Reflections on the EcoQuest Experience
Summer Session 2003 Team
During one of our first days in the program, one of the staff had us sit in a circle and talk about why we had come to New Zealand. He listened with a cheeky smile to our replies: passion for the outdoors, desire for field experience, interest in travel, ect. When we were done, he said, "Well, it sounds like you all came to the right place, but I'm a little bit disappointed, really. None of you said, 'to have fun.' I try to make that my reason for doing things as often as I can. In fact, when something stops being fun, I think maybe it's time to give something else a go."
It wasn't just a corny teacher line. After it sunk in that he was being serious, the energy and enthusiasm of the EQ staff quickly infected us all. The eight of us became really good at laughing at each other and ourselves, and that way we had fun doing just
about anything, whether it be in the field competing for weta counts, debating policy in lecture, or making culinary creations for each other during our nights off.
We didn't whoop with joy over notice of an early morning- such as the one to wake before dawn to collect benthic samples from the mudflats. But that morning, just as earth's eyelid was opening to the sun, we charged through the ankle-gripping mudflats with maniacal determination to beat the tide. Working together, we hoisted the heavy sludge from the flats and lugged it back to the vans triumphantly. We splashed our muddy ankles with the chilly ocean water and piled into the van to snuggle on the way back to EQ; then we enjoyed the most glorious showers of our lives and celebrated over a hearty breakfast.
The memories are far better than the pictures...how wonderful it is to get up early to catch the sunrise. To go for a dip in frigid water. To feed unruly chickens. To turn dish-washing into a dance party. To be convinced that you just saw Gollum. To see someone
demonstrate a kung-fu move and end up on his back! To comb branches and ferns in search of giant weta. To crouch silently in the brush amidst fluttering birds. To plant trees and giggle with children. To play with a certain dog named Scamper. To sing eighties songs in opera voices. To be sassy. To suck the fruit out of feijoa while juice dribbles down your chin. To sleep in a sheep-shearing shed while rain hammers the roof. To silently watch the ocean with someone. To climb a puriri tree. To speak in a New Zealand accent over tea and chocolate banana cake. To muse about life beneath the Southern Cross. To experience the joy of a shower after days without one. To take risks. To make a stranger family in just five short weeks. To have one of those seconds when you're reminded of the limitlessness of it all. To turn and say thanks, goodbye, and keep dancing!