April 11th 2013
“I’m a 2.” Hm. Normally when Mr. C does a mood check on a scale of 1-10 with our Trekkers, average answers are usually about an 8. The lowest we might get from a student is generally a 5 that comes in the morning when they’re still half asleep. This night, however, many students were feeling extremely anxious about white water rafting the next day. They’d heard stories from former students about near death experiences and falling out of the boat, and were not too sure that rafting sounded like a good time. All we could do was give them as much information as possible about what rafting entails to try to reassure them, and send them to bed for a good night’s sleep.
Getting ready to go the next morning, what surprised me was that in spite of the fear that students were feeling, not one of them expressed any intention or desire to back out. Students expressed their nerves in varying fashions, from total silence to nervous giggling to complaints about the cold wetsuits.
Our biggest blessing for the day came in the form of Blue Heron Outfitters, a class act rafting company whose owners and guides engaged with our students to reassure them and answer all of their questions. By the time they were done with the safety talk, students were already starting to feel better.
As we got to the river, of course, students’ fears bubbled to the surface once again. We did little things to assuage their fears like showing them how far we could lean out of the boat when we wedged our feet into the raft. The guides were excellent, generating excitement and moving quickly to avoid giving students time to get scared.
After that, the water started moving, and the kids started paddling, laughing, and screaming. They were screaming and laughing the way you do on a roller coaster, when the thrill of the moment takes you in. I turned to look at Ashley, who was the most nervous of the group, and she was grinning ear to ear as she paddled head on into a big beautiful wave.
When we got off the river and onto the bus, Mr. C did another mood check. A chorus of excited shouts came back: “I’m at an 11!” “I’m a 20!” “I’m a 30!” Quickly thereafter, students fell quiet, elated and exhausted after a day of adventure in the water and sun.
For me, the huge upswing in the mood check exemplifies what UrbanTrekkers does. Take a fear you have and challenge it. Find reassurance in the people you trust. Let the beauty of God’s creation bring you joy.
Keep on trekking,
Julia