Rediscovering Innocence

There is one feeling that the young people here all have in common: the feeling that they had to grow up and mature very quickly. With illness, it’s almost as though a part of their childhood was never fully experienced: the part filled with innocence. The freedom to be silly without being judged, to laugh out loud for no particular reason, to play, create, learn, invent, and try new things without always having to think about the consequences of their choices.

Last night by the fire, Loïs shared this new need he has for this experience. He explained how he feels, and Julien summed it up in two words: rediscovering innocence. Marshall confirmed that he feels the same need. The group was unanimous, so we decided to add it to our expedition values and intentions.

The timing couldn’t be better because, at the same time, the guides and facilitators decided that we would take a day off to rest, let our things dry, and have some fun.

So today, we’re staying right here on our big beach and enjoying life!

We get to sleep in a little (one hour later than usual) and wake up to “Stand by Me,” beautifully performed by a brand-new band.

During breakfast, a few of the young people learn to play the ukulele. Everyone takes the time to savour every sip of their warm, comforting drink. Time is relative. We simply follow the rhythm of the present moment.

The weather is beautiful, so we take the opportunity to do some laundry and lay out our clothes to dry. Outdoor Laundry 101: the facilitators set up the different stations and explain how to wash our clothes without getting soap into the river. Since the beginning of the expedition, we’ve learned and applied many principles about how to behave and live responsibly at a campsite.

Our tasks for the day are done. Time for an afternoon in the water! We start with a short lesson on river morphology, followed by some river swimming practice. Everyone takes part.

Over the next few days, we’ll have to perform some slightly more technical canoeing manoeuvres. So we use this beautiful playground around us to practise crossing the river, doing eddy turns, peel-outs, and more.

To become more comfortable in the canoes and improve our agility, we play canoe polo (I’m not entirely sure that’s actually what it’s called, but it was so much fun, haha!).

I’m running out of words to describe the atmosphere and everything we’re experiencing here. Friendships are forming, the group is becoming more and more united, memories are taking shape in our minds, and these people are taking up more and more space in our hearts.

Back on our beach, we find out that we’re having a very special dinner: homemade pizza. The ingredients and dough are prepared by our two chefs, Samy and Elisabeth.

The sun sets in front of us, the water sparkles, the embers are perfect, and we cook our pizzas one by one over the fire.

Tonight, I go to bed with my mind filled with images of the young people laughing, splashing each other, encouraging one another, feeling proud of themselves, playing, having fun, and telling each other stories. I go to bed filled with all the joy that came from what we experienced today.

It was a special day, my favourite one so far: a day of innocence rediscovered.

Geneviève

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