Trans Canada Expedition - Day 2

July 15, 2013

This morning, everyone woke up at 6:30 A.M to quickly clean HQ and to continue planning and preparing for the trip. After that the students, including the junior leadership practiced assembling and dissembling the “Algonquin” and “Roots” tents. As there were many unplanned and questionable ideas in mind, the team captains and assistant captains had a 30 minute meeting discussing the possible contingency plans, in other words, the possible plan B. Many scenarios were pitched and mentioned, as Billy challenges and testifies the strength and realistic sense of the “new” plan. Through the day, we struggled with many different issues, such as vehicle breakdowns, medical concerns, logistics error, jobs unequally distributed. We tried to “mend” these problems by adding more and more rules, but by the end of the day, we concluded that the original plan (Billy’s Plan) was best. Given that we are supposed to run the entire 28 days (now 26) by ourselves, our team stuck together, built up team spirit and had countless conversations regarding the benefit of the team. Tomorrow is the big day, lets hope for the best!

Mike

            Today, we woke up early as we had to plan for the future, from yesterday is that we had to work outdoors in the sun, so we could get used to the temperature. We also pratised setting and taking down the tent. Now it’s almost 5 PM and I have to wake at 3 tomorrow to start our trip. Honestly, I’m sort of nervous but excited at the same time for our trip ahead of us, as I and Tiffany and Matthew are second-in-command, also known as the “2IC’s”, which means that we assist the team captains in their job and communicate with the rest of our team. As communication is not my best skill, I definitely feel the mental tiredness of organizing a team, no matter big or small for a massive trip such as this one.  Later on, we’re going to watch a movie and hope this can calm me down.

Matt

             Today was the second day of planning and the last day of planning. This means 2IC ( me, Mike and Tiffany and team captains are pretty stressed out. We’ve been having meetings after meeting and in the end, we ended deciding to go with the original plan Billy had. This plan will be in affect after tomorrow so Day 3. The students/junior leaderships were practicing the set up of the Algonquin and roots tents. In the end the girls assembled and disassembled the Algonquin. We all finished that in half an hour. Now the day is about to end and we are about to have dinner. I’m pretty excited for the big day tomorrow.

Quince

            Today was the second day of Monticle. It was a very hot day and a sunny day. We have to be outside for the rest of the day. Billy said it was a practice for tomorrow. Who knows why. We spend most of the day outside practicing making tents, I’ve got darker. We got to get back inside for a shower, we got back at 5:00 PM. We got to watch a movie and eat dinner. I am very excited for tomorrow because we are going to Arctic. Bye

Mickey

            Today we study how to build tent. Tomorrow we need to get up at 3:30! We go to WaWa, maybe that is a beautiful place? I don’t know. When I finish cleaning the tent. I see, the plant in the sky. I think I am miss my father and my mother. I love them. Hope tomorrow I can see some exciting thing! HaHa! Have a nice day!

Mireille

            Today we woke up at 6:30-7 am. At 7:30 am we have to be ready to start the “program”. First each team captain (Michael F, Jennifer and JJ) present the new program. Then 10 am-4:40 pm I set up and unload different tents we also ate lunch outside in the grass. So today I spend all the day in the grass… So that! After I’m going to wash my clothes, take my shower and eat dinner. And tomorrow we’ll go at 5 am.

Edwin Cheung

            Today, it is the second last day before tomorrow departure to 1 day. Calvin, me and Edwin Chan work on the Logistic for the trip. We double and triple check, make sure we have everything. I am really happy for tomorrow trip, We have to wake up early to get ready. I learn to make thing right and if you don’t understand ask, make sure you make the right information.

