I am so thankful that we had the opportunity to see National Parks like Mesa Verde, Arches and Canyonlands. These places are definitely my highlight of the trip so far! It’s amazing that they are preserved for the public to enjoy.
We learned so much about these places, including how an arch is formed and many other interesting things and facts. It was something completely new for me to see this beautiful and unique piece of nature. Just sitting there, looking into this endless view of beautiful canyons and mountains was something I will never forget.
For our English Class, we wrote some poems about the places we have been to and their history. We also did a task where we sketched a piece of nature that was outstanding to us, this helped the image stick in my mind. It was very interesting to do this educational work because it made us think and look deeper.
The nights after all the days of learning so many new things were a lot of fun too. We played a lot of pool, laughed together, played cards and watched movies and enjoyed the time together in our small group.
The two days of climbing were a lot of fun for everybody because even if somebody didn’t like to climb because it was pretty cold, they helped others or went on a walk to explore the beautiful desert. It was just beautiful how everybody pushed themselves and worked on their climbing skills with tips from others or on their own. I really enjoyed the time when I was climbing and how I experienced something new on every new climb I was going on.
I thought about the idea of fear at Wall Street, a climbing area near Moab. Sometimes there is this fear that we can’t even assign to anything. That is what one of my friends here told me today, that there is this point when he is getting higher up on the climb he is just scared but he doesn’t know why and of what. I think the key to overcoming this is just the few steps you have to take, even if you are scared. It is very helpful at these points to get out of your comfort zone and to just make that step. I like to think about this idea, to make the step, face our fears and just do it! That’s a thing I love about our trips, we find something you can think deeper about or work harder on. There is always a challenge for everybody.
I’m so thankful for Alix and James because they made all that possible for us in such a tough time and found such an amazing alternative for our international trip! I’m also so grateful for all the staff and teachers who have spent the time here with us and also made this trip possible and worked through this extra work that they have because of the Covid situation.
Thanks!
I’m very excited for the next few days!
-Jonathan Keller