Mountain Climbing in Peru

Can my trip to Peru with A Fresh Chapter be about a week away?   I am filled with mixed emotions.  I am both excited and scared.  I am looking forward to a new adventure, but I am dreading packing for this adventure and the long travel itineraries that I will be doing solo.  I am anxiously anticipating my volunteer assignment, but I am feeling uncertain I will be able to make a difference especially since I don’t speak a word of Spanish.  I feel excited to be making new connections, but worried I won’t remember anyone’s name.  I am eager to have an opportunity to experience a new culture, but nervous that I will get sick.  The list goes on and on.

PREPARATIONS

I have prepared for the Peru Odyssey by filling out forms, buying supplies, getting vaccinations, reading travel guides and speaking to others who have been on this life changing experience.  I even downloaded Duolingo to try to learn some Spanish.  But the best way I prepared for this experience is by actively engaging in A Fresh Chapter’s four week Discovery Series.

The Discovery Series revolved around 4 themes- Adversity as a Catalyst for Growth, Choosing How You Want to Feel, Leaning into Vulnerability and The Alchemist and Exploring Your Personal Legend.  Each week my “tribe” was given a list of tools and resources from Terri , the founder of A Fresh Chapter, that allowed us to explore these topics more deeply and to connect them to our own lives.  Each of these themes taught me something new about myself.  The journaling prompts made me search deep down inside me.  They allowed me to contemplate on topics I would have never thought about on my own.  Engaging in the pre-departure Discovery Series set the stage for the all the amazing possibilities the Peru Odyssey has to offer.

REFRESH EXPERIENCE FOR CANCER ADVOCATES

This summer I was fortunate to have been invited to participate in A Fresh Chapter’s inaugural ReFresh Experience for Cancer Advocates which took place in the San Francisco area. The mission of A Fresh Chapter is to create a world where your experiences with cancer empower you to seek new purpose and possibility in your life. During the advocates retreat we had an opportunity to step beyond the borders of our own cause to gain fresh perspectives, address cancer’s emotional scars, and to set goals for the future.  Terri kept on encouraging us to get curious.

The one thing I began to get curious about was vulnerability. Prior to the cancer advocates’ retreat I didn’t want to be vulnerable.  I was always taught to put on my “big girl pants” and tough things out. I thought vulnerable people were weak and exposed.  Vulnerability wasn’t a trait to be admired in my mind.  I didn’t want to appear to as helpless to others; I wanted to be invincible. 

While in San Francisco I began to explore the idea that vulnerability can be a good thing, an admired trait, and a quality to seek in a leader. This was perspective changing for me. I began to understand that making connections is why we are here. Connections to others are what give purpose and meaning to our lives.  Being vulnerable allows us to make meaningful connections.  I began to understand that if I wanted a rich purposeful life I needed to practice becoming more vulnerable. Believe me this is a challenge.  It is easier to hide behind closed doors than to expose your scars to others.

I also realized that cancer advocates need to be vulnerable to make good leaders. Vulnerability is necessary to establish meaningful relationships. Cancer advocates need to develop meaningful relationships if they wish to be successful in what they do. Relationship building can be draining. Being vulnerable is hard, but rewarding.

MACHU PICCHU

I am eager and anxious about climbing the mountains in Peru. I will be climbing both a personal mountain of discovery and an actual mountain, a 15th-century Inca citadel situated on a mountain ridge 7,970 ft above sea level. This mountain climbing seems a little intimidating at present, but thanks to Terri, A Fresh Chapter’s staff and Cross Cultural Solutions I feel prepared for this journey.  I am going into this odyssey with an open mind and heart.  I will practice being vulnerable and hopefully make some life-long connections.  I plan on making this truly a once in a lifetime, life changing experience beyond anything I could have imagined.