The Call to Adventure
The call to adventure is a crucial part in any hero’s journey. It’s the inspiration for the hero to leave their normal everyday life in pursuit of something new. While I definitely don’t classify myself as a hero, I’ve had a desire to get outside my comfort zone and explore the world. I chose to fulfill that desire through a Dialogue to Iceland.
I’ve become more passionate about traveling over the past few years. I’ve only been outside America a handful of times, and each trip has only made me want to see more of the world. I love living in America and in Boston, but I also adore learning about different cultures and customs. This particular dialogue appealed to me because I will be studying the glacial and volcanic activity of the beautiful country of Iceland. I’m a huge fan of environmental science and an advocate for addressing climate change. I believe in this day and age of alternative facts, it’s more important now than ever to educate ourselves about what is going on in the world. What better way to do that than doing hands on field studies in one of the most incredible geological hotspots on the planet? This dialogue will also be my first time camping. In an effort to be more spontaneous, I figure roughing it outdoors on a month long expedition with the heralded Mal Hill is a good a way as any to start my camping career.
This trip will definitely throw a lot of new things at me. A new country, a new professor, new classmates, and a new style of living. A family friend lent me the tent I’ll be using, and while he was showing me how to set it up I couldn’t help but think that I was looking at my home for the next month. That was when it really began to hit what I was signing up for. I believe that change comes we’re uncomfortable, and living out of a tent for the good part of thirty days is definitely a way to start. I expect to become more in touch with nature and learn how far I can push myself, both physically and mentally. I also expect to return with a much broader perspective of the world.
I’m really hoping to come back from this trip with memorable experiences. I’m setting off on a month long camping trip with 30 strangers, but I hope to return with some strong new relationships. I also want this trip to fuel my interest in environmental science and nature. As a typical nervous over-analyzer, I definitely want to push myself to be as outgoing as possible and try my best to gain everything this trip has to offer.
While traveling abroad is filled with excitement, it’s easy to think about what scares me about this trip. There’s the classic TSA-induced guilt trip that accompanies any trip to the airport, but this trip is also a whole new ball game. I don’t know any of the other students going apart from the few meetings we had before the trip and I’ve also never been camping before. Will I be able to tough it out? Will the other students all be seasoned campers who know how to survive with just a knife and their wits? Will I be the weakest link that inevitably gets kicked out of the tribe? (Probably no to the last two, but it’s important we face our fears).
Regardless of any apprehensions I have, I’ve never failed to be amazed at discovering new scenes of natural beauty. For years, I’ve heard people herald Iceland as one of the most incredible places they’ve ever seen, and I can’t wait to see it for myself. Not only do I get to go, I get to live there for a month! I get to experience the country responsible for the first female president, Of Monsters and Men, and a rich history and geology. It’s definitely going to be a trip like no other, and I can’t wait to experience it!