Tiffany

Today is a day of work, a day of testing the water, but mostly teambuilding. We were given simple tasks such as, building tents, finding the rest of the navigation roads, stops etc. As the team captains the assistant Captains were still new to everyone, communication errors, and misconceptions followed shortly. It was just the first two days of camp, oh how I wonder what the rest of the road would look like. The concepts and ideas pitched, and many brilliant but imperfect suggestions suggested were mostly scraped. Considering at the beginning, we all thought combining ideas was a great idea. Questions began flooding my notebook, how are we going to finish this large task? How are we going to keep an entire group of people moving along smoothly? How are we going to keep everyone active during the camp? How are we going to utilized everyone’s ability? But most of all, how the hell, am I going to stay awake? These may simply be the tips of the iceberg, so I’m trying my best to keep taking in the knowledge. Today I’ve learnt many things: The key to success is for everyone to enjoy and know each other. Compromise, really. Our job as a twix (2ic ((second in command)) ) is to communicate and get to know each and everyone of the students/ teammates. Also, you have to think of everyone possible scenario, and every possible solution, because when the unexpected hits you, you will not know how to respond. Experience and vast amounts knowledge came over me the last few days, just to imagine what will come ahead in the next 26 days? Unimaginable experiences and challenges, pushing me harder and harder, this is what I came for isn’t it? Today, we spent the day pitching tents, and managing people. While the navigational team works their butts off for our trip. I guess we should thanks them much. :D tomorrow is our big day, we’re heading out!!!! Waking up at 3:00, I wonder how that’ll look like, a whole bunch of students and leaderships wandering around half dead, like zombies, eyes dark are hell and face pale as snow. I guess that’s it for now, peace. I’m out!

Marco

             All in the grass. So tired. We all kept building the tents up and down. So hot and dirty, moving tomorrow. Did a little planning. Also ate outside on the grass. My whole body is dirty, sticky, sweaty. So much bugs. Really Really Really Really Really hungry. No air conditioner for almost the whole day.

Justin

             Today, I learnt how to build a tent. Itself wasn’t a big challenge, but building a tent under the blistering sun was a different story. The heat was exaggerating, every fiber of my shirt was soaked with sweat. I felt I would lose my consciousness at any moment under the great heat. However, I , although exhausted , did not give up, as I saw others working without a hint of discontent. Their effort poured energy and motivation to me. I am proud of me as well as the others. At the end of the day, sitting in an air-conditioning room. I felt never before in my life, I was so deserving for a rest.

Alan

Today was a really tiring day. This morning we ate buns for breakfast. After eating we went outside and practiced putting up the tent and taking it down. Then we had lunch, we had noodles and rice. After lunch we took a break then we continued practicing.

Jason Wang

Well, today we woke up at 0655 then we began to clean up hq. we did much more planning today and both the work relations, meal plans and the teams along with the routes we would take on the first day. Besides more and more planning, we also practiced setting up tents with our teams. Tomorrow, we will have to wake up at 0300 to pack and load our gear so that w would be ready to leave at 0500.

Kathy

Today is the second day in monticle. When we finished our cleaning work, we started to learned put up a camp. It was needed teamwork. Although the sun is so shine, so nobody said they wanted to give up. We were happy that we can see the camp we made ourselves in the afternoon. All the 8 girls put up the camp which we live in ourself. In a really fast time. What a happy day.

Grace

Today is really hot. And we stayed under the sun all day working. We practiced setting up and taking down then we had lunch. I surprisingly found an insect on the rice. I didn’t know when it flied on my food, but because we have to finish all of them so I was so happy when I finally fond that little bug and blew it away. Without that annoying little insects, the lunch was really nice. As we were so hungry, after having a little break we went on setting the tent. Today is so tired.

Jason Wong

This morning we wake up at 6:30 am and packed our sleeping bag and mattress. For breakfast we had buns. After breakfast we learned how to set up a tent and disassemble it. Later we had our lunch outside at the shade. Then once again we had to assemble a tent and disamble. Which took most of the day

Howard

The morning starts with a rustle and, as if signaled by a silent and unknown alarm the boys wake.  After a sleepless night, unused to my heavy and stuffy sleeping bag as well as my airmatress which might as well no exist. I consequently rocketed at the sight of dawn with leftover energy and enthusiasm, read to take on another day. (This is sarcasm, please realize that).

Routes, roads, steps navigation is difficult, but I have nothing to complain since my colleagues had been spending the time learning to build tents in he scorching sun. with the completion of my work, I hurriedly joined them in their endeavors.

