It had been drizzling all day, but the sky finally opened up and started to pour. The past six hours were spent hiking through knee-deep snow, navigating Maine's Mahoosic Mountain Range with a map and compass, trying to find a place to set up camp. We finally found a suitable location as the sun dipped behind the mountains and by now, everyone was cold, wet, and exhausted. We still had to set up shelters, unpack all the food and supplies, gather firewood, and eventually build a fire pit, complete with a circular bench to fit all ten students plus the two teachers who were guiding us. Welcome to day five of Gould Academy's eight-day winter survival trip.
Despite the miserable conditions, it took less than an hour to get all the shelters set up and a pot on the fire for dinner. Tonight we were having the highly anticipated, macaroni and cheese with bacon. A much-needed change from the boring meals of lentils and rice, or dried fruits and trail mix we had been eating before. "Anyone here a vegetarian?" asked Mr. Siekman as he raised the frying pan of bacon to add it into to pot. "Wait!" shouted Areeb, but it was too late, he had already dumped the pan into the pot. "Oh sorry Areeb, you should have spoken sooner, you can just pick around the bacon, right?" "No you don't understand!" exclaimed Areeb, "I am not a vegetarian, I can't eat pork because of my religion." He further went on to explain how the Koran considers pigs to be unclean animals and says that they should not be eaten under any circumstance. "What if it's Kosher?" I asked, which sparked a conversation religion that lasted throughout dinner.
We sat out in the rain for two hours after dinner, discussing everything from the existence of God to the moneymaking schemes of the Catholic Church. In our group of ten people, we had students representing China, Korea, Taiwan, Germany, Pakistan, and The United States. The multiple perspectives really opened my eyes to the vast complexities of each religion and inspired me to take a course on eastern philosophy this fall. This one conversation turned what was looking to be an awful day, into the highlight of my trip.
This experience showed me that you do not have to have some amazing unique quality to enrich a diverse community. In fact, everyone is unique in some way; no two people are the same. To me, one of the most appealing aspects of the whole college experience is getting a chance to meet thousands of new people who all have their own ideas and perspectives, and being able to share all of my ideas with them. I strive to enter every conversation with a positive attitude and an open mind andhope to deepen my understanding of the world around me through both my academic studies and in my everyday interactions with other people.
Despite the miserable conditions, it took less than an hour to get all the shelters set up and a pot on the fire for dinner. Tonight we were having the highly anticipated, macaroni and cheese with bacon. A much-needed change from the boring meals of lentils and rice, or dried fruits and trail mix we had been eating before. "Anyone here a vegetarian?" asked Mr. Siekman as he raised the frying pan of bacon to add it into to pot. "Wait!" shouted Areeb, but it was too late, he had already dumped the pan into the pot. "Oh sorry Areeb, you should have spoken sooner, you can just pick around the bacon, right?" "No you don't understand!" exclaimed Areeb, "I am not a vegetarian, I can't eat pork because of my religion." He further went on to explain how the Koran considers pigs to be unclean animals and says that they should not be eaten under any circumstance. "What if it's Kosher?" I asked, which sparked a conversation religion that lasted throughout dinner.
We sat out in the rain for two hours after dinner, discussing everything from the existence of God to the moneymaking schemes of the Catholic Church. In our group of ten people, we had students representing China, Korea, Taiwan, Germany, Pakistan, and The United States. The multiple perspectives really opened my eyes to the vast complexities of each religion and inspired me to take a course on eastern philosophy this fall. This one conversation turned what was looking to be an awful day, into the highlight of my trip.
This experience showed me that you do not have to have some amazing unique quality to enrich a diverse community. In fact, everyone is unique in some way; no two people are the same. To me, one of the most appealing aspects of the whole college experience is getting a chance to meet thousands of new people who all have their own ideas and perspectives, and being able to share all of my ideas with them. I strive to enter every conversation with a positive attitude and an open mind andhope to deepen my understanding of the world around me through both my academic studies and in my everyday interactions with other people.
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