As suffers of asthma know, breathing anywhere can be potentially difficult. However, when you add on some hiking, cold air, and an elevation of 14,500 ft, the story can become a lot more complicated.  Along with an inability to breathe well, there are many other symptoms of altitude sickness as well, including headaches, diarrhea, dizziness, and nausea (forgive the blunt language as we are simply trying to paint a realistic picture to those at home in a more comfortable elevation).  Let us just state one more time; it is hard to breathe.  So as we lumber around, panting for breath and staring jealously at those with healthy immune systems, we would have to be quite oblivious not to realize that our health predicaments have affected the group dynamic. In a class of only twelve students, having two people sit out makes a big difference. And for this reason exactly, we decided to write a blog.

In any typical classroom experience, when team members miss days of work or research, there is a general attitude of frustration among the class. However, with this CAUSE class, our fellow classmates have been nothing but supportive and nice (at least to our faces). Offering us water, letting us physically lean on them, and getting us Ibuprofen and Pepto-Bismol are only some of the services they so kindly provided for us. Not to mention a professor always stayed behind with us to assess our mental and physical conditions. As a result, we (Sonia Kaufman and Sara Tomko) were provided with the most comfortable, and most miserable two days of this trip.

Yet, it is not only the positive attitudes that caused us to feel admiration towards those students with healthy immune systems, it was the overall concern and care they demonstrated towards their fellow classmates that we want to applaud. We have all grown and worked together in ways unimaginable prior to this trip to Peru. Not to mention, we have supported each other through ups and downs by consistently referring to ourselves as a ‘fam.’ As corny as this may sound, this trip has taught us more about research, friendship, and group cooperation more than any of us could have thought possible. As we sit here, high above sea level, wheezing our way through the day, we realized we are actually quite lucky. Here’s to many more adventures in Peru, Alaska, and our cozy town of State College.  We truly have become a family.