SPAIN 2008
wrap-up:

It's been a week since we landed back in the US. Some would say you should immediately write down all your thoughts before they start to fade away, or even before you return so that everything is fresh in your mind. I agree with this, however sometimes it takes returning home and letting all the details and nonsense of the trip slip away before you can really think about what happened and what an impact it had on you. Upon reflection of any adventure you are left realizing these two things, the importance of paying attention to the details, like Kg talking about our dinners, and the real meaning of the trip…which, in this case, turns out to be the very same thing. So I won't talk about the seemingly important pieces of the puzzle that would expectantly carry the meaning of the journey, but rather the little moments that have defined our adventure.

For example, the composition of our dinners together could be considered a small detail to be written down before it is forgotten. However for me, the conversations that we had sharing meals together represent the willingness all the kids had to step out of their comfort zones and talk about some big life issues. Not just mention the issues and talk about them, but really dive in and examine the "why" in themselves. Asking those important questions like..."can we have dessert?" But really, those dinners represent the thirst for exploration that pulled each one of them to do a trip like this with people they've never met before. Having these dinners together, in some of the most amazing settings on earth, really brought us closer and allowed the kids to get to know each other. Squeezing into the cars with luggage piled high could be looked at as a detail that should be forgotten, however to me it represents the incredible attitude the kids had, having hardly complained the entire 14 days we were together, not even about the luggage. They were able to separate the discomforts, being cramped, hot or tired, and really enjoy themselves in every situation, which is one way they gained so much respect from John and I. This separation takes a maturity that is rarely found in kids their age. Sometimes we would have to take a look at their passports to believe their age. The truth is I thought this was something they would be able to learn from me, but I ended up learning it from them.

I think what made trip function so well is respect. It started with the obvious respect that John and I had for each other. I've learned a lot from John and the conversations that we have had together and especially from his energetic attitude towards life. We joked around about being an all-star team, but honestly, he was the best tour leader and squash coach that I or the kids could have asked for. He added a sense of enjoyment and laughter to every situation we were in, which is something that I hope I have taken away with me from our time together. We saw our responsibility to the kids to be great leaders, tour guides, coaches and especially mentors. They showed us a maturity and a willingness to travel and be mindful, and because of this, not because of a paycheck or a rule book, we felt that they deserved the best from us. Basically John and I had enough respect for each other that we could be leaders and friends. And we had enough respect for the kids and visa versa, that they could be campers and friends. Because of this we were all able to travel together, learn together, eat together and have fun together, not just as teachers/campers, but as friends. Man we really had a blast together.

 
I wasn't sure how this trip would go, how the kids would be and what everyone would learn. Would it be more about squash, more about Spanish, more about culture? Would we have to baby-sit and reprimand? I didn't know the role we would play as leaders especially since I hadn't even met John before the trip. I couldn't have asked for a better situation. The relationship we had with the kids, and their open-mindedness in the traveling that we did allowed us the opportunity to facilitate the trip while being a part of it. We all moved through Spain together, and for me, squash was the tool that brought us all there to learn about life, to learn about each other and most importantly have one heck of a time traveling through a magical European country. While the squash was the basis of the trip, the vibe of the trip was something far greater and I think everyone was able to realize this.

 
I honestly hope that I am able to travel with all of the kids and John again, whether as a leader of another squash tour or as a friend, because I couldn't ask for a better group of people to travel with.