Thursday, July 14, 2011

Putting Trust In One Another

Kaylyn and I quickly awoke this morning to get ready for our ultimate challenge - the Ropes Course, what we had all been waiting for! The bus departed at around eight fifteen this morning, so I skipped breakfast to get to the bus early. Thankfully, some of the girls had brought snacks along with us.

Accompanying us on the Ropes Course were three other classes (I never got to know their class names, though), along with their TAs. After playing a couple of handshake games, we got into different groups. My group was led by Kisa and Dean Rose, and my group consisted of Maddie, Kaylyn, Ava, Mariko, Marlie, Ludie, Olivia, Selena, and Josie.

We played many games during the Ropes Course. They were all trust building games, and helped to bring us a lot closer:


  • Jumping Rope - we all had to work together to get everyone across the other side of the rope without actually touching the rope 
  • Falling - This was for a group of two. One person would push a person back up after they fell into their arms. We then playing a game where the whole group surrounded us and pushed us back up after we fell into a circular rotation
  • Levitation - We all had to work together to hold someone up and turn them around clockwise until setting them onto the ground 
  • Swings - We then trekked into the forrest, where we started playing more intense games. We were given a cup of water, the very important "vaccine" that would cure an epidemic. We had to obtain a rope and swing to the other side, and all of the girls had to fit onto the board onto the other side.
We then took a break for lunch, which was held on the beautiful beach. We then returned to the fun and games:


  • Teeter Totter - We were all to stand on a big teeter totter and sing a song while on it. We later on had to all stand on it and make our weight balance it out and then re-sing the original song again! The song we chose was quick, light, and charming - "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"
  • Tight Rope - This was probably the most complicated challenge. We were to stand on a tight rope and go around a certain way to get the last tree! We never made it to the last tree, but it was fun either way! 
  • Burned Hair - We were to go through a "spiderweb", and if we were to touch any part of it, that body part would be "burned off" 
The Ropes Course was extremely fun. I learned a lot about my leadership skills. I feel like with these strong-willed girls, I have lost my voice and become somewhat passive. I know I need to step it up and not feel so intimidated.














Unfortunately, my sore feet finally gave in. Dean Rose had some ice brought for me, which I put on my feet the entire bus ride back from the Ropes Course. An RA looked at my feet and determined that while my right food had recovered due to the ice, I had tendonitis in my left foot. Sighs! Thankfully, band aids, bug repellent, and elevating my feet have done the trick!

Despite this obstacle, the girls and I went to a parternship pizza dinner hosted by Dean Rose, Karen Sibling, and current Brown students. The dinner was delicious and I learned a lot about Brown. Ms. Williams even stopped by! It was very nice to see her again. The Brown students answered questions we had written on flash cards and gave us lots of advice. They stressed that Brown is looking for students who are going to "change the world" and that it is one of the "chiller" Ivy League schools.





What an exhausting day! I'm very excited to start tomorrow and see what's in store for me. I feel like the Ropes Course made me realize that I need to step up a lot more but also not push my limits too much.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Real Time Web Analytics