I am officially WAFA certified!! This was such a relief off my shoulders after five long days of lectures and scenarios. I really enjoyed the WAFA course and enjoyed learning about wilderness first aid. We are just two days out from our long trek which is exciting and nerve racking. Today, we went to the hospital since the national park we will be in for our trek requires paperwork involving our health. I found out my blood type, A Positive! It was also interesting getting to observe a hospital in India and interact with other people waiting for appointments.
Have you confronted different cultural and ethical norms while abroad? How are you managing working with these differences?
A culture norm that I have experienced is simply being a tourist. I have had to adjust to not knowing my surroundings very well and being stared at since I look different than the locals. This has been a huge transition involving becoming comfortable in uncomfortable situations, one of my personal goals for this program. A cultural norm that has been an adjustment is within our own group, with diverse backgrounds we are not all on the same comfort level when it comes to confiding or sharing with others. This has been an adaptation as we have had to communicate these differences, so we know not to take this personally.
Can leaders ever follow other people—or do they always need to lead? Why or why not?
An important aspect of NOLS Outdoor Leadership is that you do not always have to be the designated leader to lead or have an influence on others. There are many roles to leadership that involve being a follower and not ‘leading’. The first role is peer leadership, this involves working together as a team. Without peer leadership, it would be difficult to make decisions and complete whatever task is at hand. The next role is active followership meaning, actively following the leadership of others. This is crucial to harmony and group cohesion. The last role is self-leadership, leading through behavior. These three roles all involve following one another while being a leader and are important to being a successful group.
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 spending time outdoors, hanging out with my group, and being challenged on our trek. It is very easy to fall into a comfortable routine of going to classes during the semester, which is why I am excited to be pushed physically and mentally. One concern I have is that I will have my phone on me, but I will not have any service for the full 10 days. I have never gone 10 days without talking to my loved ones and this makes me anxious. I plan on confiding in my group members if I struggle with this. I also anticipate being busy for most of the day and not having too much time to miss my phone. Another concern is health and safety. This was addressed in my WAFA course as we covered many issues and how to solve them. I also know that my mom and grandmother (Gi) will put a white light of safety around me.
In the past couple of days, I was also given an Indian trail name by the guides! My trail name is ‘Nanda’ pictured above. Nanda is the goddess of bliss who is also referred to as mother goddess, she is typically beneficial to her followers. I have learned from my guides and team that I have a very caring nature. Maybe it is the future social worker in me or my camp counseling experience, I am not sure which. However, I feel very touched by the name and that the guides – Vipul and G, found my actions to be resembling Nanda the goddess. Whether this is from carrying plastic bags, gum, and tums for those who get motion sickness or checking if anyone needs anything before I head to the store, I am glad that I can be a source of comfort to the group.
