Bonding Over “The Talk”

Written by Talia Smith, 2015 India: Himalayan Adventure.

Bonding is typically initiated over comfortable topics such as “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” or 90s pop music. But not with this group! Our bonding started immediately after our first meal in India when we talked about “flying 7s”. What are those, you ask? Simply put, it’s the type of diarrhea you will always remember.

Now for the first few days we were able to avoid it, but the honeymoon period didn’t last long. Our flying 7s started when we reached Dharamsala and after our hike to Triund. That’s when the bonding really began!

Since we were camping out that night, the only toilet we had available to us was the great outdoors: the steep, lush, and rocky mountain side. It was just inevitable that we would have to help each other out in the excretion process. I’m not sure what other OG teams around the world are experiencing, but there was a group of us who had a poop circle going on at one point! It was hilarious and there was a point while we were squatting that we started peeing our pants in laughter because of just how ridiculous the moment was (but not literally peeing our pants cuz you know, they were rolled down…so just peeing).

Now that we are all happy and healthy, we’ve been reflecting on this crazy experience and think about how it’s made us so much more comfortable with each other, especially regarding our bowel movements – an often taboo or at least uncomfortable topic back home. This led to all of us being comfortable enough to be ourselves completely without fear of any judgement. It created for us a safe space, which is key for a truly cohesive group.

I’m not sure if every OG team has the “Poop Talk”, but I think it should be a mandatory part of every team bonding experience because it will bring you closer. Maybe even closer than you expected or hoped for…