I probably missed my calling as a US Marine Corps Drill Sergeant, but i make up for some of that through training our India Teams to get them ready for the field. One thing that we do that i find to be both fun and fairly unique is a combined set of "simulations" where team members prepare to see how they will do physically during their time in India. You see, on the field, they will experience travel fatigue, sleeping on dirt floors, excess of hundred degree heat, carting luggage over the proverbial river and through the woods, and all sorts of new and different things that will tax them physically, psychologically and spiritually. So... to get them ready for the experience, we design a weekend long simulation that looks like the following:Friday Night - Sleep on your floor. No fair dragging your mattress onto the ground, but it doesn't matter whether you have carpet, hard wood or linoleum. The idea is that you will most likely be sleeping on the floor in India, so just changing your sleeping position and normal level of comfort will help you get a feel for what that will be like.
Saturday Morning - Wake up early and head to GCC to participate in 2nd Saturday. The idea is that you are dong something "active".
Saturday Afternoon/Evening - After finishing 2nd Saturday, we meet back at GCC, grab a quick bite to eat together, and then head to Potato Creek State Park with everyone's gear packed the way they're going to be taking it to India. At Potato Creek, the teams will hike (with their luggage) through Trail I for a distance over mud and trails of about 2.2 miles. It's not that big of a deal, but if you get tired of carrying your 26 lb makeup kit during that time, better to find out this side of the travel timeline than in India and having to toss it on the field. When finished, team members are dismissed to run home, get a quick shower, and head back to church, where we meet to sit together at the 5 pm worship service at GCC.
Saturday Night - Sleep on your floor...again. By this point, you should be a little sore from Friday night, plus good and tired from the day.
Sunday Morning - Wake up and see how you feel. Whether good or bad, it's probably a airly decent indicator as to how you're going to feel on an average day in India. Once you figure out how you're doing, send Jack an e-mail telling him such. If you're grouchy and sore, then you'll probably want to increase your physical fitness regimen before you go. If you're "just fine", don't get cocky, but be glad that you're on the right track.
The simulations are "required" and are not optional, and we are offering them for the December India Team window on three separate dates (each revolving around the Second Saturdays in October, November and December). For the October option, the following people participated (see picture above - left to right): Ron Twedt (Justice), Mike Ryan (Tech), Elaine Ryan (Construction), Ted Bryant (Justice), Jennifer Kukla (Water), Nancy Leist (Construction), Greg Schermier (Construction).
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Hey Jack it's Julie from Canada. I loved this. I just think of our recent trip to the Ukraine and what most of us were humping around and I wish I had read this before I went. I would have left either 60lbs of camera equipment behind. It's so hard to explain to someone just how different other countries are from ours and what the drain will be on your stamina. Hope you don't mind me taking this and adapting it for my trip to China in May...oh I could have supper and serve ducks brain or shark fin or chicken's feet. It perhaps would save some tears along the way. Animal lovers beware.
Julie
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