Walking in today, I was ready, but at the same time, I was not. I was ready to come back for another day and ready to present the project my group worked so hard on. However, this is the start of our last week at MedEx. I am not ready to say goodbye to everyone and not ready to go back to my normal life (before MedEx). I just have to remember to make the most of my last few days and enjoy what I have at the moment.
Body Stories
We started out the day with the presentations of our Body Stories research projects. Over the past two weeks, my group struggled with our project. We had no trouble finding information, but we didn't quite know how to make the project interactive and fun. Eventually, we decided to do a skit. We had fun making the script, but eventually, people started to doubt whether or not they were comfortable doing the parts that they chose. We tried our best to change up the script to incorporate everyone's wishes, but I was worried that we hadn't had enough practice time and that we were just overall not prepared. However, as soon as we walked up to the front of the room and started our presentation, all of my fears went away. My group absolutely nailed our project and we had the entire room attentive throughout. It was amazing to see all of our blood, sweat, and tears come together. I couldn't have asked for a better outcome. I should have known that we would make it work eventually. While presenting, we truly forgot all of our struggles, and (even though we had a few stumbles) we made an amazing experience for both us and our audience.
Connection - Affirmation Circle
Before lunch, we did an activity call an affirmation circle. Everyone sat in a circle around the room with their eyes closed. Then, a third of the group opened their eyes and went up to the middle of the circle. Sarah would read out something to connect with and the people would go around the room and tap someone's shoulder if they felt like that person related to the statement. The statements were things such as, "connect with someone who has said or done something that has made an impact on you" or "connect with someone who you are proud of." When being the one making the connections, it was amazing to see everyone's reaction to being touched. Some people would smile every time they would get touched, others would jump because they weren't expecting to be connected. No matter the reaction, it meant a lot to be able to express how I felt about my peers in a way that I could never find the words to say. When being connected to, every time someone would connect with me, I would smile and get a little happier each time. It meant so much to hear what these people connected me with and just how many people chose to connect with me. It raised my spirits and made me realize just how easy it can be to do the same for others. I realize the importance of just simply letting people know that I see them and I care about them. I single sentence can easily change someone's mood and make their day. I hope that I can continue to do that in life because (after everyone discussed how they felt) I realized the impact that just a single connection can make.
Quote of the Day
“Sometimes, the best way to help someone is just to be near them.” - Veronica Roth, Divergent
Final Thoughts
Today has been a whirlwind of emotions and activities. Most college applications opened up tonight and I have tried to start that application process. My parents talked me through it and I have decided to apply to three schools: Lander, Coastal Carolina, and Anderson. I realized that I need to focus on what is going to make me happy, not what a statistic says I should do and I encourage others to do the same, because, in the end, I am so much happier focusing on my happiness, then focusing on a statistic. The connections I made today made me realize that sometimes it can be hard to find happiness or to find appreciation, but if you know that doing something small or easy will make you happy, then just go for it. I knew that MedEx would make me happy, but I never knew just how much until I walked into those doors on July 11th. I took the first step and applied for it because I thought "why not". That simple action has changed my life and I have created memories and relationships that will last me a lifetime. I can't wait for day seventeen. I give day sixteen 4 out of 5 stars.
Commentaires