When I began to think about what I did over winter break, I couldn’t quite remember. It just seemed to meld together with the never-ending COVID-19 time vortex. For many of us, COVID-19 fatigue grew this semester as we had to attend school with little of the social benefits, since most on-campus activities were canceled. I’m not referring to a general or vague feeling of tiredness when I talk about COVID-19 fatigue. In fact, COVID-19 fatigue describes a real set of symptoms that includes lack of energy and being constantly overwhelmed.

However, when I reflected on my winter break, I realized that I still found ways to enjoy the time off from school and get into the holiday spirit. Even though the holidays were different this year, it’s important to remember the positive things that happened through the season.

In December, I visited Union Station’s Home for the Holidays display. The entire Grand Plaza of Union Station was redecorated with lights displays and a train-themed, walk-through village. The walk-through exhibit, which spanned three rooms, was an array of Christmas villages and toy trains that ran throughout all the villages. Each village was from a different historical time period. There was even a train that you could ride through a winter wonderland in the middle of the Grand Plaza, but I was told that was reserved for those 5 years old and under. 

Shortly after finals concluded, I was able to gather with a small group of friends to have some Christmas celebratory fun. We decided to brew a cup of cider and watch the newly released “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical!” starring Matthew Morrison.

Little did I know this would be one of the most unsettling pieces of film produced during our lifetime. Morrison’s drawing upon the Joker as inspiration for his chaotic, and sexual, spin on the character of the Grinch was an unnecessary but “natural” way to end the year. 

As Christmas came and went, I was reminded of how grateful I was to gather, in small groups, with family over the holidays. In a year where so much has been canceled, it was nice to relax and reflect upon what truly matters during this season. 

While ringing in the New Year is often met with much hope and anticipation, that feeling was regrettably absent this year. As the calendar flipped, I think most people greeted the year with a heavy sigh. Notably, this was the first New Year’s Eve I can recall going to bed before midnight. I’ll blame that on the pandemic. 

As always, January flew by, and I was back ordering books and logging onto Zoom before I knew it. There was a time when I hoped that the spring semester of my senior year would be relatively normal. In a way, it has almost been more freeing to accept that this semester won’t be normal. I spent most of the fall semester wishing that the spring would bring all the traditional William Jewell College activities that I could do for the last time, like homecoming and formals. And while there’s nothing wrong to wish for those things and be sad that they won’t happen, I don’t have to spend my time wishing. Instead, I can accept that this will be our normal for a while and commit to living in the present. 

Thirteen William Jewell students, alumni Kelcie Snyder and Professor Dr. Lori Wetmore traveled to Honduras over the 2019-2020 Christmas break to aid in the Village Partners mission trip. The first stop was in Ahaus, Honduras, where we all assisted in the healthcare clinic. This clinic was just one of two in the region of Gracias a Dios. The clinic was developed in 1946 and was employed by one doctor and one nurse at that time. Now, the health clinic in Ahaus is employed by two doctors, one charge nurse, and around eight other nurses. They see about four thousand patients a year. During the mission in Ahaus, we assisted with providing training sessions to go over procedures that the clinic felt they needed teachings on or areas that they wanted to improve their current techniques in. We touched on some procedures and techniques including CPR training with the manikins donated from the Jewell nursing department, ear irrigation and EKG monitoring with recognition of normal and abnormal readings.

Jewell students also dispersed throughout the clinic to shadow the employees to get insight on a different healthcare delivery system and practices that are implemented within their clinic. We were able to view the operation room, the intake of patients, the overall techniques of daily nursing tasks and troubles that they face every day, and infant feeding programs that assisted children in surrounding areas to avoid malnourishment. From Ahaus, we traveled to Boca del Toro, Honduras where the mission was to be a part of the community and experience everyday life in the villages of Honduras. Families within this village adopted each student and we were welcomed into their home every breakfast and dinner. This Village Partners mission trip allowed the group to be immersed in another culture and community to become more culturally diverse.  

