Training Camp Part II
Alright so my first part of this blog series was dedicated to my emotional junk that God laid on the table in front of me. I had to digest, accept and for the first time in my life learn to properly deal with all of it to get to a point where I will eventually love myself. Im still working on it, but I can honestly say that I am a lot further than I was when I got to training camp!
This blog is solely dedicated to the expectations that I had for training camp vs. the reality that IS training camp! Now don’t expect me to tell all the secrets and surprises that get thrown at you at training camp. Doing that wouldn’t leave much excitement for the future World Racers who will get the opportunity to experience everything that training camp has to offer.
Getting to meet my squad mates in person was better than I expected! I honestly can’t explain how I had so much love for people I had never actually met before.
Squad Wars was not what I expected but lets just say for the largest team in squad wars I think we did pretty stinkin good! I was confused about this whole squad wars thing upon arrival! We were under the impression that you showed up loud and proud ready to represent your team with all the blue (that was our color) that you have then we did this whole squad wars thing! After getting to camp though, we were informed that it’s not based upon color representation alone. The color wearing definitely helps towards squad wars but it is not all that is squad wars, just keep this in mind bc it is not what or when you expect it to be.
As far as what I imagined tent usage to be at training camp was, I expected at the most we would have to take down our tents ever morning and also put them up every night. I was both correct and incorrect. That is all I will give you on that one BUT as mentioned before… it’s not what or when you expect.
I imagined that we would have free time, to kind of get to know each other better. I imagined there would be some booklet or planner of sorts, folder maybe that would have a schedule in it that we would work around and find this “free time”.
…. After looking at what I just typed all I can do is laugh. Training camp has its own way of giving you “free time” and time to get to know each other. I wasn’t wrong to assume we would have both of those but I was very wrong in how I thought we would have them. I didn’t realize how much of a “list person” I was until I couldn’t make a list. I never realized how used to structure we are, but more importantly how much we let schedules and lists form how and what we do. So here is my tip to future world racers on this point: Do not expect anything, and don’t box up or set limitations for yourself in the process of trying to figure out what you will and won’t have time to do. Do not go expecting to have the experiences you have been waiting for and do not go thinking you will know what your day will look like. At training camp it is safe to expect that nothing is what you expect it to be.
(I hope you are starting to notice a pattern at this point, if not it’s ok I am not done so you still have time)
Food from different cultures. In my experience this had always been like a 50/50 topic because people usually are all about different or they are set on what they are used to. First off if you aren’t expecting to try different foods this may not be the way to go with your life! The United States of America is so different from the food that other countries and contenents have. Sure there are similarities but don’t expect to try one new thing a day then have two “normal” food and “normal” sized meals the rest of the day. Broaden your horizons and do it fast. Training camp prepares you for this, which is what I expected but they went beyond what I expected. Remember to pay attention and to be in a mind frame that puts you sitting in another country eating this meal and not at a training camp facility in Georgia. Give your all and you will get the most out of it. Also remember that it’s not what you are expecting and its better to honestly go into this particular experience with no expectations.
So at home we have a weatherman. We have a way of being “prepared” for what the day holds. This one is simple. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED! Prepare by being prepared for any weather.
Remember those kindda awkward phone calls/ interviews you had during the application process? Remember them telling you that they are basically helping you bc all your junk will pretty much come out to your squad and team mates when your on the race and you sit back and think “Yeah right!” …. well guess what? Im not gonna say you were wrong, but they were right! So do what you want with that, actually no, you were wrong! These people at AIM are amazingly acurate bc believe me I was like “yeah ok, no” and then BAM! Guys your squad mates are your new family. Your team and your squad care and the best thing you can do is go prepared to be real! Leave the way you always have been at home and be prepared to find out maybe who God is calling you to be. Incase you didn’t get what I was saying, just don’t expect to leave thinking the things you went into training camp thinking.
Do you remember the fights your parents had when you were little about having to take a bath everyday or even every time you were dirty? Then think about how that became “normal”. Think about how when you go to take a shower you have a routine, or certain things that your shower or bath time consist of. Think about how you can roundabout the amount of time it will take to take a shower or how its like ten minutes longer when you have to shave, yeah now throw all of that away. Throw out the window any ideas of a shower that you have and upon ending that shower you are absolutely 100% clean. Say goodbye to having time to fully wash condition and wash your hair again (my personal process). Bath….What is that? Get used to colder showers! I know because even if you have a pocket shower and bring it to camp expecting to let it sit outside to heat up throughout the day from the sun, you could have a tornado warning the entire week and never see the sun! Bye bye warm water option. Ive said it before but I will say it again, do not expect anything to be the way it seems.
Get over eating with your hands or eating/drinking after people. Get over your fear of “unclean” bathrooms. Get over not being able to pee in the woods. Don’t even think you won’t drink anything past a certain time so you won’t have to go in to middle of the night. Seriously just “go” before you go to bed do yourself a favor. If you don’t take this advise good luck with thinking you can hold it until 7:30 am when you wake up freezing with a full bladder at 3 am and can’t go back to sleep. Get over your fear of spiders … or at least pray every second you are showering with spiders around you that God didn’t bring you to training camp to get bit by a poisonous spider and die. It worked for me!
At some point it may have crossed your mind to walk around with you packs on to get used to the weight, well thats great but make sure you do it and not just think about it. I promise the practice is helpful…. you have no idea.
It is NEVER a bad idea to have a rainfly. That is all for this one.
Expect to be blown away with God blessing you but also stretching you to be the best you can be. Don’t go thinking you know how it will happen, or thinking you know exactly the things that will trigger emotions in you! Don’t put God in a box. Future world racers He will blow you away with the things he has in store for you! Remember to go with an open mind, an open heart and open eyes, God is ready to reveal amazing things to you like he did to me.
Training camp changed my life and I didn’t expect that! Go with little to no expectations or heck, go with expectations, either way God will do the rest!
