Living Experience from Summer Camps
“Asian American Camp” was the words that were told to me in 7th grade, April 1999. I was encouraged to go to this camp by family members, church members, and the strongest, my girlfriend. With all of this pressure upon me I wanted to just break away from the world for a while. I was one of those quiet type kids, sat down in class and just did my work. I didn’t really like socializing among the other kids at school, for they were pretty rowdy immature and basically obnoxious to the mind. Camp, well wouldn’t camp be the same thing with the same age children, being rowdy and crazy like zoo animals. My mind was set, yet soon my darling girlfriend changed my mind, by telling me she would take car of me at camp, and wouldn’t let anything happen to me. Like most campers, I went shopping for the according items listed on the papers mailed back to us. Soon my journey would begin, allowing myself to explore experiences I would have never thought of.
The morning of the first day of camp was here, I was to get into the car, and go get dropped off at camp. I really didn’t feel ready for it at all not just yet, the only motive at this point was my girlfriend, I made my promise about going as she asked; I was ready to fulfill it. When I got to camp, there were many teenagers running around in cliques and so on, my nightmare about camp was here. My aunt left me there, by myself, with all my stuff, sitting there on my suitcase while taking in the sights. Everyone else seemed to know one another, but not me; I was a newbie in this field. I walked over to the information booth and got myself orientated, soon I was off to finding my cabin and my roommates. The thought that went through my head were, I hope my roommates are nice and fun, also I wish they accept me and don’t treat me weird because I’m new here. As I entered my room my eyes’ wandered everywhere searching for people, yet knowing I was wishing I would be isolated for a bit; no one was there. I seemed to be one of the first ones there, because only two other sleeping bags were there, thank goodness I thought I have time to dwell on my thoughts and figure out why the heck I was there, and so I took a nap.
I felt a hand on my shoulder; I was scared, my mind thought of many scary things, monster, mad camper, and etc. With these thoughts, I finally realized that I was awake and starring into the glistening eyes of my girlfriend. I was relieved of such an astonishment, she talked to me about what was to go on in about a half an hour, furthermore when she finished she walked off back to her cabin. I was terrified to meet my roommates who were suppose to gather in the cabin for a short meeting and then onto our growth groups; which were group of kids same age and amount of years at camp. After my first meeting with our cabin, I understood that this was our first year at camp, and that everyone was nice. Our cabin talked about how we felt about camp, and I learned that they were just like me. Soon after I went to my growth group, everyone I met there were also very friendly, I was beginning to perceive that maybe the world around me at school wasn’t the world everywhere else.
As the week went on, I learned to understand others with a new perspective. I also understood how to be myself, a little more open and talk a bit more to the people around me. During the week as my girlfriend promised, she took care of me, and also with her care enhanced my experience. At the end of the week everything felt so much like a routine that I didn’t want to change, but of course it was only a week. Everything I experienced that week; I wanted to be able to share it to everyone, the feeling it gave me was impossible to measure and comprehend.
The second year I came back, I knew a little more of what to expect of the camp. I talked to the familiar faces, and had a few of the same roommates. A counselor from before told me about a thing called Meditation, and that they held a session everyday at seven in the morning. As I went through the normal procedures of the first day, I elaborated about what I should try to do this week, what would I do to enhance my experience here. Soon my conclusion would to be, try everything I didn’t get to do before, and if I already did it, then accomplish it once again with new friends. I was eager to meet new people this time, not like the first year I came. I met new and wonderful people, many of them taught me how to play volleyball for I have never played that sport before.
Well as the week was settling to an end I attended all the meditation sessions, and did new things with friends. Yet there was a problem with what I had planned to do; I realized a friend I have met before was mad at me, or well I inferred that she didn’t want to talk to me. I couldn’t go through this far down the week to loose a friend at a place where I wanted to make them. I was then determined to fix that somehow, and also make a few knick-knacks for myself. I spent most of my free time making bracelets for friends that I met there, as it let me question myself about life and what’s so good about it; if I felt I wasn’t a good friend I wouldn’t feel morally right. Unexpectedly it hit me, my friend who I thought was mad at me, took the same bus up, and would have to take the same bus down, and so with that I made arrangements to switch seats with a friend who sat next to her for a bit. Soon the week ended, and I got to do the things I wanted to, soon it was time to go home and put the plan into work. I got onto the bus and sat next to her, we both talked about camp on the ride home, I found out she thought I was mad at her. So we laughed it off and I reassured her of the friendship we had, and if I were mad or so at her I would ask for her to talk it out. That night when I got home, I non-doubtfully was certain that I matured on how to talk about problems with others.
The third time I went is when I think I really made an impact with others. At this time not only did I know the feeling of being a first-timer but also, how others enjoyed support to open up and talk about problems, and also how everyone was different from what I thought of the world. I welcomed all the first time campers and also rejoiced with the vets. During the week many times the new campers couldn’t sleep so I told them old stories of my experience at camp until they finally became weary. I made new friends again, and enjoyed the company of new intellect to give me input about my life questions and theories. As always I did my arts and crafts, this time two leather band bracelets, one for me and one for my girlfriend waiting back at home. This time at the end of camp I felt as if I accomplished something more than just learned new things.
What I’m trying to let you comprehend here is that, I didn’t expect to learn much at all in my first experience. Looking throughout my memories and contemplating about them I have gotten to the conclusion that over those three times I’ve been to camp I’ve developed a tremendous mass of knowledge leading me to perceive ideas and maturely decent from them. The world isn’t what you know so far, but it’s about what you don’t know, and how you can go and understand about it.
