I
often wonder what ECOEE will look like when it is all over. Where will the
group be in regards to group development? Where will I be as an individual?
What will I take away from this experience? What will I remember come December?
Will I remember all the times we
laughed during debrief? Or all the times we argued?
Will I remember the fantastic sights
like roaring rapids in Canada and Old Faithful’s mighty blow? Or will the quiet
moments stick out more vividly? Those moments when I feel like I truly connected
to someone else.
Will I remember all the OE lessons
and the interpretive presentations and advice from professional visits? Or
rather all the life skills that come from living in such close quarters with 12
other stubborn individuals for four months?
Will I remember all the stories told
along the river as we shared our lives with one another? Or will I let those
memories and those people slip away?
I often wonder what ECOEE will look
like when it is all over. But, beyond that, I wonder what life after ECOEE will
look like.
Will I be content to sit in a
classroom? Will I be able to hold my tongue and just go along because it’s
“easier?” Will my feet ever be warm and dry at the same time?! Will I be
content to communicate via text messages or Facebook after experiencing a month
of face-to-face contact? Will I be the same person I was on August 16? And do I
even want to be?
To my fellow expedition members: If
you are finding yourself in the same place as me, wondering what will happen
when we say goodbye, then I extend to you this blessing. I don’t know what the
future holds, but I know that life does not end with ECOEE, and so:
May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your
face,
And the rains fall soft upon your
fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His
hand.
- Jillian Ross
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