From July 9-19 I was in Gainesville, Georgia for our training camp. Overall it was an amazing experience but there were many parts where I had to get over things that I wasn’t used to and were just a little uncomfortable. Some of the things I wasn’t used to were very basic elements of everyday life that I guess I normally overlook, including how I slept, bathrooms, and food. There was also a little getting used to being so vulnerable with people I just met. Then there was a little bit of discomfort after camp, like asking for donations or AH writing a blog. But really once I just let go of some things and learn how to deal and put myself out there in new ways everything was so much more comfortable (or comfy as we say).
So, I have always loved sleeping in tents while camping, but this tent experience was very different for me. I was not used to giant spiders, intense humidity, and a wet floor (Colorado kinda lacks on bugs and heat). The first night, we all learned that our tents seemed to be like little, spider-magnet, ovens. And later in the week, we all learned that leaving the rain fly open during the day was not an option. I remember multiple occasions where we’d look outside, see it pouring rain, and immediately run back to our camp only to realize it was much too late to avoid puddles in our sleeping spaces. Our showers were also new to me. They were bucket showers, meaning we went into stalls with a bucket of cold water and a scoop. It seemed like gravity was against us because it was all too common for clothes to slip off the racks into the water. We only used port-o-pottys, which got pretty full at times. And were slightly more unsettling due to the lack of sinks and hand sanitizer. Our meals also pushed us, since we were being served food that we had never seen before and couldn’t for the life of us figure out what it was.
At home I would’ve been pretty unhappy with it all but training pushed me to not just deal with it but to enjoy the difference. By the end of the week, after a squad mate told me their technique, I could grab the daddy long legs, by the legs, off of my tent. And since I’ve been back I have volunteered to deal with any spider my friends or family have come across. While the showers didn’t seem like the most efficient method of getting clean I most definitely started looking forward to those few minutes of not being sweaty and laughing in the stalls as we listened to each other gasp for air after the first dump of cold water took our breath away. The bathroom situation also taught us to share and we quickly figured out who carried hand sanitizer, which was very significant due to the fact that we often shared food off one plate while eating with our hands (no utensils allowed). And being hungry really helped me get over the pickier side of my palate. My whole life I had promised myself I would never eat a bug, but when the crickets came along one breakfast I decided it was time to crunch on a roasted insect.
On a more serious note I found it a little uncomfortable being asked to be so open and vulnerable with people I had only known for a few days. I’ve never found it difficult to meet new people and become friends, but I did find it difficult to be so trusting so quickly. I mean at first these new friends still didn’t always know when I was making a sarcastic joke or referencing The Office! I do those things a lot. But thankfully after our first team time it was pretty clear that there was no need to worry about these people. It’s hard to explain the immense comfort they brought me in what could have been a much more trying time. When I realized I didn’t have to be embarrassed about asking simple questions a door opened wide and I got so much amazing advice and more wise answers than I ever would’ve expected from 18-21 year olds.
Since being back asking for donations has really been a humbling experience too and rejection isn’t the easiest. But, it’s also just proven to me that there are A TON of generous people out there! People I never would have expected to buy a t-shirt asked for one, and people I’ve never even met were so kind! It’s been so encouraging and reassuring to feel like God really does have me in this journey. I still need 500 dollars to launch and of course after that I still need to raise 6,600. I have a lot of hope but I also need a lot of help so please keep praying for me and if you can send me a donation!
Honestly, the scariest part for me right now isn’t fundraising it’s these blogs. I just get a little nervous that they’re not right and I wish I knew who my audience was. And I finally decided to post this one today when I thought back to the mindset I had in the busy times of school which was “If it’s not being graded it doesn’t matter”. Yes, I know it still matters for me to be writing and for my supporters to be updated but it’s not like it’s being judged for how well-written it is. But I’m sure writing blogs will be something I have to get more and more comfy with. So, thank you for reading my second ever blog (and thank you to my french teacher and english teachers and the IB program for teaching me about the blog text type, if you know you know 🙂 ). I’ll keep you all updated on how things are going and all the big and small things I’m going to become totally comfortable with.
Thanks forever,
Julia