A memorable day with lessons in the tent-building and accommodation-planning. Since I have nothing else to say, let me relate tomorrow’s plans. A 10-hour drive from Toronto to sault ste.Marie. There’s “supposed” to be great scenery.

Owen

Today, we woke up at 6:00 am same as yesterday. Breakfast, the chief instructor tell me to do a haircut. After the cut, my head was nearly no more hair.

When 9 back to the hq, I had to set up and set off the tent. Outdoor under the sun OMG! The sun here is more brighter then in HK. We were nearly done to be burned beef. Finally, tomorrow will start our trip. But, now I need to wash my clothes by hand. I hope my clothes wont be destroyed

Roman Run Jia Wang

As everyone slowly got to know each other better, there started to be less and less awkward silence. Today was another day of preparation if all goes well then we will be on the go 5:00 am tomorrow morning. I know this is going to be an interesting adventure.

Kendra

Today we an even tiring day then yesterday because on top of having a lot of work, we are had no AC. Everyone was really tired. Half of the students worked navigation and the other half learned to set up tents. Then, we had lunch. After lunch, we had a meeting discussing tomorrow’s plan. Then we set the tents again. Right now we are going to go shower and relax after the day in the sun. Tomorrow we are going to set out and head to pancake bay that’s it for now.

Crystal

Today, we woke up early and finished planning for the next few das. I finished the meal plan for the next 3 days and packed up all our food. (We are going to bring) after lunch, we spent a entire afternoon learning, how to build tents and how to take them down to pack up. My group did both surprisingly fast and we wrote our blogs after. We plan on sleeping early because we will be waking up at 3:30am and the convoy will be leaving at 5am. I hope we will be smooth as planned. We do tomorrow.

Ryan Hoang

Today we woke up and packed up our things. After a quick breakfast of buns we started our plan for the day. Billy has also given me the task to hold on to a very important package. We had 3 main things in our plan. We needed to get haircuts, learn how to set up the tents and finish the plan for the 28 days. I was also tasked with teaching the students how to set up the Algonquin tent a tent that I have set up and slept in many times before. The students that I taught were quick learners and were able to understand the concept quite easily and quickly. After many trips back into the Hq to get water and relax Billy told me to stop getting them to come in each time. Therefore I got a jerry can of water so they would have no reason to go back inside. After the tents were put up and taken down 2 times we were told by our team leaders there ideas to the plan. We then had lunch and also practiced with the tents a couple more times. We then went back to the Hq to prepare for dinner and rest.

Michael Fung

Pessimism seems to be a negative, but could be positive in a different perspective – it could replaced with another noun – ‘self-awareness’. This is what I explained to Billy when he picked me up two days ago, as he suggested me that pessimism is not a good companion of a leader at most time. At first, I could not digest this message – the reason for such is that I was fully engaged with a whole academic year, during which I just needed to drill into books, past papers, and music. Even though I was the concert master of the 80-people orchestra, I just found the conductor and the music teachers sucking up all the work.

But, the message was becoming more comprehensible as we were working with crews about tents, meals, navigations and contingency plans. As we were moving along with having those things done, I found myself being so ignorant or lost about handling them. When I worked with the navigators, I did not mention about the weather conditions and time zones because I did not know how important they are to the driver as well as the schedule. When we were asked to set the tents for practicing purposes, I found myself being located in a labyrinth, in which is full of steps that just confuse me. I do not know about the orders of assembling; I do not know about which stick being installed into which loop… At the moment when I figured out that I was so inexperienced in comparison with Jennifer and Jason, intuitively, I just told myself ‘be honest and clarify in front of your team that you are incapable of handling the tents, so I will just learn from my team members’. Leaders could not be omniscient. Otherwise, being leader will be like being God, and we are all human beings. So, please get yourself back to reality…

