I have had many moments recalling fond memories of the first time I stayed away from home by myself. It was at ALERT Academy in Sandy Springs Texas, and the program was called Skills Training for Emergency Preparedness, or STEP. The program was designed for Christian young ladies and was set up similarly to what I imagine boot camp would be like, though not as strict. While I was there, I learned canoeing, search and rescue, CPR, first aid, AED training, survival training, basic home maintenance, repelling, river crossing, and I even trained for a 3k run. While I had a great time there, I still found some aspects of the trip rather trying of my patience.
When I first arrived, I was assigned a group color and a team, then introduced to my group …show more content…
I didn’t struggle in the class, but then I didn’t struggle in much of anything academically. After I understood the concept, I spent most of the class doodling while my classmates were confused by the basics of Y axis versus X axis. After several hours of class time, everyone finally understood how to use a compass and map.
Plumbing was probably the most useless class I had ever taken in my life. The first thing they taught was how to use a plunger. Yes, you read that correctly. What was more appalling, is how many of the girls did not know how to use a plunger! We spent the entire first day plunging toilets. The next day was better. We learned how to get underneath a sink and remove a blockage, and how to replace a faucet. I already knew how to do everything that was taught in the class, but that is only because I helped add an extra bathroom onto my parent’s house.
After the first class was over we would take a long walk to the main cafeteria for lunch where we would get in line for the buffet. Every day a different group would be responsible for cleaning up the cafeteria. One team would do the kitchen area. Working with the giant dishwasher was best part. The other team would wipe down tables and sweep the dining area. Oftentimes, if we finished early, someone would play the piano and we would spend some time doing stupid girl
When I first arrived, I was assigned a group color and a team, then introduced to my group …show more content…
I didn’t struggle in the class, but then I didn’t struggle in much of anything academically. After I understood the concept, I spent most of the class doodling while my classmates were confused by the basics of Y axis versus X axis. After several hours of class time, everyone finally understood how to use a compass and map.
Plumbing was probably the most useless class I had ever taken in my life. The first thing they taught was how to use a plunger. Yes, you read that correctly. What was more appalling, is how many of the girls did not know how to use a plunger! We spent the entire first day plunging toilets. The next day was better. We learned how to get underneath a sink and remove a blockage, and how to replace a faucet. I already knew how to do everything that was taught in the class, but that is only because I helped add an extra bathroom onto my parent’s house.
After the first class was over we would take a long walk to the main cafeteria for lunch where we would get in line for the buffet. Every day a different group would be responsible for cleaning up the cafeteria. One team would do the kitchen area. Working with the giant dishwasher was best part. The other team would wipe down tables and sweep the dining area. Oftentimes, if we finished early, someone would play the piano and we would spend some time doing stupid girl