I roll over and open my eyes. Waves gently tumble onto the shore, leveling out any imperfections in the sand. I have no conception of the time of day or the day of the week. I sit up and look across the ocean towards the tourist traps that line the horizon. A moment of perfection. And then a water balloon pelts me in the back of the head.
That moment in time captured this trip in a nutshell. This week, there have been so many times where I've literally stopped in my tracks and marveled at my surroundings. Even now, I'm too busy laughing at everything you guys are saying to write this post. The 11 other people that I've spent every waking moment of the past week with are among the most compassionate, hard-working and hilarious people I've ever met. They have made this trip one of my most memorable ones yet. The best part about this week is that they aren't just people I've met once and will never see again. I get to take these great memories and newfound friendships back to Mizzou.
Our day off was a nice break from the routine we had gotten so accustomed to. We slept in (past six in the morning!), made enough PB&J sandwiches to feed a whole country with, and spent the day at the beach. I wouldn't have had it any other way. We started our trek back to Columbia the next day, spending the night in Nashville along the way. The three L's of Nashville? Loveless, line dancing and laughing. It wasn't like anything I had ever experienced before, so I savored the opportunity to take it all in.
When you spend every waking moment with a group of people, you generally start to get sick of them. If spending a week together wasn't going to be enough, the 17-hour drive back home was bound to do us in. But it never happened. When we parted ways on our arrival to Columbia, I felt a sense of emptiness, not one of relief. I didn't know how I was going to go five days without seeing these people. And to think we started off as mere strangers only a few months ago! I don't want to conclude this blog post because I don't want to accept the fact that this trip is over. You've all made a lasting impact on me and I will never forget you guys. I know our trip didn't go exactly as planned, but our optimism and teamwork enabled us to prevail no matter what obstacles were thrown our way. I'm so lucky that I got to experience ASB as a sophomore, so that I can take advantage of this amazing opportunity in years to come. Lastly, Raha and Chelsea, I can't thank you two enough. I can't even imagine the work it took to plan and execute this whole expedition; I can only hope to be as effective of a leader someday.
-Veronica Polivanaya
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