Final Reflections

Over the course of the two days of the project, I endured the cold, rain, and wind. In the grand scene of things, my experience was only a minor display of hardships. However in doing this project, I gained a strong sense of understanding and appreciation for elements of my life that I may have previously overlooked.


It has been a week now since my project came to an end, and for the most part it's back to business as usual. It took me a couple days to get used to being back in my regular life. I especially had difficulties getting used to people not staring at me. For a day or so, I had a strong feeling I was being watched and I was uncomfortable being around crowds. Soon enough this went away, but it made me realize how painful being outcast from society can feel.

On a personal level, I have tried to remain more aware of the world around me. I always try to stop for a few moments a day and just take in my surroundings. I try to notice the little things as I go about my routine. Most of all I place immense value in my conversation and interaction with other people. Personal connections with others are a great gift to have.

For the most part, the response has been almost all positive from people. Once people understand what my reasons behind the project were, they usually approve of it. I have continued to stay in touch with a few of the people I met while doing this project, and I think by far that is the best result of the whole experience. I have even had a few people walk up to me and ask "Were you the guy in the box?" to which I chuckle and smile.

All in all, if I could do this all over again I would (with a better shelter hopefully). The project has put a number of things into perspective for me. I've only scratched the surface of what I learned through this experience. Many things I've taken away from it I doubt I could even put into words. My hope for the reader if you take anything away from this experience yourself, is to take moment to look at your own life. Appreciate your strengths as well as your flaws, and simply recognize who you are.

Ryan