The tactic of speaking frankly and openly seems to make Roman appreciate me. He at once personally told me that he prefers (I am not sure if he likes) my style because he said I am a calm and easy-going person. Yesterday, I did work with him about figuring out the routes for heading towards the Arctic. Even though we finalized the plan that was created by Team Bravo and Charlie (but not Team Alpha, of which Roman and I were both members), I found him not outshining because of his diligence, but also his brilliant ideas and familiarity with Canadian Transport System. At first sight, he impresses me with his diligence and in-depth knowledge about transports, both of which that make me think that he will nail the job of being a navigator. Yet, his optimism and his everlasting smile also made me ponder about the necessity of pessimism. Everyone appreciates him and refers him as the guy who is extremely helpful and willing to get a job done. He will not hesitate unless he feels that the action that we suggest him to take seems not to be logical or making senses. His positive energy just perpetuated for two full days, so will it be for the next 26 days expectedly.

I just learnt how useful is optimism in contrast with pessimism. Without his optimism and his tolerance for my inexperience, I might not have been able to complete the learning process of setting up both the Roots (8 ppl) and Algonquin (4 ppl) tents today. From today, I will just be frank in front of my team members. I will expose my weaknesses (instead of preserving self-esteem by bluffing or boasting about things that I in fact do not know about), but so as my strengths. By doing so, I could let the team members know how to support me and download information about what I do not know. In addition to this, the other team members will feel their importance of presence. They will find what they could manipulate easily and what they could not. For strengths, perhaps the members could plan in which they will utilize my strengths. I do recommend everybody to voice out his or her strengths and weaknesses. Even though you cannot figure them out in the first few days, you perhaps should know about them in Day 5 or 6. (Well, I learnt that on Day 2, so I am not expecting that others will experience his or her epiphany too late, or else you might just be wasting your own time!)

I heard from some of us that we felt in general a bit disappointed about the deferment of the departure. This is quite disappointing, but it is inevitable. I hope the people who are reading this blog will understand the reason behind the deferment, which was explained by Billy. Today, we intentionally got most of ourselves exposed under sunlight. We assembled and dissemble the tents for twice to make sure that Billy at least will have a group of crews being capable of setting up the tents. Moreover, we discovered that we ran out of pegs - as we are camping most likely in windy campsites or areas in Yukon and Northwestern Territories, we need extra pegs to secure the whole tent. Also, the students could learn how to perform as a team and learn each other more, as well as how willing and able they are under strenuous conditions. Anyway, all these stuffs were Billy’s capriccioso but brilliant ideas. We are far from popping out similar ideas because of flexibility, creativity as well as experience, but we are confident that as long as we are given opportunities and we are willing and able to grab them and utilize them, then having a Billy-like future is still foreseeable.

Last but not least, after several times of discussion and practices, we reached a final consensus about the grouping methodology. We will head back to Billy’s original plan. As Billy’s reasons for having such arrangement are just so convincing and seem to be more viable and healthy, we just pick Billy’s. Remember that we are not heading back to square one, but we actually learn a lot through the process of planning for 30 guys and gals for the trip. It is never easy, but do not hesitate to take it. What Billy has experienced might be similar to what we, as future leaders, will experience in the future. Keep calm, keep frank, keep open, and keep optimistic. This is perhaps the most experimental thing ever done, but I dare to do so within this trip because I am glad that we still have the “Monticle God” who will be always supporting us like an ineffaceable, experienced and spiritual backbone.

Jennifer Wang

To be very honest, I believe that it is very hard not to be at least a bit envious of Michael Fung. It wasn’t until Ryan asked me what my specialties were that the realization dawned on me. I suddenly felt like I couldn’t say that my writing and reflection skills are great because Michael’s blogs are so detailed and long and because of Billy’s comment which I’ll explain later on, and I couldn’t say that I’m great at music and that I love piano because of my previous experiences of inadequacy and everyone’s emphasis of Michael’s violinist skills.

I have so much respect for him because I’ve seen him in action and he really is the real deal, and so very genuine. I enjoy working with him greatly because he keeps me patient when I want to charge in headlong with JJ into some plan that the two of us feel strongly about but on second thought… we really didn’t think through too much. Michael has a certain charisma that makes working with him a pleasurable experience, and even just stepping back to observe him working is amazing because he’s just as effective as us without the need for rushing about.

