I’ve been avoiding writing this blog because I can’t believe it’s over. 24 days ago, I was returning from a trekking experience I knew would stay with me for the rest of my life. I initially chose to do this program because it aligned with everything I value, like the outdoors, physical excursions, teamwork, and personal growth. I can say that this experience exceeded any expectations I could have had. We were told before leaving that we wouldn’t be able to process this trip for months fully and maybe even years, and I definitely see that coming into play. As I’m at my internship now, I can’t help but daydream and reminisce about the time spent in the Himalayan mountains, where my biggest worry was pooping in the woods.
My post-India experience has been slightly different from my peers’ since I am still traveling in Europe and will not return home to the States until the end of July. I haven’t had a lot of time to really introspectively think about this trip yet, as I am busy immersing myself in a new culture, making new friends, and learning new things in my internship. I will say, though, that I have seen myself adapt to an altered approach in life. I find myself constantly remembering everything I learned in the mountains. I think the facets that stand out to me the most are communication, patience, and teamwork. There have been a few situations I have been in that tested me and whatever group I am working with during my time in Europe, and I definitely think I would have handled some situations differently (in a bad way) if it weren’t for what I learned in India. I see huge self-growth in these areas, especially in my patience. I will say, though, that it is a lot harder to implement the skills we learned in a setting where people are not actively practicing them as well! I have a heightened appreciation for most of the people I went to India with for fully immersing themselves in the experience and creating an environment for all of us to grow in the ways we need to.
The biggest takeaway from this Himalayan venture has been my strengthened sense of self. During this month, I can say I was the most genuine, open, vulnerable, and authentic version of myself. It was so special to be able to open up to a group of essentially strangers, and it was also shocking how we could all read each other like a book! Before this experience, I considered myself a very confident and strong person. Still, the ability to test my values and skills in an unfamiliar environment really ensured that I knew myself well. It is easy to define values and qualities about yourself, but it is scary to put those self-defined qualities to the test and see if you were actually right about how you viewed yourself. And it is even scarier to see if your peers view you the same way, which, to my pleasant surprise, they did! So, I have grown a lot closer to who I truly am, and I am ready to continue life with a newfound security in who I am and what strengths I carry.
Academically, it is hard for me to say how I have grown since I haven’t been back to my learning environment yet. I think this trip reminded me how much I enjoy learning, though, especially when it comes to topics I care about. I hope this gives me a refreshed enthusiasm about school. Professionally, I see myself as a lot more communicative and comfortable with myself and my abilities. In the past, especially since I am a college student with little professional work experience, I second-guessed myself due to my lack of practice. Because of this trip, I have never been more confident in myself and my abilities, which I think has made me a better employee. I hope I am able to work things like this into my future career as well, whether that means time off for mountain adventures or working in such areas.
I tried not to have too many initial expectations about the culture. As someone who had not done much traveling before this, I kept an open mind about what to expect. Generally speaking, I was pretty shocked about how different Indian culture is from the rest of the countries I have seen. It was eye-opening and gave me a different perspective on viewing and judging other countries, and even our own. I will say I am disappointed in the lack of nature or outdoors-related content that I was anticipating. A prominent goal of mine was to learn about mountain life and survival so I could undergo an excursion like this on my own, yet I still don’t feel fully confident in doing that. Yet, now I know how much I value that, so I can do some research and experiential learning on my own time.
I can’t wait to see everything else this trip has taught me as I continue to process it, create new experiences, and especially return to my home country. I’m glad I’m writing this because it’s an excuse to look at all the photos and videos I have from this trip once again (I do it at least once a day). I could write a whole book on this past month and will be thinking about this experience and the amazing people I grew close with during this time, and I will forever cherish the opportunity to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
<3 Ava Eros
