dorky at first, but you can't help whipping it out at the club now - sometimes you even add a heel shift.
4. Forget a "Fam," or "Squad," you have a hometeam.
They rallied beside you on the first day, when you all had to lift a stick with one finger, and they were there in the end to slay the Hometeam Olympics with you.
5. You introduce yourself to people by name and country.
This is important when you're with 100 people from 20 different countries, but it seems a bit odd on the first day of class when you introduce yourself as "Olivia from Sweden" at a school....in Sweden. Yeah, you get a few odd looks.
6. You can quick change in less than 5 seconds.
Not only after more than 30 shows are you a quick change expert, but you can also go from UWP cast member to Jai Ho Dancer in professional, school, and virtually any nowhere-to-change-my-outfit settings.
7. You continue to announce "First Times" in your life.
Like, For the first time "Sara got a credit card." For the first time "Sara tried Special K." For the first time "Sara plugged in her phone before it died." Every "first" is a personal celebration.
8. Every group project ends with "Okay Guys Let's Break On...."
Are you even a group if you don't have a random word that unites you all and signifies the end of a meeting?
9. You assess your mental/physical state as comfort zone or panic zone.
And you've learned that the best experiences put you right in the middle of both.
10. You ask your sister to be your bus date for the family vacation.
And she probably said no, because she has no idea what you're referring to.
11. You refer to your outfits by numbers.
You ask people, "On a scale of 1-5 how dressy or casual can I be?"
12. To "Burn" is considered inspirational.
We're not referring to burning cars, but the fire that is sparked inside of us to go make change happen.
13. You feel at home with strangers.
By the tenth host family, you're helping yourself to their food and asking them to tuck you into bed without a second thought.
14. You feel compelled to tell people how to hang up their clothes.
The hook of the hanger has to look like a question mark people! Come on, everyone knows that!
15. You raise your hand to get peoples attention.
It's instinct to raise your hand when you need to make an announcement. You realize pretty soon though, that even if you get the person next to you to raise their hand, it's not going to spread much farther. You're going to have to go old school and talk a littler louder to be heard.
16. If you didn't before, you now have Whatsapp.
It's important to stay in-touch with all your new international friends and soon Whatsapp has replaced your regular SMS texting. All you need is wifi, you skip the international cell phone fees, and you find yourself trying to convince your family and friends to get the app too.
17. Organizing group pictures is no challenge for you.
You know levels are the key to success.
18. Happiness is a Skype call.
It doesn't matter what you're doing or what time it is, if you hear your Skype start ringing you pick up. There's nothing better than seeing and catching up with one of your fellow Uppies, especially if they live across the globe.
19. Places have become faces.
Your main reason for visiting a place has little to do with the scenery anymore. It's a chance to catch up with one of your best friends that happens to live in a really cool and exotic location.
20. You don't know how to accurately describe your experience to anyone.
Everyone wants to talk about your experience with Up with People when you get back home, but you find yourself lost for words. How do you explain that time you and your Mexican roommate had to communicate to your Italian host family using Google translate that you broke their toilet after a day of community service, BTS shows, and seeing the Grand Canal? Loved ones tend to have trouble grasping a typical UWP day and that you have a thousand more stories just like that.
21. Because you really need to travel with Up with People to know how it changes your life.
Up with People can be one of the most rewarding experiences. You end up having lifelong friends, international connections, a million stories, and a broader mind. The truth is though the only way to understand it is to be part of it. I promise you won't regret it!
Interested in knowing more about Up with People or joining a future cast? Click here to get more details.
