Just a week before the trip we went crazy shopping for stuffs (what can you expect from girls after all?!?) Yea, so we got track pants, floaters, bags, sun screen, odomos and all that…and made sure our cameras are fully charged and then set off to the trip.
So we reached college and had to wait for the bus for about 30 minutes…we got into the bus, settled down and blah bla bla (let me slip the boring part) in the bus, however we did have a nice time…told ghost stories to each other, seniors sang songs all the way ( yup till late night…say 1.30am) , and we also wished our mam, for it was her wedding anniversary…we would make it special, only if we knew about it before hand.
Okay…we expected the trip to be fun, it sure was fun in a different way…but we thought they would play songs, dance and sing…none of these happened…so you must be wondering what was so fun about this so called ‘outbound training’…I am coming to it…
So we reached Sharavathi Valley – Nandigodu , that is the place where we were camping. And it’s a beautiful place!! It has plenty of trees and cultivation lands, streams and rivers (since it was summer the stream was dried up … I’d go back to see the fully flowing stream) its even better at night… yes its dark but that’s what makes it beautiful for you can see plenty of stars in the sky (in Bangalore I cannot count 10 stars decently…thanks to the pollution) and there were pretty fire flies and there are plenty of them (just like in fairy tales) and it has livestock too - chickens, cows, buffaloes, dogs … however I didn’t spot any wild animals *disappointment*! Let me tell you about the food too…it was always simple vegetarian food, which was not too spicy nor was it salty….. I still remember the taste of upma, kesri bath, papad and the sambar....But still somehow it tasted so fresh and good!! And food was always served on time and I must appreciate the hardwork which was done behind the scene.
On day one, we where asked to get off the bus at around 6am…then they pulled out a map and compass and explained the map to us and also the working of the compass. Then, we were divided into three teams and dropped off at different points. Though the instructors were with us, they went mute and we had to find our destination ourselves. So we put the map on the ground and pointed the compass towards the north and started walking towards our ‘unknown’ destination. We came across a stream (the same stream mentioned above) and there was a catch, we had to cross the steep dried steam and we somehow did it with help of sticks and natural steps. And then we came across a cultivation land with small bridges and huge gaps…I was scared where I’d fall off and hurt myself…but then everyone helped everyone and we reached our destination – the camp site after 1.5hours of walking and exploring. And then Sarwath showed me our tent…I loved my tent at the first sight, for I’ve never stayed in a tent before. And then we were given breakfast and we had to introduce ourselves and all that… (Skips a few part)
And here comes the water time –which I’d had most awaited for, simply because I love water … first we were divided into two groups and our group was asked to build a river raft and we were provided with necessary tools –6 bamboo sticks, few ropes and 3 tubes. And our group built a triangle raft and building the raft was fun and this would not happen without the teamwork and coordination. And I’d say that our raft was one of the strongest for it could bear the weight of 5 people (two fat people!!) . And there was definitely a task given to us, we had to go on the other side of the river and come back, because the raccoons were gonna attack us in sometime! And we would be safe only in the water. And let me tell you, paddling the raft is not easy…it takes a lot of hardwork and coordination too. (Mostly, I’ve read about teamwork, coordination blab la in textbooks…but to implement it in real life is the real test.)and our raft was triangle...hence it kept going round and round...so we had to paddle the raft very carefully to reach the river bank; and somehow we did it :) we reached first while getting back from other side of the river bank.
River rafting was a nice experience but swimming in river which is about 90feet deep is an amazing feeling!! Yes, we had to swim in the river water, reach the other side of the bank and come back ‘as a team’ and we did it!! We had to convince people who are scared of water to swim along with us. And they did swim with us. I guess it was the encouragement and assurance that kept them going. Oh ya, by the way, we were given life jackets to swim in water!!
Then comes the ‘solo’ time. The word ‘solo’ is self explanatory…we were given a candle, a whistle and a pen and paper. We were dropped off at different points “all alone” at night. So I sat in the darkness…lit the candle and then looked around me. At first, I was scared!! Then I decided not to look around and started writing. We were asked to write about ‘things you want to do in life’ I did write a few things about what I want to do in life but then I got all philosophical and stared writing something else. I got used to the trees around me, it was like they were reading my thoughts and the wind was pleasant, it kept my candle lit through out…there were little insects and I made them my friends – the fire files for instance gave me company and make me feel like I was in a dream land and the flying cockroaches, well…they are not that bad after all. Many of them criticized ‘solo’ but somehow I liked it. Then we were picked up after some 2hours and then we were made to sit around the camp fire. The camp fire was unusual. We all sat mute. We lay down and looked at the stars; somehow none of them spoke much after the ‘solo’. I felt the warmth of the fire and presence of others around me. It was tranquil. I always thought we needed to dance and sing around the camp fire. May be I was wrong. After dinner we all had a peaceful sleep in the tent.
The next day they had planned rope climbing for us; this was about 60 feet high. And I so didn’t want to be a part of it. I was always scared of heights. And I just could not imagine myself at about 60 feet height that too on a few ropes. Thought there was safety, I just wanted the day to end quickly. But unfortunately (or fortunately) I was to climb the high ropes. At first I thought it won’t be that bad, but when I started climbing the ladder, I was maybe on the 5th step of the ladder and I gave up! But then I was encouraged to do it by a lot of people – friends, instructors and even my mam. They wanted me to do it. Nidhi came and spoke to me; I remember most of her words very clearly. At least this one line where she said “never give up Sheetal, don’t give up…it’s too easy to give up. But the real challenge lies ahead. Imagine this to be your real exam in life and do it.” I don’t know if it was those words which made me climb the ladder (not very easy if you ask me) and to walk on one rope below you and holding yourself to other rope above you…and then walking on another bridge kind of rope and then finally sliding down the rope like Tarzen or Mogli! I was scared even after I completed the task. My legs trembled and my hands shivered. But I went on… didn’t look down even once. All my attention was on the rope and on Nidhi’s voice and a few more who were cheering for me. I’m sure it sounds fun, but its not that much fun for a person who is scared to stand on the edge of 2nd floor balcony. I don’t know if I overcame the fear of heights, but I did learn one thing; that is “never to give up, because it’s the easy way out.” I must thank Nidhi for this, if she would not have believed in me, I’d never “NEVER” do such a thing in life!
It was only after this I realized why they called it ‘outbound training’ and not ‘trip’. Trip to me is all about thrill, excitement and fun fun and more fun.You do things you wish to and not do something you are scared of...But here you had to face all tasks, them each one of them as a challenge and we all did learn something from it. For me it was also very emotional (emotional because I almost cried while climbing the high ropes) and philosophical. At first, I did crib about the way things were done there and the food and tasks. But now when I look back I truly cherish these moments…!!