I’ve been watching him type his blog now for about an hour, and I feel a little (a lot) rankled by Billy’s comment last night on the length of Michael’s blog, and the implied correlation to why he is Monticle’s #1. It stuck in my mind and it plays on repeat to get me down which is really terrible because I really don’t want it there to inhibit me. So I will try and get it out with today’s verbal diarrhea of a blog entry. I used to write so much and so descriptively in the blog whenever I was in charge of it, so I will just let out everything that I’ve been holding back. Let it be known that Jenn Wang has been holding back out of courtesy and compassion for those typing up the blogs and those waiting in line to type up the blogs after me. Now that I have a free computer and time, I’ll just let it all out because I haven’t had enough proper time to reflect on these days besides being generally sad and disappointed in myself.

If you are reading this, thank you for sticking with me so far and I’m terribly sorry for the depressing tones. Truly, I am in a very happy mood and the rest of this blog entry will be filled with positivity because I am proud of the people that I worked with today and I want to share their awesomeness with everybody. Forgive me though, because it has been quite a while since I wrote a real blog post like this (and I’m caught between typing with my regular talking voice with my own idiosyncrasies and my grand general blog “voice.) This will be a bumpy ride, so I’ll try and get this out in a way that makes sense to everybody.

Right now, the students are eating dinner, and I’m still hearing Howard and Justin, the navigators from my amazing Bravo group, explaining the route to some other students and raising the morale. I enjoy watching them interact because it makes me happy to see them accomplish things as well and the satisfaction I feel knowing that I helped facilitate that is definitely worth the feeling of disappointment at not being able to set out today, and the hours of hard work that we’ve put in and idea after scrapped idea, after scrapped idea.

Us Captains started to call our second-in-commands (2IC) “Twixes” because of “Two-IC” and since we always call them over for meetings in plurals, they end up as “Twixes.” It adds a fun spin to things, in my opinion, so I really hope it de-stresses JJ who isn’t as used to the messiness of this sort of planning. Team captains and Twixes went through at least three major planning sessions today, some of which we were under the guidance and counsel of Billy. After these sessions, we ended up scrapping most of our ideas, which was pretty disappointing, but made me all the more determined to find a better solution for things (mostly in regards to the jobs and team arrangements).

I had my hair cut today along with some of the other guys, and I see the symbolism in it too—cutting your hair means change, and I love getting my hair cut. I’m ready to look at things more positively. Later on in the day, Ryan went around the group and wrote down some information on each person in the TransCanada Expedition and I told him that I disliked people who say that there is no solution. I’m a reformed idealist, but I am definitely not a pessimist. We will continue dealing with hiccups that arise, but work together on it and grow as leaders. We will definitely remember to diversify our investments because I saw so much potential in our investments today.

I’m so proud of Howard and Justin who had so many back up plans prepared and were even a step ahead of Billy. That’s my team right there! Bravo, Bravo team!

I felt so accomplished and more than a little smug that I was the only one that knew how to set up the Roots tent. Usually, the practical demonstrations are run by the male leaderships, with me assisting or pushed to the side because I can’t keep up physically. However, this time, I was the only one and they could depend on me and it was all me in the demonstration. Even better, was that the students that I taught in the morning with the setting up and the taking down of the Roots tent then went on to teach other students in the afternoon. And even better than that was that I timed our group and we set the tent up within half an hour when Billy estimated that it would take them a few hours! I am so proud of you, ladies! Honourable mention here goes to Kendra, who always seemed so meek and mild, who stood up and guided other students through the steps who didn’t understand. Crystal, too, who had been working so hard with her meal plan duties was amazing in getting synchronized with the rest of us seven girls and was a big help to setting up our tent.

I’m starting to learn lots more about these people, and their quirky personalities really cheer me up. Each person is different and important to me, and it really motivates to me to make this work. I will not disappoint you. You can place your trust in me because believe me, I will make this happen along with the rest of our Captains and Twixes.