Announcement Details 4

Experience Life, Experience Outward Bound!!!!

If you want the holiday of a lifetime, go to Fiji. If you want to challenge yourself physically, mentally and emotionally, again and again and again, go to Outward Bound!!!!

When I arrived at Anakiwa on the morning of the 5th June 2011, I had no idea what I was in for! Within a few short hours I had met the other 13 people who made up Kupe Watch 558, we had learned each others names and become instant friends. Playing childlike games, embarrassing yourself in front of others and being face down in the mud seems to bring people together!

For those of you who don’t know, Outward Bound is based in Anakiwa, a small community in the Marlborough Sounds about 30 minutes water taxi from Picton. There they are fortunate enough to have water on their doorstep, mountains close by and picturesque scenery whichever way you look. It certainly was beautiful and lulled you into a false sense of security as you didn’t know day to day what was coming next.

Time passes in a strange way at Outward Bound, it seems to go by so slowly but so quickly all the same. Outward Bound has a philosophy to ‘make the most of daylight’, so from dawn to dusk you are kept busy if not challenged. Into three short weeks they pack in an array of small and large activities set to test your limits, break you down and build you back up again……all to prove ‘there is more in you’.

Part of Outward Bound’s power is that you don’t know what is coming next, so I won’t ruin the surprise for any future attendees. But activities include tramping, kayaking, a sea scheme, a half marathon, being at one with nature, giving back to your community, setting personal goals/challenges and regular physical activity just to name a few.

Add into that mix being in the company of 13 ex-strangers 24/7, making one pot gastronomic delights on the camp stove and eating yourself silly at the Outward Bound base camp…..let me tell you, the food is amazing and the cobb loaves of bread and desserts are sensational!

That’s enough about the food. So what did I learn at Outward Bound? I learned a lot of new things and also reminded myself of strengths and skills I had maybe forgotten I had. I reminded myself I work well in a team environment and am a real people person. Although I am pint sized, I can be an effective leader.

I already knew that I like my creature comforts and the luxuries of home, but I learned that I can cope quite happily without these and they alone don’t make life enjoyable. Who would have thought that I could cope with one shower every three days?

I revisited the importance of friends and family. When life is hard, these people can support you. When life is good, these people will share the glow and laughter with you, value them, they are life’s true gold!

I learned that quite often knowledge from a situation or experience cannot be gleaned until you can look back at it with the clarity of hindsight. Suffering through hours of tramping doesn’t seem to be of any relevance at the time. But looking back I can see that no matter how trying a situation, if you remain positive, look for support and keep moving forward, you will reach your goals, one small step at a time.

I learned that life is magical. It is difficult to accurately describe the beauty of a pod of dolphins swimming majestically, yet powerfully beside your boat….they touch you in such an emotionally human way that leads you to believe they knew they were putting on a show and they enjoyed it as much as we did.

I learned that life is short and you should really live every day. An amazing poem was read to us entitled The Bank of Time - about the value of time. That the true value of time cannot be appreciated until that time is lost. It is long, so I will try to capture the sentiments briefly for you here. The value of a year cannot be felt any more than by a student who has to repeat a year at University. The value of a month cannot be felt any more than by a mother of a premature baby. The value of a second cannot be felt any more than by the person who came second in a race.

On that note, I urge you to fill your days with challenge and delight and to make the most of your life, you only get one shot, use it wisely, there is more in you!

I am extremely grateful to Camp Quality and my Outward Bound scholarship provider for giving me this amazing opportunity…..if you get the chance to live an Outward Bound experience, jump at it and grab hold with both hand as you are in for the ride of your life.

Amy Powell,
CQ Wellington/CD