by Natoya S.
At first, I saw it as only a get away from the immense stacks of homework and teachers telling me what to do. Excitement rushed through my body as I told my best friend about the three-day trip and a smile danced across my lips as her mom said “Yes! “ to the trip. It was described as an outdoor activity, and I was up for the outdoorsy venture! I wasn’t sure what to expect as I walked through the doors of the airport due to the fact that only four members would be attending the trip. I wasn’t sure if I would stand out like a sore thumb amongst the other attendees, that thought constantly plaguing my mind. As I walked through the airport with Claudia, I was introduced to two boys who were exchanging gestures of love with their father before they depart for their flight. It was a sweet moment of love between the three parties. When we arrived at the gate, we briefly introduced ourselves, but we were still reserved and stuck to the group of people that we already had met prior to the trip.
Skipping past the long flight where I caught some Zs for three hours completely unaware of what was to come from this trip. As we walked out of the airport, the cold weather engulfed us which resulted in many remarks about the unusual weather. Shortly after we met Sean, and he welcomed us with open arms into his home where he treated us to Chicago style deep dish pizza. A smile gracing his face the whole time. We cracked a few jokes and talked about recipes as we ate our bellies full.
After some time, we took a bus to the camp where we would reside at for the next few days. Cold air greeted me as I glanced at the gray bare trees who danced nakedly in the wind. I met my roomies, and they were friendly and welcoming to me. It was so unusual to see opposites being so close together.
Throughout the three days we learned and developed useful leadership skills while acquiring new knowledge about team building skills. It was amazing seeing the smiles of many of the members faces as we were climbing over walls and obstacles.
The camp counselors were funny as they did their dances and sung their songs! Eating family style was a great bonding experience for the members of the team although the food wasn’t the best.
Overall, this experience was amazing, and I recommend that other people should visit.
