Knowledge, Experience, and Contributions

This will be my 8th visit to the Naliboki visit and my 2nd with students. It will be forever my dream to escape the concrete jungle and discover serenity in silence and wholeness in peace. Nature, in its more unaltered state, is where I discover such gems. It is with this passion that I wish to inspire students to find a path to their own serenity.

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Every one of us has been asked to share out three things from the outset of this trip: what knowledge/skills do we wish to gain, what we expect from the overall experience, and what we will bring to our group during the trip.

For this trip, I'd like to first gain the skill of driving a manual. I've driven a manual transmission just one hour on a side road since high school. In high school, I drove a manual in a parking lot for about a hour. If things go as planned, I will be asked to drive one of the manual transmission vehicles as we will need three vehicles for each venture into the forest. It's such a simple thing, but when one goes this far into their life without addressing the simple skills, more pressure is added when one finally gets around to learning said skill. 

Furthermore, I'd like to know more about animal-to-animal interactions. I'm intrigued by the foxes rubbing in the wolf urine. I want to know more about this behavior and what drives it.

I also want to know more about the old growth--the exact age, types of trees, etc.

Finally, I'd like to know more about leading young people. I want to listen to their needs and challenges and learn how to better serve student groups in the future.

In terms of the overall experience, I want a sense of quiet and calm. I want a sense of making everything right in "my" world once again, a recharging. Selfishly, I'd love a magical animal encounter for us all at some point.

When taking into account the students, I'd say that I'd like us all to bond together in a special way. For me, WWW trips are different, and profoundly so, than shorter trips that involved academics or sports. While those trips have their distinct value and impact, I think a competitive-less, free-exploring, and vision-infused time outside the classroom with students can be one of the most profound opportunities for learning and growth. And with groups as small as ours, opportunity to really target personal growth with each student is possible. So, while we bond, an ancillary, but equally important, focus would be to see personal growth in each child during this short trip. For each student, "growth" will be disparate. 

Finally, what I will bring to the group is confidence, leadership, encouragement, and a positive attitude. I think I can deliver on each of these strengths. 

I am looking forward to this trip. Four weeks and counting.

Expectations

Expectations

1. Gaining experience is one of the things I wish to do for the duration of this trip. I would like to take a glimpse of what Vadim's job encompasses and how much effort it takes to pursue such a job.

2. I wish to learn more about the forest and its inhabitants. Truly, I want to have a couple of days in an isolated, tranquil environment. Unlike the usual city life, I hope to gain a greater peace within my soul.

3. I will hope to bring love and spices. Optimism and tenacity. I will try and encourage and assist my teammates on this arduous journey both physically and mentally.

Expectations

I am so excited to get back into the Naliboki Forest. Anytime I am away from the hustle and bustle of my daily life, in the quiet of nature, I am able to enjoy a peacefulness that I am unable to attain on a normal basis. What I expect to gain while we are away is a rejuvenation of my soul. Being in the forest, the quiet, the color, the smells, and the peacefulness of being outdoors will allow me to relax in a way that I need in order to have balance in my life.

With this said, I believe my biggest contribution will be my ability to encourage our group to stop and enjoy the space that is around us.  In that moment, I will remind us to reflect on how we feel and consider how we can bring some of those feelings and emotions back into the city with us when we leave.

My expectations revolve around enjoying this experience with a group of people who also feel the same way as I do about being in nature. I hope to encourage others to do more self-reflection and I hope that I am able to learn from others while we are there.

Expectations

I can bring positive attitude to the group and always have energy to do things.


I can contribute to the group by helping anyone that needs helps which  means anything that they need with.

Expectations

Expectations

1. Ultimately, I hope to learn about the species that realm the Belarusian forests. As part of my online course, Environmental Science, I need to have data on the species found within my surrounding. I tend to look online only to find that this kind of data is unavailable. The lack of resources has forced me to use data for places outside of Belarus. I have decided to use this impracticability as a push towards collecting my own data, on species, on our upcoming trip. Additionally, I am sure Vadim will be able to provide insight.

2. I will try to motivate the other students to keep going. Personally, I believe that the forest is an inspiring place so finding motivating won’t be difficult. On top of that, I will be open to providing photographic and videographic support if needed.

3. I expect a weekend getaway. I think it is healthy, to every now and then, take a break from a life filled with sound pollution and instead surround yourself with silence. It will be both an action-packed time and a time to reflect. Furthermore, we will be able to experience raw beauty and once in a lifetime sights.

Naliboki Forest Presentation - Expectations, Contacts, Itinerary, etc.

 Here is the link to the presentation that contacts all information on the trip, including contacts.