Most people don't think of the desert as an ideal spring break location, but for me the desert and the nature contained within it were exactly what I was looking for this past break. I signed up for an alternative spring break trip to Lake Mead through the volunteering office on campus, not knowing what exactly to expect, but I learned so much about the world and about myself out in the desert. Here are the things I learned.
1. Being (mostly) disconnected from everyone allows you to reflect and decide who is important in your life.
As one can imagine, there isn't much service out in the desert. Taking the time to yourself to be technologically silent is beyond refreshing. It allows you to reflect on the flow of your life and decide who deserves a place in it because you're away from your normal environment and can look at the situations and relationships in your life objectively.
2. Water is life.
On my last evening at Lake Mead, I went with my group to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area Visitor Center. We watched a movie about the area that interviewed various people, one of whom was a full-blooded Mojave Indian for whom the Lake Mead area is a spiritual Mecca of sorts. He said "Water is life. It does not discriminate but does its job to provide life for the area." Hearing him say that kind of brought me to a spiritual place because I thought about how water makes up over 70% of our bodies. The same water that composes us gives life to other beings. How remarkable is that? It was hard for me to be worried about all the work and assignments that I needed to do after I got home because all I could think about was how small all of those things were in comparison with our connection to the environment around us.
3. You can't stop yourself from making friends when you're stuck with the same people for a week.
I signed up for this trip just assuming that I would go, push through it, and come home. I didn't think that I would be so close to the other 13 people that went on the trip. From the very get-go, I began making connections more easily than if I had actually tried. These people were normal, down-to-earth college students who had all signed up to take this trip for various reasons. I think the biggest lesson I learned because of this was that the truest friends you'll make are the ones you didn't even try for. During this week together, we experienced so many life-changing things that it bonded us forever. We didn't have to try to get people to like us. We just existed. And that's what is so beautiful about stepping out of your comfort zone.
4. If you're hungry enough, you'll eat anything.
I am a historically picky eater. Because of this, I knew that the trip might be difficult for me. We would eat breakfast in the morning, pack sandwiches for lunch, and then cook over a camp stove in the evening. The breakfast offerings were either fruit or oatmeal. Because I don't really eat fruit, I chose to try oatmeal for the first time and fell in love with it. I had been opposed to oatmeal my entire life, so this decision to try it had surprised me even more than my parents, who were in disbelief when I told them. A similar decision that I made was to try mac and cheese for the first time, with similar results. When you're out in the desert, you don't know when your next meal will be, so you just kind of take whatever you can whenever you can. You're simply appreciative to have something to eat. I think everyone should spend a week like that in the desert. It helps you be more content with all of the things you normally take for granted.
Overall, I recommend a trip like this to anyone because it is one of the most valuable experiences I've ever had. I learned so much about myself and it really reinforced what I want out of life. If ever given the chance to drop everything and go to the desert, do it.
