After a flyer in the library caught our eyes, my friends and I decided to sign up for Dating Deacons Blind Dates to raise money for OneSight, a charity benefiting the blind. I was a little apprehensive, wondering which type of boys would be similarly inclined to sign up for dates. Would I know my date? Would the conversation be awkward? Would we just end up being friends? A little bit scared but finding the prospect of a blind date entertaining, I signed up.
The Wednesday before Valentine’s Day I received a text with the date’s details. It went something like this: “Thank you again for signing up for Dating Deacons, ‘Blind Dating that supports the Blind’. We are writing to confirm your date: Wednesday at 6:15 @ Zick’s. Please meet your date at the pool table. Please reply with “CONFIRM”.
After confirming, my nerves spiked as I worried the entire meal would be weirdly formal and awkward. Despite my worries, on Wednesday, I headed up to Zick’s, hoping to make a friend out of the experience. I walked in towards the pool table and saw a boy I recognized from my Spanish class. We grabbed food, talked for a while, and ended the meal with a “see you in Spanish tomorrow morning”. Overall, I had zero regrets about signing up, despite my fears going in.
From signing up and going on the date, I learned that I’m far less awkward than I think I am and can hold a conversation well. Just due to the sheer fact that we all go to Wake Forest brings us together and assures that we have things in common, so my date and I didn’t run out of things to talk about. We discussed classes, friends, majors, clubs, and everything about our shared Spanish class. I gained a friendly face around campus and had a painless meal while also contributing to an amazing cause. Hopefully, my takeaway from this experience will be to try things at Wake that are outside my comfort zone even if they seem funny or weird. Worst case scenario, you end up with a story and best case, a new friend!