In a world where we are so dependant on our phones and the internet, I always felt that there was something to watch or read on my phone that would be more useful and fun than simply walking outdoors. And the few moments where I was filled with nostalgia thinking of the times when I was a kid and played in fields of grass, longing to experience that feeling once again, I always thought I was too busy and didn't have the time to do so.

Doing DofE, however, changed my view.. I never realised that being with my friends, walking in silence when we were too tired to talk, breathing in the fresh air, surrounded by endless fields, half-worried that we were lost, would somehow fill me with a sense of unknown peacefulness. I never realised that walking for hours and hours, a heavy bag on my back, phone nowhere in sight, would actually bring me comfort.

As I walked among the plants, the wildlife on my Bronze Duke of Edinburgh, I remember just appreciating life, away from the stresses that consume my everyday schedule. Rather than feeling like Teertha, who has her English coursework due in a few days, who has a Karate grading next week, I felt like just another living creature, somehow immune to the construct of time.

I began thinking about concepts, questions that I don't have the time or mental liberty to think about at home. I began to feel a sort of disjunction from my normal life, as if I had adopted a new self that would only be uncovered in the outdoors. A self where all the negativities of life were left behind, it was just me, the sound of footsteps, a rumbling tummy, and serenity.

As I am writing this I am doing my silver DofE so hope that, when the pandemic has significantly reduced, I can once again experience that feeling during my expedition. Especially at the moment as I am doing my GCSEs, thus going through an even more stressful period where I would benefit even more from a long walk outdoors, but have no time.

I hope I can feel like that again.