The week at Raquette lake came and went very quickly. Coming into the week I had a mix of emotions, I was nervous, I was excited, I was curious... I was mostly nervous because I knew I wasn't going to know anyone. I was excited because I wanted to see what kind of experience I would have in comparison to the experience I had in the winter. I was curious to see what the class had to offer.
When I arrived I was very please to have met three very, very, welcoming girls. Three girls who I actually got to know very well over the five days together. That was probably one of my favorite things about the class was forming such a bond with three girls even after knowing them for only five days. What I enjoyed the most about our time in Raquette lake was our opportunities to be outside and in nature. I specifically really enjoyed hiking and kayaking. I also enjoyed the opportunity to light the spark for my passion of outdoor education. Outdoor education is something that is very important to me and my teaching philosophy and I liked that this class gave me the opportunity to come in touch with that passion again.
It seems that every time I am in Raquette lake something in my life goes abrupt. When I was in Raquette lake over the winter my grandfather had recently passed away and my long term boyfriend and I had just broken up the week before I left. I am the type of person who doesn't deal with change well. Both of those things were drastic changes in my life, both which had a very big impact on my life. Yet I found myself in this place full of beauty, full of so much history, surrounded by an amazing group of people, people who eventually became some of my very best friends.
This time in Raquette lake I got some news that also resulted in a big change in my life. If I am being completely honest, yes it did affect my mood, and yes it did affect the way I acted during the week, but I tried my absolute best.
But the beauty of Raquette lake is that although it was very unfortunate that I had problems both times I have been there it still allowed me to have an outlet. Nature has always been my outlet and it was great to have it there for me in both of those situations. I think that is why I have such a passion to include it in my teaching. If I can offer my students the opportunity to learn to love nature and have an outlet in their life then that will be a great accomplishment for myself. Especially considering the home life that some children have, if they can find an outlet in their back yard, or at a local park, that might be the most important thing to their life and safety.
I think this trip to Raquette lake gave me a lot of perspective on what's important, what isn't really that important, and what isn't worth worrying about. I believe everything works out the way that it is supposed to and having something like the outdoors to rely on makes going with the flow of things much easier. Although I would have liked to have spent my week without my cell phone I found I very hard to lose connection with people I love and that I care about when I was dealing with something difficult.
Ultimately I just want people to realize what the outdoors can really do for you, it's something some people can't find elsewhere.
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