I was very nervous about taking this course. Personally, I love to be outside and explore but when I saw that we would be rock climbing I began to feel uneasy. When I was younger I had gone rock climbing once with my girl scout troop but I was not very good at it. I was also worried about making a fool out of myself in front of everyone in the class. The first few class meetings were in the classroom where we learned the history of rock climbing and practiced team building exercises before we started climbing in the gym. I started to feel relief when i recognized a few other honors students in the class and began making friends with my other classmates as well. The first day in the gym with the rock wall was the scariest. I was worried I would fall or hurt myself; but everyone in the class encouraged each other. That day I made it to the top of the easy course on the rock wall and I was so ecstatic. I could not believe that I had just done that and it was only day one.

This course really helped me learn more about myself and my abilities with what I can and cannot do. I also learned that it is okay to try something out of my comfort zone because something amazing might come out of it.

Below is a reflection of one of the books we read during the semester called Barbarian Days. I absolutely loved this book and I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in the water or anything outside.