Friday was our last day together on the water. Today, Saturday, it’s our last day together on this expedition. But with the friendships that have formed over the past 12 days, I wouldn’t bet any money on this being the last encounter of the members of this expedition.
After our lunch in Pembrooke, each of the participants received a participation certificate. Names were called and diplomas were handed out in a rather humorous fashion.
Marie-Michelle took the time to say a few words before we arrived at our first stop. She reminded us that there comes a time in the life cycle of a group where it must dissolve and that it’s normal to feel sad about it or blue for a few days. Especially when you’ve experienced strong emotions, as has been our case.
Some group members had already parted ways in Gatineau, others joined their parents and family members once we arrived at the hotel, others were on a plane just one hour after we arrived. Tomorrow morning, the remainder of the group will go the airport very, very early for their flights.
The goodbyes weren’t easy, but as Mario Bilodeau, one of the founding fathers of the On the Tip of the Toes Foundation, says: “We shouldn’t be sad we’re leaving each other; we should be happy we got to meet each other.”
In the same train of thought, Kamille shared a motto she had heard or read in the past as we were getting of the bus: Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.
As I’ve written before, what happens on the Spanish River, stays on the Spanish River, but I will now allow myself one liberty and share the words the expeditions members chose to summarize how they felt about their experiences, and each of these words deserves a capital letter: River, Exploration, Reflection, Strength, Fun, Gratitude, Luck, Majestic, Speak, Team Work, Commemoration, Accomplishment, Gratitude, Flagibelasté (a freshly invented word illustrating a unique expedition), Transforming, Gratitude, Demanding, Relationships, Fusion, Completion, Attachment.
I’ve probably missed one or two and I’m sorry for that, but, as you can already see, the collection of words chosen gives you a good idea of what happened over these past 12 days.
I’m going to take things a bit further, something I’ll allow myself as the blogger, and tell you why I chose “fusion.”
At the beginning, we were 14 teens, two facilitators, four volunteers and three guides who didn’t know each other much or at all. Twelve days later, we formed a close-knit and generally effective group. A team of 23 individuals forged under the pressure of the water of the Spanish River.
Each of the participants wrote their word on a piece of driftwood collected by Julien and after sharing it with the group, left with it. Along with the bracelets made from the group’s rope, this driftwood will not only serve as a souvenir bust as an anchor to remind them of how the group evolved over the trip and of the strong links that were created.
Below is a collection of photos of the beautiful people that made up our group of participants.
To all the members of this expedition (participants, facilitators, volunteers, and guides, with no exceptions), I hope you, in the words of a famous character of a rather famous series in my time, “Live long and prosper.”
To all those who were patient enough to read my lines, I hope I succeeded in providing you with a glimpse into our adventures on the Spanish River.
Louis-Étienne Prévost
Volunteer photographer-blogger for the On the Tip of the Toes Foundation
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Translated by Anna Tomczyk
In pictures
In pictures
