If you have love, for the land, those around you, what you have, and yourself, the love will come right back to you. Watch my short film if you want to feel some of that love for yourself.
At the end of every Pacific Discovery program, each student is asked to create a final presentation representing their time on the trip. I chose to do mine showcasing all of the things I had done for the first time, and that list had 45 items. How lucky was I to not only experience so many incredible things for the first time in my life, but to be surrounded by an encouraging, supportive, and loving environment while I did so. That is one of the many gifts I was given through the completion of my Pacific Discovery gap semester program. I am truly thankful to have been surrounded by a beautiful group of human beings with the same passion and curiosity for more that I had a hunger for, and guided by instructors who had fun with us as well.
I was given the honor of being chosen to represent all that this trip was in a short film, and I tried to do the experience as much justice as it could, but what happens over the 70 days you spend with the same 13 people is not able to be truly captured by any form of media. It is rare, unique, and one of the most special things I’ve ever had the privilege of being a part of. The program itself taught me so much, intelligently laid out to mix fun with education, and have every student leave a more culturally well rounded individual. I learned and felt so much in such a safe environment, and truly feel I left an impacted individual. These are experiences, places, and people I will never forget.
When asked what I was most excited about for my program, my answer was the connections I was going to be able to make with the people I would be traveling with. If you are looking into a program with Pacific Discovery for similar reasons, know I absolutely found that and more. 70 days is a long time to spend with the same group of people, and we didn’t meet and all instantaneously become best friends. But, I truly feel bonded to every single person I had this experience with, and I know I will for a very long time. If you put in effort to get what you want, it will come to you. If you go onto this program wanting to create impactful and beautiful connections, you will be able to.
The short film I created was intended to try and get as close to capturing the feeling of the trip as if the viewer was there. I had conversations with many people on my program about how the experience couldn’t be described, accurately explained or replicated, it just was. While I agree with that completely, I tried my best. Some things just cannot be captured. The connections and bonds created through such magical experiences is not an explicable experience. You could see the change on people’s faces each day, and you were there as everyone experienced things for the first time, or just in a new way that challenged them. It is something I didn’t even know was possible, and I am truly grateful to say I was a part of.
The biggest lesson I learned throughout my Polynesian Journey is that if you have love, for the land, those around you, what you have, and yourself, the love will come right back to you. Watch my short film if you want to feel some of that love for yourself.
Posted by Lilah Heller on December 20, 2024
