¡Hasta Luego Kayak!

A week ago, the students took part in their last paddling experience with the Alzar School. We put in, on the Rîo Fuy, just a few minutes up the road from our lakeside cabañas in Choshuenco. Sean circled us all up for a pre-paddle chant and dance, as is tradition, for every semesters’ last paddle. During the splashy and relaxed paddle of the Fuy, students were able to reminisce on the tremendous progress they have made throughout the semester. Veronica remembered learning how to wet-exit and then having to use that skill on our first day of the Orientation Expedition in August. Mimi and Grace commented on the discomfort and newness of everything during that first week. Now, students are able to practice their rolls with confidence in themselves and their partners. They have led instructors through rapids, and can make it through an entire run without anyone swimming. The students even encountered some spicy challenges during this last paddle. Ned proposed that his group go through the last rapid backwards and close their eyes during the final few ripples.
Finally, the whole group flushed out into Lago Panguipulli and paddled back to shore, with smiles on their faces, as the sun began to set. It was a picturesque afternoon, that made our progress in paddling and our growth as a community abundantly clear.