I am a camp girl. I started summer camp when I was six years old and today I am a summer camp counselor. The retreat made me remember how much I love camp and I was filled with enthusiasm for the experience. Apart from the fun of the outdoors and being with my fellow Humanities Scholars, I developed team-building skills with a great group of people. From balancing beams to trust falls, the day was a really great trip. I am very glad to have had such a rewarding retreat with my friends!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I actually had a fun time at this retreat too!! To be honest, my attitude going into the retreat was quite poor. To say the least, I am not a morning person, and the thought of a retreat made me feel like I was back in high school; a place I feel that I have far removed myself from. After completing a few activities, I started to warm up to the idea that the retreat may be fun. I met a lot of new people in the humanities scholars program that I didn't know before, simply because we didn't live on the same floor! I had a great time with the other humanities scholars, especially when we had to go in the "squeeze box." Impressively, we fit 17 (if I remember correctly...) scholars into a box that was about 5ft x 5ft. We all shared a great time together, and I would totally do it again, on one condition: It starts at 1:00 pm.
ReplyDeleteI definitely was not looking forward to getting up early on a Saturday, but the Humanities retreat ended up being a lot of fun. It reminded me of field trips in middle school. I enjoyed doing all of the group activities, especially one in which everyone passes around a piece of toilet paper and then says a bunch of things about themselves. Also, I liked that activity where there is one leader who has to direct a tire through a pole. I was never the leader, but I liked watching and participating. An exciting part of the trip was when one of the strings for an activity broke! It was a little dramatic, but we survived and ended up having a great day.
ReplyDeleteThe retreat was a memorable part of my first quarter at OSU. I love the outdoors and it was great to get away from the big city on such a nice day. I got to know other humanities scholars a little better and had a good time with everyone. I think we built trust in each other through the countless tasks we did. The trust fall was the best part. It was a little scary but well worth the adrenaline rush. I think a great time was had by all.
ReplyDeleteThe retreat brings back great memories for me as well! It was the first time I got a chance to know the other people in Humanities through teamwork challenges and trust exercises. I enjoyed the challenge on the square mats in which we had to follow a pattern across the mats in order to get to the other side. What we didn't realize was that the team opposite us on the mats was following the same pattern--just backwards. This challenge helped us see that competition isn't always necessary when there are two groups; cooperation is much more effective. Through the trust fall exercises, we learned to trust people we didn't know very well. Trust is a key component in friendship, and is easy to break but infinitely harder to regain. I learned a lot from the retreat, and I'm thankful that we had such beautiful fall weather!
ReplyDeleteThe retreat was a very very fun experience. I was a bit nervous prior to the trip, as I kept wondering to myself what kind of ridiculous activities we would be doing. Not only that, we had no idea where we were going that morning. We just hopped on the bus and let it take us to wherever Ben and Daniel were planning our torture. But, it ended up being far from torture. It was quite the opposite, everyone had a great time it seemed like as we ventured to do the trust fall, giant puzzles that included getting our group to cross a "giant lava filled river," getting all of our group members, which consisted of about 17 people, to get through the holes in a "spiderweb" net. Personally, I was very happy to get the time outside and doing some fun stuff, instead of only being outside basically for walking to class, or to eat, etc. It was a very nice time. AGAIN!
ReplyDeleteThis retreat often reminds me of the nights, at the beginning of the year, that everyone would sit out in the hallways all night talking. I have tons of fun making friends and hanging out with everyone in the group but it seems like once everyone is settled back down and in their own comfort zone (often home or in their rooms) they separate from the rest of society a.k.a. dorm/classmates. This brings to mind an idea of how everyone acts once they're out of their usual comfortable places. For instance, if you attend most football games you'll see those people at the beginning of the game who dont scream, jump, or show any signs of spirit. But soon enough, you'll see their friend ask why they aren't cheering. Once pressured it seems that these people go out of their comfort zone and just let loose and have fun. The retreats and trips with Humaties Scholars really forced that and people really started having fun. But, as soon as we've gotten back to our comfort place we just continue our seclusion.
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool that you're a camp counselor Anna! I wish that I could do that too! I love camp, and went to Camp Christopher a few times growing up. I agree with you that the retreat was an amazing and rewarding experience. I had a lot of fun on this trip, although the day before I didn't think it would be that great. But, like always, these Humanities events keep exceeding my expectations!! Also, I agree with Corey's comment about how people act when they're out of their comfort zones. I remember how when I went to my first Buckeye game, Corey had to kind of, well, he made me cheer haha. Normally I don't cheer at games and things of that nature because I just don't feel comfortable doing it, I don't know why. But that game has brought to my attention that it's completely permissible to be outgoing and to be comfortable within the jurisdiction of my usual social discomfort. I owe this awakening to Corey Myers, and to the rest of my friends, Thank you!
ReplyDeleteNo way Nick! I used to go to Camp Chris every summer until I moved! A lot of the friends I met there are now counselors. This retreat definitely reminded me of my experiences at camp. The challenges we took on as a group on this retreat really forced us to get to know one another and trust each other quickly. We learned about everyone's strengths and weaknesses because we had to. It also allowed us to come together as a group to reach a common goal. Even though we had to wake up a little early, overall I'd say the experience was well worth it.
ReplyDeleteI must admit the night before and even the morning of the retreat I was dreading it. It was very early in the morning and I had no desire to wake up that early on a Saturday morning. I must say however, I truly enjoyed getting to know the other Humanities Scholars, especially the ones who don't live on my floor. I hope we can continue spending time together as a group and getting to know each other better all throughout the year!
ReplyDeleteThe first year retreat was the event I was least looking forward to. Games and group activities have always been something I have despised, and the hour at which we had to get up to catch the bus was somewhat daunting for me. However, I was able to overlook the activities and embrace the experience by getting to know my fellow Humanities Scholars better. Looking back, I'm glad I forced myself out of bed that morning because meeting more people and growing closer to those I already knew was worth it.
ReplyDelete