Purpose: My dream is to participate in Naked and Afraid . Naked and Afraid is a reality series that airs on the Discovery channel. It chronicles the lives of two survival experts, a female and male who meet for the first time. These contestants are given the task of surviving naked in the wilderness for three weeks in an assigned location. Prior episodes have been set in Tanzania’s serengeti and Panamanian Island. In order to survive, the two survivalists must produce shelter, clothing, water, and food. I would like to pursue this dream because It would help me reveal a layer of myself. This layer can only be revealed once I am pulled down into the central core of my existence and most raw. I have this intensity about myself and quick mind which makes my entry into new situations a little rough, but I quickly become loyal and supportive. I hope to become loyal and supportive authentically through these experiences.
Lay of the Land: The training that is needed in order to accomplish my mission of being in Naked and Afraid is that of a survival expert. The term “survival expert” is a selfgiven title; there aren’t any qualifications or requirements that enable one to become a survival expert. In order for me to be able to complete this mission, I would have to become a survivalist. Survivalist are people who are actively prepared for emergencies, and have acquired medical emergency training, and is prepared and selfsufficient. Below are three ways I can become proficient in survival: I could take various courses offering skills training in “Bushcraft”. Bushcraft is another word for wilderness training. It is about the acquisition of the skills necessary to thrive in the natural environment. This kind of wilderness training includes skills in hunting, shelterbuilding, fire crafting, etc. I could study everything available on the subject and practice my survival skills in a nonthreatening environment such as the forest preserved until I feel prepared to take on Naked and Afraid . I could do military training at Fort Knox (an Army training facility in Kentucky Louisville), which would give me an excellent foundation on the subject because it would provide me with realistic and extensive practical experience. Survival is a multifaceted term/field and military training provides one with extensive knowledge and experience in several areas. There is a close link between survival and type of training (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) to soldiers and aircrew. SERE is a program that provides military personnel training in evading capture and survival skills. SERE even has a water survival portion in its curriculum. Based on the published portion of SERE, it
seems to have three key part parts in its curriculum: survival and evasion, resistance and escape, and water survival. ( How to Become a Survival Expert, 2016) The survival and evasion portion of the training focuses on skills such as wilderness survival in all types of climate and woodcraft. Woodcraft skills pertain to the forest and/or woods, and making one’s way through the woods. Through this training you’ll learn what is known as emergency first aid, land navigation, and camouflage techniques. The resistance and escape training focuses on resisting and surviving the enemy in the event of capture. The water survival is taught in a separate course, called (PME) Professional Military Education. In PME you learn skills such as ocean ecology, first aid tailored to aquatic environments. ( How to Become a Survival Expert, 2016). James Mandeville is an inspiration of mine in this mission. He is a keen explorer, an exArmy and an Arctic and desert survival expert. His article, “How to become a Survival Expert” provided a variety of ideas and steps on how to become a survival expert, which were extremely helpful. SERE will provides me with the skills necessary to function in extreme conditions anywhere in the world, which is very important considering that I don't know my assigned location for Naked and Afraid until I get there. It could range from the dense harsh land in Namibia to tackling the high altitude and extreme cold of the Himalayan foothills in northern India. I plan on going through the advanced survival training in the military and then further developing my survival skills by putting them in practice. I will set aside regular times for teaching myself about survivalism. I don’t have to go further than my backyard to train myself, which will allow me to translate the skills I have learned and taught myself into the field. By physically going through the motions of rehearsing the knowledge I have gained, I will be testing myself and making sure that I can reproduce what I have learned once I am on the show. Qualifications to join the SERE directly pulled from the U.S Air Force website: Minimum Education High school diploma or GED with 15 college credits ASVAB REQUIREMENTS General QUALIFICATIONS Successful completion of the SERE physical ability and stamina test
Minimum score of 40 on SERE selection model completed in Tailored Adaptive Personality Assessment System
Meet psychological requirements for the SERE Specialist Selection Course
Absence of any speech impediment and ability to read aloud and speak distinctly
Normal color vision and depth perception
Meet FCIII physical and psychological qualifications for SERE Specialists and parachutist duty
Completion of a current National Agency Check, Local Agency Checks and Credit
Completion of 7.5 weeks of Basic Military Training as well as Airmen’s Week
Must be between the ages of 17 and 39
Timeline: May 2020: Graduate from St.Olaf College June 2020: Join the workforce as a biomedical engineer July 2021: Finish paying student loans, and I will celebrate by going to dinner with friends December 2021: Take a leave from work May 2022: Start SERE Training (lasts for 6 months) December 2022: reenter the workforce as a biomedical engineer May 2023: Go on a 1 month camping trip at the Glacier National Park in the Rocky Mountains December 2023: Hike the Thunderbird falls trail in Alaska with a friend April 2024: Go on a hunting trip and refine my skills/knowledge on weaving and primitive tool making by taking a course at the Chicago Weaving School May 2024: Cast for Naked and Afraid by completing the application on < http://metalflowersmedia.com/application/ > June 2024: Winning Naked and Afraid by surviving for 21 days!! Map:
Above is a map tracking my future journey in Naked and Afraid .
