Sunday was a day in my life that I know I will never forget. That day, we did the Cinque Terre hike.
Being afraid of heights and not even willing to climb the church towers, I was encouraged by my friends and counselors to challenge myself by joining the group on a beautiful hike overlooking the beach. Never did I think I would be able to go up and down steps of stone and walk on the side of a cliff, but with the support of everyone around me, I was able to complete the most physical and mental challenge of my life. There were times I thought the hike was never-ending, and I felt like giving up, but there was nothing better than the adrenaline going through me when I finally hit the beach.
With every difficult path of the hike, I became more comfortable with my fear. The hike taught me that if you set your mind to something out of your reach and you put in all your effort, you will receive positive results. There is no way I could have accomplished this hike on my own; without the counselors pushing me to step out of my comfort zone, I probably would never even consider doing the hike. I knew coming into this program I would learn about art, history, and culture, but I never expected to complete a challenge so beyond my comfort zone.
-Ariella