I did my step project with the Ohio State Outdoor Adventure Center. We had weeks of planned outdoor activities in both Australia and New Zealand including hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, skydiving, and even more. We also developed our leadership abilities each day by having a new group of students lead the activity of the day as well as help organize for dinner, clean up, and whatever else the day entailed.
The biggest thing I took away from this trip is that if you are comfortable with who you are as a person, it will make everything else around you easier. When you’re travelling, hiking, eating, and sleeping with the same 20 people every day for a month it forces you to get out of your comfort zone. You can’t just sit on your phone all day or sit away in your own room, and this forced interaction is a part of what makes this trip so special. When I spent that much time around people it meant my personality was going to come out, and I’d be better off really putting myself out there than not. This environment really spread to everyone on the trip, and it’s what made our group become so close-knit. The level of comfort we had made everything go smoother, and specifically it made our leadership days much easier. When you’re comfortable and confident, leading becomes easier because everyone else listens and offers any help when needed. The most important thing that I learned on this trip was that I had to first get out of my comfort zone to force myself to be OK with uncomfortable situations, and that pushing yourself in this way is a great way to grow as a person.
As I said before, I found the best way to grow was to force myself out of my own comfort zone as much as possible. One of the ways we did this was through all of our outdoor activities. I’d tried things I’d never have done in the US like skydiving, catapulting, 10 mile hikes, and more. The supportive group of people we had with us was encouraging and helped everyone overcome any fear or apprehension one might feel before doing any of those activities. The fact that we are the only Ohio State group ever to have every person on the trip go skydiving I think attests to that. We were each pulling each other up and trying to help everyone accomplish as much as possible in the short time we had.
Another part of the bonding we had as a group were all of the weird outlandish conversations we shared whenever we could. On the bus ride from Sydney to Katoomba we each shared different stories about our time at Ohio State. After a hike in Sydney we had heated discussions over some ridiculous Would You Rather’s, discussing the logistics and consequences of each possibility in depth. On a ride to our ferry we discussed the consciousness of butterflies and how their memory works. These little conversations don’t just entertain us during times of boredom, but served as stepping stones. Each conversation pushes the boundaries a little more, and adds builds up the trust between everyone on the trip.
This final specific experience really represents what the whole trip meant to me. It was towards the end of the trip and we were in New Zealand. We were moving from one hostel to another, and on our bus ride we’d been stopping and taking little hikes on paths along the sides of the road. At one path we came out by a stream of running water which looked freezing cold. All of sudden our guides, Tim and Marrios were running towards the freezing cold water. They dove in head first, and then resurfaced and walked out, grabbed a towel and dried off. It looked like they were freezing. They kept egging us on to go into the water and a few people went in and when they emerged also tried to get everyone else in on the fun. I kept thinking along the lines of “I don’t have a change of clothes” and “I don’t have a towel” and making excuses for myself not to do it. Then I realized that this trip wasn’t about thinking everything all the way through and doing what you’re comfortable with. I stopped thinking and instead starting acting. I took off some layers of clothes and quickly sprinted towards the water before I had a chance to change my mind. I dove into the icy water and once I was all the way in I turned around and sprinted out. This seems like a small moment on a trip filled with adventure, but it was all about learning to not overthink and sometimes act on impulse, and to become comfortable with the uncomfortable.
This change is significant in my life because it will affect me every day. Learning to be more outgoing and confident is something that will change how I interact with my friends, family, coworkers, professors, TAs, and basically anyone else in life. And learning to push myself harder will help me accomplish any academic or professional goals I set for myself. Overall this trip taught me a lot about myself and what I can do to try to improve myself as a person, and how to build on top of all the things I learned while I was on this trip.
Sounds like you had a great trip! Glad you could experience this as a student at Ohio State.