Q: What day on your Outward Bound course was your favorite? The penultimate day was my favorite. We hiked up a mountain along a ridge not because we needed to be there for any specific purpose, but because we simply could. We hiked from six in the morning to about 11:30 for the sole purpose of eating lunch at 14,000 feet in elevation. Everyone was excited when we got there, and because we were so high up, we could easily see the majesty of the Rocky Mountains.
Q: What is the funniest thing that happened on course? So many funny moments happened on the trip, it’s hard to focus on a single moment. A lot of comments people said about the situation we were in were pretty funny
Q: What moment on your Outward Bound course are you most proud of? When we were given our graduation pins, Stephen picked me first, and complimented me because I had acted as the group motivator. He said, even though I could keep up with the leaders of the group, I brought up the rear and encouraged those who were having a tough time to keep going, or else we were never going to get home.
Q: How did you react when you found out you were
going on an Outward Bound course filmed by The Real World?
When I discovered that I was going to be going on an Outward
Bound trip and was going to be filmed on The Real World 18,
I was ecstatic; there was no other word to describe how I
was feeling. I had always really wanted to go hiking and camping
far away from civilization, where there was nothing that could
interrupt me from the experience. The prospect of being on
television was just an added bonus.
Q: What’s it like to have camera’s filming
your every move? It’s really eerie to have
all of these nameless, voiceless people continuously walking
around filming us. When first cameras came up to us, I was
startled at how many camera people there were. Once, at the
very beginning, we were sitting in Subway and being surrounded
by cameras and mics was so uncomfortable for me, that I squeaked
when the mic moved to hover in front of me. So, if you hear
a squeak randomly during that part, it was me.
Q: What was most challenging about your Outward Bound course?
How did you overcome it? I had never seriously gone
hiking before Outward Bound, and I had underestimated the
endurance it would take. Instead of show my discomfort and
discontent, I figured out that my problem was subconscious,
and I told myself I would be fine as long as I kept control
of my actions and thoughts. After this, I was tried to make
sure that a negative thought never entered my mind.
Q: What would you say to another student getting ready
to go on an Outward Bound course? I would tell them
to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I had some
highs and lows on this trip. But, I tried not to let my emotion
show, and instead, I focused my energy on helping others get
through whatever was going on it their heads.
Q: Who was your favorite Outward Bound intern (a.k.a.
Real World Roommate) and why? My favorite intern
was without a doubt, Stephen. He was strong-willed, very kind,
and seemed to be the voice of reason in the group. It was
obvious that he was the one that pressed for order in the
RW house, and he had a strong presence.
Q: What was your favorite meal? My favorite
meal was the last one; I had helped cook that day and we made
pizza that had a lot of the leftover foods on it. A lot of
the food was really good for having neither an oven nor a
microwave. But we did have a lot of tuna on the trip, tuna
in the rain, tuna in the hail, tuna at 14,000 ft, tuna on
a tortilla, tuna with mustard because mayo doesn’t do
well without refrigeration… TOO MUCH TUNA is my only
mountain food complaint. It didn’t help that before
we drove the two hours to our first campsite, we stopped at
Subway and I ordered a tuna sub. I literally suffered from
tuna overdose; seriously.
Q: What was the coolest thing you saw while on course
in Colorado? On the last day, we got up at 4:30 per
my misguided suggestion, and I saw the most beautiful sunrise
I had ever seen. It was pink and orange coming over the mountains.
Q: How is your life different now that you have gone
on an Outward Bound course? I now know how to handle
situations and people better and with more skill. I also value
my microwave, cell phone, and the flat ground of New Orleans
more than ever.
Q: Have you kept in touch with any of your coursemates?
Yeah, I have spoken to some of them after the trip, but not
as much as I’d like to. I hope something in the near
future brings us all back together.
Q: Is there anything else you want to share with us?
The only thing I regret about the trip is not writing in my
Outward Bound journal every night. I know I couldn’t
possibly record everything that had happened in a day, but
I would have a clearer picture of everything that occurred.
Even though I have no personal written records, my memories
of Outward Bound are priceless, and I will cherish them forever.
Jessica: 