Over winter break, the William Jewell College Pryor Leadership Program Fellows set out on their Outward Bound trip to the Florida Everglades. They packed their bags, printed their boarding passes and prepared to put their leadership and team bonding skills to the test.

The Pryor Leadership Program is a three-year program that aims to develop leadership skills in individuals through experiences in the classroom and through vocational and volunteer internships. Participating in an Outward Bound trip is an integral part of the Pryor Leadership Program.The trip allows Pryor Fellows to utilize the leadership skills they learned in their first Cornerstone Course, while also demonstrating their strengths and weaknesses in trying conditions. The Fellows are tasked with paddling across the Florida Everglades, including having to navigate through mud and mangrove trees, without access to common technology.

“The trip was amazing. It was a roller coaster of emotions but I wouldn’t change a thing. This is by far one of the most amazing trips I’ve ever taken for both the growth of myself as a person and for all of the amazing sights you get to experience. This trip has given me a newfound love for nature and all it has to offer,” said Carman Stephenson, sophomore elementary education major.  

Will Schneider, sophomore political science major and another Pryor Fellow who went on the trip, agreed that it was a life-changing adventure.

“Overall it was an amazing experience. I was very lucky to have the group I did, we all seemed to bring something different to the table. Everyday there was a challenge and one of us stepped up and was exactly what the group needed to keep us paddling forward,” said Schneider.

“I learned a lot about my personal physical strengths and my mental strengths. Since we were rowing for almost two weeks straight, it took a lot of physical commitment and strength to get our group to where we needed to be each night. Overall, I think I gained a lot of perspective, on what I have to offer the world and then just to cherish certain luxuries at home because it’s not a normal thing to have them,” said Sydney Bass, sophomore English and Spanish major.

All of the Pryor Fellows can agree that throughout the experience, their bodies and emotions were tested as they encountered challenges and obstacles in their path. However, these challenges provided a chance to come up with solutions and to problem solve with one another.

“I grew so much throughout this experience. You are pushed to your limits physically, mentally, and emotionally – which can show you a lot about yourself. I learned that I am definitely capable of more than I thought!” said Stephenson.

Having to change one’s regular routine can be quite an adjustment and presents many difficulties in new places and environments. The Fellows had to find ways to develop resilience to these difficulties throughout the trip.

“It’s sort of like you go through withdrawal – from foods that you’re used to eating, from knowing the time every second of the day, from people that you depend on, and really just from typical life. But after those couple first days it was amazing, because the worries of drama on the internet or the millions of homework assignments sort of dissipate and I was able to really enjoy the pure nature around me and the really cool people I got to meet,” said Bass.

Stephenson agreed that the change of environment was a challenge for her.

“I would say that the most difficult part of the trip was being pushed so far out of my comfort zone. You are thrown into a new environment, with a new group of people, and taught a new set of skills all over the course of two weeks. I never found myself comfortable on this trip which is both the best and the worst part,” said Stephenson.

The sense of accomplishment that each crew received when they reached their final destinations made all of the challenges they experienced worthwhile.

“The most rewarding parts of the trip were seeing a beautiful sunrise and sunset everyday. They were always something that the group would stop whatever we were doing and just watch. Then the final day of paddling we all raced to the end and when we got there the feeling of accomplishment was a very rewarding feeling because of how hard our group had worked,” said Schneider.

Stephenson also agreed that making it to their final destination was, for her,  the most rewarding part of the trip.

“I can easily say that making it to the endpoint was the most rewarding part of the trip and one of the most rewarding moments of my life. Once you make it to the end you are worn out and tired but you can also be so proud of all you and your crew achieved. It was an amazing feeling to accomplish such a difficult task with a group of people that you truly grow to love and rely on,” said Stephenson.

The skills of the Pryor Fellows were tested, but by working together and staying positive they were able to lead their crews through the wetlands of the Everglades.