Working for Campus Rec's Outdoor Adventures is great for many reasons but one that I was reminded of recently is professional development trainings. Some trainings I have been a part of in the past were customer service, winter skills, portables (team building facilitation/ activities), and caving, among others. Recently I attended Foundations of Facilitation training and thoroughly enjoyed it. Last semester I took a class on experiential education. This class only had 3 students in it, was largely discussion based, and was taught by the most amazing professor who literally wrote the book on Kurt Hahn (the founder of Outward Bound). It was through this class that I was able to put words, research, and meaning behind experiences that happened to me. To sum it up, I had participated in a month of travel and a month of wilderness, and found myself dramatically happier, healthier, more resilient, confident... than I had been before. This class hit me: I felt deep down, to my truest core, that I so believe in this type of education because of my amazing experiences with it. Something that was really reaffirmed for me when I took this class is that experiential education is a process. Developing non-cognitive skills such as empowerment, resilience, independence, compassion, courage, and so on... can not simply be bestowed on a person. Development and self-growth is a process that must be facilitated (Shellman 2014). As a facilitator, I am extremely invested in how I can make that process as easy (facile = easy in latin), supportive, and engaging as possible for students. Circle back to the Foundations of Facilitation training, and this is the perfect training for me at the right time. The training had a morning classroom session and an afternoon activities (games) session. In the morning session we talked about a number of topics including:
The point was that no matter if you are going into outdoor recreation or not, you gain skills from this job that are applicable anywhere. Working for outdoor adventures is experiential education in itself. Full circle.
The return to Lima after spending time in the Amazon Jungle was in many ways a relief. I say this for many reasons, but the big ones for me were much more pleasant temperatures/ humidity level and no more bugs. We returned to the same hostel, Pariwana, on New Year’s Eve at about 8pm. The hostel did not disappoint (as usual) with a lively NYE celebration. It was so fun to ring in 2019 with new and interesting people from all over the world. New Year’s Day took us to the cool bohemian neighborhood of Barranco. We did not know what to expect, just that it was “artsy” and, dare I say, “hipster”. After a short Uber ride we stumbled across the bustling center which had lots of street performers, eateries, and art galleries. The sights, sounds, and smells of this area were quite stimulating, and we were super glad to have taken the chance to visit a neighborhood other than Miraflores (where our hostel was). After a pizza dinner at a restaurant/ “brewery” that was out of most flavors of beer as well as water (??) we decided to just walk back to Miraflores along the coastline. It was an awesome 45 minute or so walk where Phil and I just talked and enjoyed the weather. It was a perfect evening. The next day we tried out sandboarding. As Phil & I had learned, most of the Peruvian coastline is desert, and if you drive an hour or so out of lima there are huge dunes of soft warm sand. Our guides picked us up from the hostel and took us out to these dunes. One guide gave us the lesson while the other was in charge of driving the vehicle. Phil and I both really enjoyed this activity, as we both snowboard/ wakeboard/ wake surf at home. The next day we went surfing along the coast in Miraflores. For barely $10 we got a board and wetsuit rental for two hours. We had each surfed once before a while ago, so we just watched some YouTube videos before we left and hoped that would be ok. It was great, I got up and rode a wave in once, so I am content with that. Phil was getting the hang of it real well, I saw him stand up and ride at least a few good waves. Photos of both these board sport outings are below! On our last day in Peru we had a red eye flight home leaving at 11pm, so we planned to leave for the airport by 7pm. That still left us with nearly a full day to do something. We visited some ruins that were just a 20 minute walk from our hostel, the Huaca Pucllana ruins. These were from 200 A.D. to 900 A.D. and built by the Limas, not the Incas. For about $4 we got tickets to the site, which came with a free walking tour. It was super cool to see these ruins smack in the middle of a bustling city, and it was a great way to spend a few hours while waiting for our flight. The red eye flight home went smoothly, and now I’m at home in Bedford for the last time in what may be a very long time. The past three weeks have been so exhilarating and the perfect trip to break up my routine (which I love, but needs to be kept interesting). I learned a ton on this excursion, pushed myself in many different ways, and had the time of my life. Definitely reaffirms that studying experiential education is right for me. I’m thrilled to be heading back to Penn State for my 8th semester. I have lots of great things ahead this semester including winter training for crew, a diverse schedule of trips for Outdoor Adventures, and a light course load. Life is so good!
