How Brave Are We?
As the entire rest of the high school probably knows by now, (on account of our arguing volume) the biggest debate we have had so far is on how hardcore our survival level is going to be on. We found people had extremely conflicting ideas on things like; how many pairs of clothes to bring, if we will be sleeping under tents or not, and even whether or not to bring toilet paper. I think it was hard for some of us to try and ignore our initial expectations of what the trip would be, and take on a more realistic perspective. I know from first hand experience how hard that can be. Once we get an idea set in our head it can be almost impossible to just drop it. One thing I will admit is that we could have been much more civil about our debate, more talking and less yelling definitely would have yielded better results.
I noticed that almost everyone had their own specific area that they took issue with, mine happened to be the human waste situation. To give a simple rundown; my strategy was for each person to choose their own waste area inside a larger perimeter assigned to their sex (men and women get separate zones.) But instead it was agreed that we would stick to the separated areas idea, but instead of each person getting their own spot, it would be two giant holes for the entire camp. The reasoning behind that method was that one smaller hole per person would be too much, but how is that an issue on a secluded island with no fresh water. The other thing to remember is that each hole is quite deep and re-covered every time. So smell isn’t an issue, other people being affected isn’t an issue, and it’s not unsanitary. In the end I agreed to just swim out into the ocean and do my business when the tide starts to leave.
Coming in at second biggest debate, was the great food rules war. We discussed how much we should be allowed to buy or bring, and how much we have to catch ourselves. The thing that made talking about it hardest, was that none of us actually knew what to expect from the island. Maybe we would catch ten fish a day easily, maybe we’d get one after a whole week of trying, who knows. It’s just so unpredictable there isn’t too much point talking about it. But I did really like the solution that was agreed on, we would plant or make from scratch whatever we would need for the trip beforehand. That way we could take all the necessities without cheating or breaking the concept of our whole trip. I think we all knew from the get go that we wouldn’t be doing 100% survival, even though we really wanted to.
Since pretty much half our time on the island is going to be spent asleep, the bedding situation is super important. While some of us, such as myself, are eager to try sleeping on the ground under a shelter. Others find that setup inadequate, and need a comfier place to lay their delicate heads. So most of the team decided to bring tents, which I was a little disappointed about, to be honest. At the end of the day it comes down to the individual and what they’re willing to do. For me one of the biggest aspects of the experience is the physical discomfort and potentially pain that living in those conditions could cause. It’s important to me for it be as real and genuine as possible, and I think we need to accept that we can’t be clean and comfortable all the time if we are to experience survival.
Even the most hardcore of us all agreed that we did need some sort of backup or safety net for if someone got sick or injured. In the end we rented a home stay room further inland. The way it would work is that when someone gets sick they just head over to the sick bay and get a chance to recover. Really it’s just not even an option to have no backup at all, not to mention what the school would think of it. We’ve already had enough trouble convincing them of our mission. While strictness of rules annoys me and feels restrictive, if I were in the position of the faculty and had to be liable for a bunch of totally risk prone kids, running around on a remote island with machetes, I wouldn’t be too happy either. Honestly I probably wouldn’t even take that risk, I hate being responsible for other people. Except if those other people were battle hardened members of the Skorpion tribe like Bronson, Jetsun, and myself. Then maybe I could manage the risk, because there is none.
Something I’ve been pondering, and getting increasingly curious about, is whether or not anyone will have any sort of actual breakdown at some point. While serious mental breakdowns are unlikely, I think we’ve got a decent chance of seeing some mid-trip freakouts. Probably more to do with being unable to handle discomfort, because we’re so used to a certain way of living that just gets ingrained in us. The second likeliest cause of breakdown would have to be the constant arguing between LEAP members that we all know will happen. If I’ve learned anything about LEAP is that it holds some of the most amazing experiences I’ve had in my whole school life, but being stuck in close quarters with the same people for a long period of time causes some serious battles. And this time it’s on a remote island with nothing to stop us from killing each other.
The thing to remember is that there’s no stopping someone if they go ham, as a result I’ve decided to take my own precautions in order to avoid being killed and made into an effigy. Firstly keeping my own personal machete is a must, and not just for practical purposes. Secondly staying alert is definitely important for avoiding attacks. Thirdly my own off-shoot group, named the Skorpion tribe, are planning to set up traps around our head hunter long house. With those three defense mechanisms I think the crazies are going to have a tough time getting at me.
My bets on whose gonna lose it are out. Celeste and Shoya, judging by the way they freaked out at the clothing situation, thinking it outrageous that we would only bring enough clothes for the five days and no more. Maybe I’m mistaken, but that does seem like a bit of a giveaway on their general attitude towards these things. But at the end of the day it doesn’t matter, Skorpion tribe will always be too powerful for their attacks. I guess only time will tell.
