Outdoor school is pretty rad
Recently I had the honor of being chosen as one of the counselors for the Exploring New Horizons program at Camp Loma Mar. I was to be in charge of and living with eight to ten sixth graders for five days in a beautiful place out in the natural wilderness called Pescadero (“Oh, Pescadero!”). You could imagine the tender nostalgia I felt when I stepped onto the soft soil and looked around to a place I was so familiar with five years ago when I was a sixth grader.
Let’s just say outdoor school was awe-inspiring. I seriously feel so enlightened and inspired. Just five days made me feel so different. I’ve never gotten first-hand experience with nature, dealing with kids, or being a leader, but those several days have really found a place in my heart. The week I went had weather that was the opposite of sunny and clear. There was non-stop, pouring rain and cold wind throughout the week, which, naturally, had its downs. There were countless times when I silently thought to myself, “I can’t wait until I can shower in my own shower and sleep in my own bed,” or “Oh, my Gosh, it’s so wet and rainy and I can’t feel my hands and my clothing is drenched and my backpack is soaking.” It was definitely tough feeling my soaking socks cling to my numb feet that squished in my muddy hiking shoes with every step I took while simultaneously having to cheer up sixth graders who would refuse to see past the dreary weather.
Now, as I sit in front of the computer typing my feelings out, I want that feeling again. What I experienced was something deeper than just the pleasure of chatting with friends on Facebook and texting on my phone. I hope this feeling lasts because I really do need to be more aware of the outside world instead of just sitting in front of the computer all day.
From watching people mudslide while I stayed clean, to the gradual bonding between my sixth graders and my co-counselor, to meeting the extremely chill naturalists, to being a fun role model for my kids, to dancing the night away at Barnyard Boogie, to helping the kids with their skit, to having the thought that I wasn’t just going to sit by myself all day – that I actually had something to do – was so uplifting.
As a sixth grader, I wasn’t aware of all this beauty; I didn’t really care and I didn’t take a chance to open myself up to this new world. But now, as I came back as a junior with a faded memory of outdoor school, I was able to relive the joys of being away from home and enter into a great experience of bonding and the outdoors.
People add people on Facebook and say that’s a “friendship.” But within five days, the people I have never even seen in my life before and never talked to until that week, became closer to me than any other person I’m friends with on Facebook that I hardly talk to in real life. Come to think about it, I’ve bonded more with some of the people I just met than the people whom I would say I’m close to! You don’t need “liking” photos, statuses, and wall posts to prove you are friends. Just being together in real life really shows the difference. As technology changes, it still cannot deny the power of bonding through real connections.
Furthermore, being exposed to what the naturalists do for a living really asserted the point that you don’t have to be a successful businessman or woman making a lot of money to be happy. The pure joy of singing songs with their guitars, banjos and cellos and teaching the youth about nature reflected off their shining faces every single time. And you know it’s genuine when you realize they’ve been doing this for years and they don’t get tired of it. The gorgeous thing about them was that they all possessed talent, wisdom, depth and confidence that I admired greatly. Most of the naturalists don’t even own a TV!
Hopefully, I will be returning to Camp Loma Mar again as a counselor next year. To whomever reading this: definitely apply to be a counselor at this magical place because of the fun experience and perspective you will get out of it. It’s pretty rad.
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