Whether they admit it or not, it's safe to say that everyone who embarks on the World Race wants to be on "the beach team." The beach team is the unofficial name for that lucky team that always gets the best assignments, stays in the nicest places, and is the envy of the squad. You know the type–they're the group maintaining their tans, working, oh, so hard teaching kids to surf while all the other teams are mixing concrete in the desert or something.
This past March, I thought I was one of the chosen few who would actually get to live the dream of a beach team! My team of seven extraordinary individuals, Nooma to Nations, was thrilled when we learned that we would be living and working in a true South African beach town called Durban or "Durbs by the Sea" according to our guide book.
That first time we laid eyes on the lovely home in which we'd be staying, it was hard to believe we could be so fortunate to go from living in essentially a cement box infested with huge moths the month before, to what practically looked like a palace to us! Major upgrade is an understatement. We were in the lap of luxury. Welcome to the beach team, people.
The accommodations weren't the only pleasant surprise. I was excited to make the acquaintance of an incredible couple, Emma and Kerneels, who host camping adventures for people with disabilities under the name "Higher Ground." My team would be working closely with them to run two different Higher Ground camps during the month. The first was for young adults with physical and/or intellectual impairments and the second was for those who had acquired brain injuries from strokes or accidents.
On the way to that first camp, I unexpectedly got quite nervous. (Probably in part because Mr. Brad Burton was the one driving on the African interstate, but I digress.) I had no real experience working with people who have disabilities and didn't know if I would be any good at it. What if I was expected to know things I didn't know? Or do things I didn't know how to do? I thought the beach team was just supposed to coast and I was suddenly realizing there may be actual hard work involved!
We arrived at the camping resort on the Indian Ocean and I finally got to meet the campers who would soon touch my heart. There were seven specific campers assigned to me and to two of my teammates, Lauren "Malibu" Kell and Brad. The three of us were responsible for everything you can think of for our campers including their sleep schedule, diet, and personal hygiene. Once I was matched with my co-camp counselors, my worries and lack of experience didn't matter because I was confident I had the unrelenting support of two amazing teammates. We had a real cast of characters on our hands and we had only each other to rely on to ensure each camper got just what he needed both physically and emotionally. We had never worked on anything like this before, but it came together seamlessly for us and we kept each other both encouraged and entertained.
With all the worrying I did on the way to camp about my performance as a counselor, I didn't even begin to think that some of these campers might make an impact on me. I was so caught up in how I might be perceived by Emma and Kerneels and the rest of my team that I temporarily lost sight of what was most important: loving my campers and creating a safe space for them to be themselves.
It quickly became apparent that these campers didn't care how much I knew or what my resume looked like, they were happy just to have someone pay attention to them and hang out. I was blown away by how much they cared about each other and how quickly they showed care and concern for me as well. They were so easy to love and I especially enjoyed watching Malibu and Brad interact with our seven guys.
The literal "beach team" moment came when we accompanied the entire group of mentally challenged young adults to the sea shore just blocks away from where we were staying. Most of them grew up in this area, so you can imagine my surprise when I learned that many had never been to the beach! I got to be part of a fun "first" for them, but also learned that this kind of outing with a couple dozen mentally challenged people is, well, no day at the beach. There were some severe costume [South African term for swimsuit] malfunctions, defiant moments, and plenty of other reasons for me to be stressed were it not for the sense of humor of my team to help keep the mood light.
I didn't know it then, but my team most certainly was the beach team from January until late March when teams were reassigned. We didn't just coast or escape hard work, that's for sure, but we made working together look effortless much of the time and our reputation for behaving like a family made us the envy of others on our squad. We consistently worked alongside high caliber people in each country. We met orphans and widows and sick and disabled people, all of whom were easy for us to serve because we kept each other focused on the mission at hand. We fostered true community that sometimes got messy and ugly, but ultimately demanded maturity. My former teammates spurred me on toward love and good deeds. They also totally annoyed me with their terrible taste in bubble gum pop music, but mostly they taught me how to embrace differences and to allow everyone to have a voice. I was living that beach team dream and didn't recognize it until it was almost too late… Now I can only hope my newly assigned team is my future beach team and that this time around I don't take it for granted.
