Part of the new student orientation has begun. NOVA is here. The NOVA leaders are packing up the trailers and getting the vans ready to head out with the first couple of groups that are here.
For those wondering what NOVA is, it is a 4 to 5 day wilderness experience. It is part of new student orientation. What happens in NOVA? Well, you are out with 10 other incoming students on a trip that you have chosen. You have two NOVA leaders per trip who are trained students that serve as guides and are trained to handle pretty much any situation in the wild. Pretty awesome, huh? Well this is an opportunity where current Unity students get to show their leadership and serve future students transition to the college life here at Unity.
There are several different trips that are available from kayaking to canoeing to backpacking. So whatever the trip may be you bond with a couple of other people, live the same experience, cook and eat the same food, and even smell a little funny too. It is all ok though because, at the end of the day you are all in it together and you are having fun.
I remember my NOVA experience. I loved it. I went on the 100 mile wilderness on the Appalachian Trail. I met people from different states and also a student from Germany. We had to evacuate someone because they had a spider bite that was not looking to good. We hiked 8 to 9 miles a day. We even went on a solo hike which was nice. I thought my NOVA leaders were cool. They knew so much about different plants that were edible and wild. I saw my first moose and a huge leech. It was a great experience. It was a neat way of meeting my fellow classmates.
