Awkward Introvert Stories

A Introvert Ski Trip Gone Wrong

Caution: for introverts, this is a horror story of extroversion, like a cabin in the woods horror story, proceed wisely!

As a college student, I decided to join a recreational sports team to learn a new skill and meet some new people (I know! How very social of me!)

Well, this is my freshman year. This is a short over-night trip right after fall term. The mountain has fresh snow! I joined the nordic ski team (cross country skiing) because it's like ice skating and running combined and I thought,

'Why the heck not?'

Turns out, there are a lot of reasons why I should have not.

We rented a van and met up at 6 in the morning to go to the mountain. And from that point on I had no privacy whatsoever! *dun dun dun!!!!*

 ..........for 48 hours.        *GASP!*

I can deal with being in a cramped van of people, I can just go into my head because most people end of sleeping. But I'm excited for this trip and I end up wasting precious social juice on talking to the people upfront.

We get to the ski area after having picked up our discount rental skiis (college perks!) and the newbies get taught by one of the experienced members.

Nordic skiing is hard. Just remember that when someone invites you.

I enjoy learning it, even though the sunny weather has turned into a blizzard and we're all freezing. 

So we head back to town, all very cold and tired, and go to the grocery store. Mind you, I'm with college students so you can imagine that all the beverages they purchase are alcoholic. Luckily we bought food. Everyone is cranky because other people are running around and not following the plans. I just want to eat some food and sleep. (I've also discovered I'm not particularly fond of any of these people and would rather not have to talk to them too much. They didn't like LOTR or get any of my Harry Potter References!!!)

We finally get to our rental place (made cheap by the power of many people paying for it). It takes forever to get everything in, but by the end I have the small bed under the stairs, Harry Potter Style, and someone has put Mr. Bean the movie on in the living room.

I'm thinking 'this isn't too bad, we'll watch some bad movies, eat some food, and sleep'

sigh......

We do eat some food, and they break out the many, many beers they bought. (I don't really care for alcohol, especially beer (that stuff is nasty), so I don't take any) Then they notice I'm not drinking. How rude of me...? I've never understood the social bond of infusing your blood with chemicals but apparently they were very unhappy that I didn't want to drink. So I grabbed a bottle of beer and pretended to sip at it. Don't give into peer pressure! (I pretended too in order to appease them (because I need to get along with them until I get home, then I'm free))

When it was my turn for the shower, I dumped half of it down the drain and hoped that no one was keeping an eye on my drink.

After the movie, they decide they want to go to the candy store. There is no way I'm getting in a van driven by some buzzed people in the dark on a icy road so I stay back with the potheads.

yes, this trip just keeps getting better and better. *obvious sarcasm is obvious*

I do the dishes and try to have a civil conversation with some girls who are going to get high outside.

I'm exhausted so I sit in my Harry Potter den while they're outside and I enter Tolstoy's world of 'Anna Karenina'! I dance in Russian ballrooms until the candy store escapade comes back. I'm relieved they haven't killed themselves.

Then we all get together and watch 'The Blues Brothers'.

Now you might be saying, 

'That doesn't seem so bad!'

However, I have been with these people since 6 in the morning and I would very much appreciate some alone time, which I get at 11 when we all go to bed. Yet for those of you who loose energy from being around people know that getting sleep is not the same as mentally charging by yourself. I am utterly drained from this day, physically and emotionally.

I fall asleep and then wake up.

Time to talk to people! 

The weather is really bad the next day but we still drive up the mountain, and try to cross country ski.

Let's just say that when we were done, I had ice growing on all my clothing and some of the girls had to carefully thaw their hair so it wouldn't break off with the ice.

Apparently that can happen.

Any-who, insert a 4 hour long car ride with a bunch of people I don't enjoy talking to on an icy road and an extreme social exhaustion settling over me.

Moral of the story: be careful with who you go on skiing trips with (especially if you are a college student that doesn't like to party)

However, I really enjoyed learning a new sport, that part was great!