I had never been both incredibly homesick and happier to be far away from home more than the night I slept on the Mexican coast, tucked behind a beached sailboat as the wind raged on. In my sophomore year of university back in 2025, I along with 14 other students spent the entire month of January navigating the Sea of Cortez by sailboat, cooking and camping under the stars with only two pairs of T-shirts, a jacket, and a trusty pair of fleece pants. I couldn't have felt further from my home in Manila, where everything I needed, and considerably more, had always been within reach. I embarked on a sailing expedition with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), where there was no access to a phone, running water, and no way out but through. Founded in Wyoming in 1965, NOLS teaches wilderness skills, leadership, and a particular outdoor sport..
