Since arriving at the Hanifl Centre, we have spent time getting to know each other by chatting on hikes, living and enjoying meals together, and playing leadership games. We went on a walk to Landour yesterday, which is just a mile from the Hanifl Centre. We saw stores, churches, and a cantonment, which I learned is military quarters. We also hiked to Jabarkhet Nature Reserve, which had beautiful mountain views. We were taught the meaning of Buddhist or Tibetan prayer flags, which promote peace and strength. Prayer flags are hung outdoors so their message can spread in the wind. I have really enjoyed hiking, while I love Pittsburgh, it is much more enjoyable to see the mountains as a viewpoint instead of a city skyline. Going on hikes has been a great way to get to know one another and see beautiful views but it also acclimatizes us to the 7,200 ft altitude. It is important that we acclimatize ourselves as our trek will be at 10,000 ft.
As previously mentioned, we have been partaking in leadership games. These leadership games vary from puzzles to being outside and moving around, however, all the games have a task at hand that we must complete as a group. These leadership games have emphasized the importance of clear communication. Since we are a diverse group of people with different backgrounds, we have found that taking our time to talk to one another produces better results. It has been interesting seeing how different majors affect our decision-making styles. Some people in the group with stem majors prefer to ‘try and fail’, whereas others prefer to make a clear plan. These leadership games have taught me the importance of working as a team, giving grace to others for mistakes, and learning the preferences of my team members. My perspective has changed from these games, I now see leadership as a way to get to know one another rather than just being “in charge”. This is because I have gotten to know the rest of my team well through these games, even simple games like solving riddles together.
Throughout these leadership games mistakes have been made. This is becauase we are still getting to know one another and especially during the first games we were not used to each other’s preferences. When mistakes are made a good leader owns up to their mistake and uses clear communication. By being responsible for their actions, this opens room for discussion on what happened and how to avoid this mistake next time. Leaders set the tone for their group, by being an accountable leader the group can learn and follow this structure. Allowing conflict to be addressed and letting the group know it is okay to make mistakes.
We spent time preparing for our one night ‘shakedown trek’ a trial run for our real trek. I am looking forward to our one-night trek and excited to see what we will learn from it. We also went to the Mussoorie markets where we shopped for last minute gear and souvenirs.
Happy trails!
