Tuesday, July 5th 2011: Day One - Journey to Luther College

The day started off with the bus ride to the Four-H camp. We arrived in Boone around 9 or 9:30 and met our guides at the camp, Dave, Kelsey, and Mason. The group participated in name learning and teamwork games
to start; but soon we walked a ways to the challenge course. The course consisted of problem solving and teamwork activities. My favorite was the exercise in which one lucky group member climbed a ladder-like structure while the rest of the 20 person group grasped a strong tarp that could withstand a heavy weight. The lucky group member then signaled the group before falling backward like a stiff board onto the stringent tarp. 

After the morning of problem solving and teambuilding we boarded the bus again, this time headed toward
Iowa State University in Ames. At ISU memorial union we found a café, convenience store, and subway. The hungry group ate quickly before going on a tour of a part of the school’s campus. After the tour we
met some international and local students from the university and they shared some of their own insight and experiences they have had there. Following the presentation we piled into the charter bus now directed
for Decorah. We stopped briefly in Clear Lake, Iowa, to get a snack, but only briefly because we still had many things planned for the evening. 

Playing a trading game with candy at Luther

We arrived in our final destination at the scenic Luther College around 7, and unpacked our things in our very “basic” rooms. The GYI team then ate a meal of sausage, cheese, and pepperoni pizzas. We explored the campus next; a few of us played Frisbee on the Norse’s American football field. When we came back we watched from the perched lounges’ beautiful view the sunset over the colleges’ steep hills. After playing an economics game we went back to our dorms and congregated in some rooms to play poker and Apples to Apples. All too soon it was time to go to bed and unwillingly we called it a day. It was a wonderful start to a week that none of us will forget.


- Joe Wandro, USA