Final Reflection

My second-year project was going on an OAC spring break trip, sea kayaking in the everglades for the week. I completed my project by driving down to the Everglades with a group of OSU students and leaders from the OAC where we took all of our gear and shoved off from the mainland, kayaking throughout the Everglades and the 10,000 Islands Wildlife Refuge.

              I found my project highly rewarding. It was amazing going out of my comfort zone and going on an adventure beyond a hike in the woods that is just a few minutes or hours away. I spent a week out in nature, experiencing so many different thigs and having a great time bonding with the others that went on the trip as well. I found it rejuvenating being out in such a beautiful spot of nature unlike anything I had yet experienced and I am so grateful I was able to do so at a rather inexpensive cost. Being out in nature, cutoff from the outside world, from all of the drama and technology, and people stuck in with their heads in their phones. The water was beautiful with the most vibrant colors in the sky and the trees.

              If I could start over, I don’t think I would change anything. I enjoyed going on the trip with so many of my friends as well as a few new people that I could get to know. It made going out of my comfort zone more attainable and less frightening. I suppose I would have changed my preparation for the trip in trying to strengthen my core more so that kayaking for hours on end did not aggravate my back as much as it did. It put a damper on the trip, but it was still fascinating and enlightening.

              I gained a greater ability or comfort of stepping out of my comfort zone. This is a good thing considering I will be jumping very far out of that zone when I travel to Turks and Caicos- my first time out of the country and flying, let alone by myself. I also gained a greater appreciation for nature. Sure, I‘ve been hiking in woods around Ohio and have seen nature documentaries, but there’s something very different about experiencing different ecosystems and environments. It’s more beautiful than any screen can create. I gained so much from this trip and am so grateful I took the necessary steps to do so.