~:[CH8 - Day 68]:~ What the Eye Cannot See

~:[CH8 - Day 68]:~ What the Eye Cannot See

Every year, this week seems like somewhat of a routine. I tour around Manhattan and wander from place to place. Despite how similar the routine every year is, it's never the same. Every group has a different obstacle, they all have their different personalities, and there are always different adventures. As I walked to and from the United Nations building today, I thought about how every turn we make in life, changes what happens in our lives from the people we cross paths with, to the sites that we see. Those are the decisions that impact our lives. I love to see how much delegates grow and learn and while you cannot change everyone, you can instill something in them that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives. They will learn values and traits and will figure out things about themselves in the process. Some will get it right away and others will realize it years down the line, thinking back to this opportunity they had. No matter what they outwardly show, however, the eye cannot see how they have been forever changed by the process, the experiences and the relationships they built over the week. For me, as routine as this trip may seem, I am also forever changed every time I go on this trip. I'll almost never get emotional, it's just not who I am, but it doesn't mean that I am not nervous for them when they go up to speak or proud of all that they accomplish over the course of these three months. We returned with an Award of Excellence, but that could never take place of the rewards that this trip offered them, things that the eye will never see. Tomorrow, it's back to reality, but for everyone, it will be a reality changed by the week that they all had.