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Outward Bound
 
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Outward Bound

Aidan Braid —

In December 2014 I went on a three week 'Mind, Body and Soul' Outward Bound course. 

This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I'm extremely glad I was selected for the scholarship, otherwise I would have missed this life changing experience. There were 130 teenagers from all around New Zealand on my course, but I spent almost all of my time in a group of 13 called a Watch.  I was in the 600th Batton Watch. Everyone there spent almost all their time in the company of their Watch and we all became very close. Outward Bound was originally a navy organization during World War two, to enhance the survival rate of young seamen.  The name is a sailing term meaning that the ship is leaving the safe waters of port for the open ocean. A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.

This is relevant because that is what we all did. We expanded our comfort zones by leaving them.  I spent two days soaked, sleeping on a small sailboat in a wet sleeping bag in the rain and sailing in heavy winds during the day. But on that sailing expedition I came within 3 or so metres of two orcas which rose to the surface right beside our boat when it was moored. Every morning we all woke up at 0530 for an hour of PT, a 3km run and a swim in the sea. But all this was worth it because at the end of my course I ran the half marathon in just under two hours; an achievement I'm very proud of. I also kayaked rapids and climbed mountains. You might think I'm mad.

I cannot possibly explain what it was it was like.   Here I am only touching on the surface - to really know, you must complete the course. Even then everyone will have a different experience, with a different personality and different people.  All I can do is highly recommend it to anybody interested.