when first packing for trainingg camp I had no idea what to expect. When people asked what the week would be like I would just tell them, “probably some cultural training and team building.” Boy was I wrong! The first few days really broke me down. On the very first night of camp we were told to throw out all expectations and realize that we as racers are not entittled to anything on this trip. Just because we are American does not mean these countries have a secret food supply that they are just waiting to give us. We all graciously accepted these terms not realizing that this new mentality would start the very next morning.
On the way to the breakfast hall I realized that I had forgot my coffee cup so a girlfriend and I hiked it back up to the cabin. On the way back down I looked in the window where the staff was eating and saw delicious food. When we walked in to the part where racers ate all I saw was bread. I immediatly thought, “this has to be a joke” I was starving and knew what was in the other room. I felt like I was in a third world country and the staff was America. I knew there was food so close to me but couldnt have any of it.
For the next few days we received small modest portions or a lot of a dish that wasn’t the most appetizing. We all sucked it up pretty fast and it did’nt seem like a big deal by the third day.
During the week we never really knew what to expect next, we just knew where we needed to be and what kind of shoes to have on. Before this trip I thought I was a go with the flow kind of girl. WRONG again! I love having a schedule and knowing what Im going to be doing every hour of each day. I think that was the most difficult part of the training camp for me.
Because we were all so stripped of the comforts of home and our expectations we grew extremely close to each other. I had no idea that you could develop such strong genuine friendships in such a short time. We quickly learned others weaknesses and held each other accountable, and itwas extremely comforting that we were all doing this together. Leaving the country for almost a year not knowing exactly whats going to happen can be a bit on the stressful side.
Once we got our small family groups the fun really started, I think I lost five pounds just from laughing all day. During this trip I did a lot of things I wasn’t that excited to do and learned a lot about myself. I am very excited to start this new chapter in my life and really make my mark on the world!
