Today we finished our Wilderness Advanced First Aid Course! Everyone passed the test, and now, we never have to sit in a classroom for 8 hours straight again. Along with passing the test, a lot of the group has been getting together to go to the nearby school gym to play games. So, last night, we went and played badminton and ping pong, which was a great experience.

Have you confronted different cultural and ethical norms while abroad?  How are you managing working with these differences?:

Yes, I have confronted many different norms while abroad. One of which is how people greet each other. India is a very spiritual country, and if you ask someone if they believe in God, most of them will say an outstanding yes. So, their greeting is “Nameste”, which means “I bow to you”. But culturally it is understood “I bow to the divine in you”, meaning that we see the God or the good in you. Furthermore, every store you go into and on the dash of most cars, there is a God that this person, family, or store worships.

One way I manage this difference is by respecting the person and their faith. Even though I may not believe in what they believe in, I do not have the right to impede on their personal faith. Another way is by asking them about their faith. Many people here will love to tell you about the stories of this God or that God, and most things in this country originated from one of these great stories of a God with an elephant head or a God with 8 arms. This has helped me understand more about the culture and thought process behind this country.

Can leaders ever follow other people—or do they always need to lead?  Why or why not?:

I live under the principle that the greatest leader is also the best follower, so I do believe that leaders can be followers as well. To lead, you do not always have to be a “designated leader”. Once example of leading while following would be by helping out with sharing or being vulnerable during times of reflection. The designated leader often asks a question and a leader, which is a follower at this time, will do their best to answer the question. Furthermore, a designate leader can also sometimes be futher from the group in connections, so they may rely on “leaders” within the group to keep the group together and solve issues.

What are you looking forward to on the upcoming trek?  What are your anxieties/concerns and how will you predict addressing these?:

I am looking forward to so much on the trek. I am pumped to see all of the amazing views, sleep outside, learn more about the beautiful flowers and trees, and to push myself.

With that said, I am anxious about how the group will interact with each other once we start using the restroom outside, not showering, and eating together. We will be together pretty much 24/7 and a lot of us need our alone time in order to stay sane, so I expect multiple cranky incidents to come up due to lack of self-care from the group.