A first trip ‘round the world, part 57

What would we say, if someone asked us “Which lifetime lessons did I learn during your stay in Australia and Mt. Buller in 1971?” Part 2. 

JF: 

“Australia taught me a lot! I discovered that the world is indeed a huge place. JP and I learned this first-hand while stuck on an ocean liner for 50 days. This opened up our eyes to the fact that we didn’t count for much on this endless body of water and that enormous planet, and made us feel fortunate to be included in that fabulous adventure.” 

We were also quite young and many of us were immature too. Our curious minds could learn something brand new everyday from our co-workers, the folks we met along the way and also from seeing new places, accomplishing unfamiliar tasks, or experiencing a variety of new situations. 

If someone had asked me to summarize, I’d have said: “I especially gained a huge amount of self-confidence... On snow, my teaching skills were enhanced by working with Gérard and Alexis, I also got to observe what was going on at the Austrian ski school, which broaden my views about instructing. Improving my English on a daily basis was huge, and while I could somehow communicate better, my understanding of Australian culture was still lagging behind and this taught me that culture always stand as a much bigger hurdle than language. Most importantly, I decided that my career would include skiing, international trade and much travel. To cap everything, I realized that I’d never been so happy in my entire life, and to me, this was priceless!”. 

This unforgettable experience would cap what had been the best year of my life! 

Philippe Coutaz: 

Philippe also shares my point of view about our youth and our tenuous maturity. All young males are confronted with that quandary and react in vastly different ways. At times, we wanted to show off in order to state who we were and where we stood as adults. 

Younger than Gérard, Marcel, JP and I, and almost still a teenager, Philippe admits: “I was just 20 and at times I might have seemed abrasive to you guys, but I had to establish my place within a group of boys all older and seemingly more secure than I felt. Under these circumstances, it was hard to be just myself!” 

Just like for the rest of us, Australia was a teachable milestone for Philippe. This experience made him discover that nothing could be a substitute for being absolutely honest with himself in order to becoming a productive member of society, and constructively interacting with others. 

Jean-Pierre Chatellard: 

JP who left us one year ago is no longer with us to tell his side of the story. This is why I took it upon myself to imagine his testimony and kept it for last. Together, JP and I journeyed to Australia. One season strong of coaching in Colorado, he knew the drill, a bit of the culture and spoke English well enough to hit the ground running. 

What did he learn? Let him explain: “First of all, I have to admit that I already knew a lot when I got to Australia, so my learning opportunity was minimal compared to the rest of the team…” 

As you can read, not much room for improvement. Well, over time I’ve realized that JP had built his image of unflappable guy, Indiana Jones type, if you prefer, to insulate himself from peeking into his own soul. I admired his go getter attitude, but now realize that it might have been a facade, as overflowing charisma often hides vulnerabilities... 

Let him pursue: “To a lesser extent, I learned that I could be a coach, a mentor, a cool guy. That came through my experience with JF. I would suggest something and he’d go for it. I’d say ‘let’s jump!’ and he’d reply ‘how high?’. I knew I was on to something and I quickly learn that I could influence others and lead them with my fearlessness, my enthusiasm and my ‘can do’ attitude. Of course, I also learned from JF that, when he listened to his survival instinct, there were limits to my influence…” 

That’s right, JP’s boldness got me out of my shell and somehow, at the right moment, I knew that it was time for me to go on my own.