Social Growth

It was cold and dark, and the walls were covered in a gooey, slimy film. My Caldor-brand sneakers slid with each tenuous step, making me wish I had sprung for the Nikes with the better grip. I reached for the boy in front of me, trying to keep my balance. As we rounded the final corner, we heard squeals of laughter off the cave walls. We had reached Devil's Chimney.

Our guide pointed her light into a small hole in the ceiling and shocked us by picking up the first girl and thrusting her into the hole. The rest of the group followed her, wriggling up the narrow passage and crawling on their stomachs along the mildewed tunnel. As each small, limber student squirmed into the passage, I stepped back, afraid that my stout stature would wedge me in the tight space or that my asthma would cause me to suffocate in the tunnels. Despite much goading and support from my leaders and fellow explorers, I refused to attempt what turned out to be a short, dry, well-lit tour.

Emerging from the cave, I sobbed at my weakness. It was hard to believe that after completing a trek through Krueger Park, South Africa, just days before, I had allowed fear to prevent me from finishing the spelunking expedition. I resolved never to allow fear to impede my actions again. I kept my promise: I wore a friendly face in a Soweto village, climbed to the top of God's Window, and stayed alone in a local family's home to experience their way of life (while the rest of the group was housed in pairs). During the eighteen-hour flight home, I felt proud of my accomplishments despite the rocky beginning.

Since that trip I have maintained a daredevil's sense of adventure both at home and abroad. Despite concerns about my physical condition, I went whitewater rafting and took a hot-air balloon ride over the Rockies. I ate alligator hot dogs, wildebeest, zebra, and ostrich eggs -- and I even rode the ostrich that lay them. I visited Japan, where I learned some travel-Japanese