Pre-Trip Expectations for VA!

Hello! My name is Mona Elgindy and I was one of the students on the trip to Mason Neck State Park, VA! To get to me know me better, I thought I'd let you know a few things about me and the expectations I had for this trip:

According to the description we were given for the trip, it sounded like we'd be doing a lot of outdoor activities in the park. I was so excited! I've never had the chance to go camping or go hiking because my father wasn't really into it, so hearing about being able to build osprey nests, see eagles, etc. gave me such an adrenaline rush! The most I've ever done was hang out in the dessert with my family and a bunch of camels, so you can understand how glad I was to know that I'll be able to smell the grass and feel it's dew against my ankles and feet in the morning, be able to hear and see animals I've only read about in books, be able to bond with strangers in close quarters, etc. I finally was able to do something with nature AND with people who'll share the same enthusiasm!

I was so psyched for this trip to begin and to meet the other members! For several weeks before Spring Break, our team met together on Sunday afternoons to get to know each other better. A few of us had met at an Alternative Breaks dinner earlier in the semester and already we had inside jokes. For example, ask Phil what is meant by "Bambi ain't cute!" and you'll get a story about the dangers of meeting deer, or ask Ally why she's called the "Black Dragon" and you'll get an interesting narrative of the dialogue we had at dinner. Meeting the other members for the first time at our first pre-trip meeting was therefore very nerve wrecking! Some seemed like they did not want to be there while others were very excited. Honestly, I thought I wouldn't get along with some of the members, but as time progressed, all of us began to open up more through all the interesting bonding activities Mike and Ruby (our site leaders) made us participate in.

We made so many crazy memories just from those meetings! Thanks to that, it wasn't at all awkward for any of us going into living quarters with one another! On the actual day we were to meet at the student center to leave for the trip. It was surreal and exciting, I think, for all of us.