Resources/MaterialS: I will need both emotional and financial support from my family and friends. I wasn’t able to find the cost for the SERE training, but I am sure I would be able to afford it with my savings and get sponsors! I won’t be having income coming in when I am completing the SERE training, so I will be relying on the financial support from my family to fund my apartment and utility bills for approximately six months. I want my family and friends to support me in my decision to partake in Naked and Afraid . I hope they understand my reasoning for doing so. NonNegotiable: I am not willing to sacrifice my education and relationships to complete my mission. I would rather use my backup plan instead of losing those thing, which are extremely important to me. If partaking in Naked and Afraid is going to affect my chances of getting employment, considering the stigma associated in being in reality television, I am unwilling to compromise my image. I am willing and prepared to spend as much as necessary to prepare for my mission. I am willing to endure strenuous activities in order to gather the knowledge and skills necessary to survive Naked and Afraid . I am willing to spend as much time necessary into preparing for Naked and Afraid . BackUp plan: The possible obstacles that might delay the achievement of my mission are my education, student loans, and job. I only accounted for the four years I will be spending in college in my plan which skews the timeline above. In 2012, 71 percent of students graduating from fouryear colleges had student loan debt(The Institute for College Access & Success, 2014). The average debt levels for graduating seniors with student loans rose to $29,400 in 2012, a 25 percent increase from $23,450 in 2008 (The Institute for College Access & Success, 2014).
Unfortunately, I am going to have students loans and I have to pay them back. The worst scenario I can imagine as I am pursuing my dream is quitting. I want to be able to make it through those 21 days to the best of my abilities. If I am not able to make it through the 21 days and tap out, my back up plan is to go on the Pacific Crest Trail, also known as the PCT trail. The PCT is a long distance equestrian and hiking trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges. If I am unable to complete the 21 days at my assigned location for Naked and Afraid , my next mission will be to complete the PCT trail. I was inspired by Cheryl Strayed, the author of Wild. Strayed was able to get in touch with inner herself on her journey in the PCT and I want to be able to do the same.
Inspiration:
“A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. Ideas have endurance without death.” ― John F. Kennedy “Au milieu de l'hiver, j'apprenais enfin qu'il y avait en moi un été invincible.” ― Albert Camus , Noces / L'été “All through my life, I have been tested. My will has been tested, my courage has been tested, my strength has been tested. Now my patience and endurance are being tested.” ― Muhammad Ali , The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey “The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear.” Aung San Suu Kyi “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'!” Audrey Hepburn
Works Cited:
Wikipedia contributors. "Naked and Afraid." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia . Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 20 May. 2016. Web. 23 May. 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Naked_and_Afraid&oldid=721926497
Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape. (2016, May 25). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia . Retrieved 06:08, May 25, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Survival,_Evasion,_Resistance_and_Escap e&oldid=721968902
"Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE)." U.S Air Force . N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2016.
<https://www.airforce.com/careers/detail/survivalevasionresistanceandescapesere/ >.
James Mandeville. "How to Become a Survival Expert, by James Mandeville." How to Become a Survival Expert, by James Mandeville . N.p., Dec. 2015. Web. 25 May 2016. <http://www.survivalexpert.com/survivalexpert.html>.
Elise Xavier. "The 13Step Path to Becoming a Better Survivalist." More Than Just Surviving . N.p., 25 May 2015. Web. 25 May 2016.
< http://morethanjustsurviving.com/becomeabettersurvivalist/ >.
The Institute for College Access & Success. 2014. Quick Facts about Student Debt. http://bit.ly/1lxjskr