A Travel in Time and Space
By Gianna Gkioni, Greece
On the day of the 30th of June my alarm went off at 4 o’clock. Our task for that morning was to watch together with my SUSI friends the sunrise from one of America’s greatest wonders: The Grand Canyon in Arizona, homeland of 11 tribal communities and connection to the Colorado with a history of 2 billion years. The Grand Canyon is very popular with tourists, attracting 6 million visitors per year. We all had high expectations; however, nothing could prepare us for the marvel that awaited us once we visited one of earth’s most beautiful landscapes.
When we all gathered, we started walking towards the canyon and solemnly tried to take in the breathtaking view and the peaceful tranquility of our surroundings. We watched the sunrise with almost religious wonderment. It was one of the most magical things I’ve ever witnessed, a beautiful ode to nature.
The best part, however, started when we started hiking the Grand Canyon along the Bright Angel Trail, which follows a path that Native Americans and 19th-century prospectors took into the canyon. That was when we started experiencing the canyon instead of just witnessing it. With the support of our guide Raleigh, we immersed ourselves into the beautiful landscape and we dove deeper and deeper into it. We hiked for 3 hours, more than 5 miles, absorbing the supreme beauty of the landscape with every step.
Hiking in the Grand Canyon brought me closer to an understanding of the philosophy of the native Americans and their affinity to nature. Immersion conveys a feeling of awe and admiration for nature which hosts us and a feeling of gratitude for the animals that share this land with us. All that morning we were walking ecstatically mesmerized by the beauty that surrounded us, trying to capture with our eyes the images and treasure them forever.
This experience has left us with a sense of how small and insignificant we and our human issues are in relation to the vastness of nature but also at the same time how strong we can be for managing to overcome our personal boundaries even for a little bit and pursue this physical and sometimes mental challenge.
All opinions expressed by the program participants are their own and do not represent nor reflect official views from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, or of the Institute for Training and Development, Inc.