A year and a half ago when I traveled Canada and Europe with three different travel buddies I did an interview blog post with each one. I figured that I may as well carry on that tradition so I asked Phil a few questions and you can see his answers below. As I was typing the questions I realized that people who read my blog (whoever that is... if there's anyone other than my mom & aunt) probably don't even know what my answers to the same questions would be. So in the interest of equality and entertaining the fans (my mom & aunt) I have gone ahead and answered the same questions. Phil's Interview What were your top 3 activities from the whole trip? -Machu Picchu -Hiking in the Andes and Rainbow Mountain -Jungle Retreat If you had to live in one, which of the three cities we visited would you choose? -I enjoyed all of the cities, each had their pros and cons. I would probably want to live in Lima because it is the most modern city of the three. Cusco had lots to do but the food was hit or miss along with the elevation being challenging at times. Puerto Maldonado was very small and had great wildlife in the jungle. The heat and bugs were Puerto Maldonado’s biggest struggles. What were some challenges we faced as a team? -Spiders -Cockroaches -Andean cheese in foods Did you have any personal goals coming into this trip? How did you do on them? -A personal goal of mine coming in was to work on my Spanish. Most people tell me that the best way to learn a language is to go spend time in a country immersed in that language. Having studied it for almost all of my academic career, I was a little bummed that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to spend a semester in a Spanish speaking country. When we were planning this trip, I knew that this would be my opportunity. Reflecting on my goal, I would say that it was mostly a success but I definitely had my moments where I struggled. Highlights include a great lunch conversation with another traveler after hiking rainbow mountain and talking to our cab driver on our way to see llamas and alpacas where he shared info on the valley, the animals, and the processing of the animals for clothes/food. It went so well that I ended up helping him translate by typing out a back and forth to some of his future customers who did not speak Spanish on his phone’s Whatsapp. What strengths did you bring to the team? -I believe my greatest strength for the team was my Spanish ability. There were a number of occasions where being able to communicate with locals allowed for a fuller understanding of an area or activity. This allowed us to have a better, more informative experience. Did you have a favorite or stand out meal? -Our very first lunch together was after a 4 hour walking tour with lots of sun. Sitting down in the shade and sipping on a lemonade was sublime. What is your current favorite song/album? -Either Cumbersome by Seven Mary Three or Plush by Stone Temple Pilots Are you doing anything else this winter break? -The day after we return, I leave for a week long training trip with my rowing team. This will keep me busy until school starts again. What countries have you visited before this trip to Peru? -Thailand, South Africa, England, Germany, Netherlands, Iceland, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Mexico, Where is next on your travel wish list? - Cuba, Spain, Portugal, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Italy, Greece, France, South Korea, Japan, China, Vietnam, Switzerland, Canada. Addie's Interview What were your top 3 activities from the whole trip? - 3 day jungle tour - Machu Picchu - Any activity involving llamas If you had to live in one, which of the three cities we visited would you choose? - I am a mountain girl at my core. While the food and elevation in Cusco both made me sick at times, I would choose Cusco. I would just have to cook for myself, and eventually I'd acclimate. The Andes mountains were unlike any mountains I have ever seen, and it would be a dream to spend more time in them. What was a challenge we faced as a team? - Large bugs - Questionable food in Cusco Did you have any personal goals coming into this trip? How did you do on them? - My main goal on this trip was to practice going with the flow. This started before even leaving for the trip, when we purposely chose to not plan many activities. Having faith that things will work out is not a strength of mine, I like to have everything planned out. Being too extreme on either end of this neurotic-or-not spectrum is not good, so I have worked hard to find a balance on this trip. I feel that I have done well with this, and luckily for my growth things have all worked out. What strengths did you bring to the team? - Going against what my previous answer said, a great strength I bring to the team is my research and planning skills. This was huge in the planning of this trip, and for tackling daily logistics in country. I had strong skills of this nature before this trip, but now I really feel confident that I can plan and execute a trip in a foreign country. That is not something I would have said two years ago. Did you have a favorite or stand out meal? - I would have to say my 3rd (third) visit to Pizza Hut in Lima was pretty exceptional. What is your current favorite song/album? - Song would be Wow by Post Malone, album would be I am > I was by 21 Savage Are you doing anything else this winter break? - I had 6 days at home before leaving for this trip, and I was lucky enough to go skiing with my dad one of those days. Aside from that I just packed and hung out with my friends. What countries have you visited before this trip to Peru? - Panama, Israel, Thailand, Canada, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, England, Denmark Where is next on your travel wish list? - USA, baby!! As I am about to enter seasonal work for the next few years I will have many shoulder seasons where I will need to drive between North Carolina and Montana. I am planning to take weeks doing this each time and see National Parks and big cities all over the states. Aside from that, I want to work in New Zealand at some point in my 20s so that is probably the next foreign country I will go to. Phil and I have worked super well together on this trip. Our strengths complement each other nicely, plus being friends for 15 some-odd years helps. Our trip is now winding down. We have two nights left in Lima then we fly home to Boston. It's been a whirlwind trip, a ton of fun, and one heck of an adventure. |
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