Hi friends! Wow has this been one rollercoaster of a week and it's not even over yet! As you all know I have been given the great opportunity to attend such a unique graduate school on Bainbridge Island for the next 10 months and man did it hit me hard emotionally this week. From the intense sharing sessions to the mind-opening museums, I struggled to digest all I had learned, and this was just up through Wednesday! This week I learned the importance of vulnerability. Without it sharing each others stories and having a feeling of understanding would be almost impossible. I also learned the importance of recognizing those who came before us. Whether it be our own ancestors or the groups of people who walked the land we live on today it is important go give recognition. If we ignore the culture and history of the area, we lose a piece of what makes the area so wonderful to explore. This experience made me feel very conflicted as I sat trying to understand how to teach students about the native american tribes without overstepping. While it is not my job to teach in depth about their history in culture it is important to give them the recognition they deserve. Finally, I learned the great importance to preparedness. In Wilderness First Aid, we went through scenario after scenario acting our hearts out to understand how to react when we came upon someone injured. With the training I received I feel a great deal of support from my classmates as I know they will have my back on any hiking journey we embark on. Though I learned a great deal this week I will always have questions that are left unanswered. My largest question for now is how do I proceed without breaking those invisible boundaries. While this question may have been answered in some capacity during this past week it will be one I will continue to explore as I go through these next 10 months.
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