So yesterday was retreat. The course was amazing! We did this activity with a jump rope, where the facilitators turned it slowly and every member had to get through it to the other side, without getting hit by the rope, in a certain number of revolutions. We worked on it for a while in the morning, but just couldn't get everybody through. Then, at the very end of the day, we tried it again, and it worked like a charm! It's such a simple thing, but it was a real feeling of accomplishment, that our communication and teamwork, which isn't bad to begin with, got that much better.
HOWEVER...I HATE HEIGHTS. One of the afternoon elements was the "Leap of Faith," this 30 foot pole which you would climb. At the top was this little round wooden disc, which you had to climb up on (with nothing to hold on to, of course). Then you had to TURN AROUND and leap into space, aiming for a piece of rope which would ring a bell when hit. Your sisters were at the bottom with belaying ropes to break your fall. Three sisters went and successfully jumped. I went, and made it all the way to the top....I had one foot up on the disc....and COULD NOT bring myself to take the last step up. As I was climbing back down, I missed a step and slipped off the pole! I had to grab at it to save myself, and ended up with a big scrape on my arm. I got to the bottom and just cried, I was so stressed and frustrated. But you know what? The very first person to come up and hug me and tell me I'd done great, was the first person to make the jump successfully. That meant a lot to me.
The campout didn't go quite as planned. The park didn't have bathhouses.
And as we started to put up the first tent, it started raining. I had an injured sister in my car (from an accident BEFORE we got on the course, just so you guys know it's safe!) and took her back to town to change her bandages. As she was getting out of the shower, they came up, soaking wet. We ended up spending the night on the hall...not quite camping out, but quite a bit of fun all on its own! The sororities at UNCG have a new hall, in the older dorms on our quad. They're all-freshmen dorms, with big rooms, walk-in closets, and lovely windows. Great exposure AND great rooms, what more can you ask?! Anyway, it was fun to "camp out" in a sister's room and see how it's going here in the beginning stages, since I'm not living on campus this year.
We have a day off tomorrow, and then we start workshops! I'm actually excited, even though I hated workshops in the spring. This is the real thing, and I think that'll bring an element of determination that was missing before. That, and I hope our experiences on the course will stay with us through recruitment!
If anybody has the chance to do a ropes or teambuilding course with their chapter, I HIGHLY recommend it. You might get hot and sweaty and dirty or even a little bit bruised, but it is absolutely worth it to see the newfound trust and teamwork in your sisters' eyes!
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