Personal Narrative: A Personal Experience On My Life

I was born and raised in New York City and lived there until the summer of 2008. In the 14 years of living in New York City, I had numerous events that influenced my life. Each event serves as a memory of something that once was. Trying to decide which memorable event from my past to write about is difficult because many of the events in my life have shaped me into the person I am. To narrow down an event, I am choosing to write about my experience of attending Green River Preserve summer camp located in North Carolina, where I learned to appreciate nature and all the living things around me.
One of the most significant experiences in my life occurred at Green River Summer Camp. Growing up in New York City, I was not exposed to very much nature.

The closest I came to hiking was walking up my steep, paved street. The closest I got to the woods was going to the park up the street. In addition, the closest I got to wildlife was visiting the zoo or circus occasionally. I was not allowed to swim in the ocean because of pollution and sharks. I usually attended the YMCA to go swimming or waited for summer to come so I could go to the public pools or play in the fire hydrants. The city sidewalks were lined with manicured saplings, not towering full-grown trees.
My summers were usually spent either two ways, one, attending YMCA camps where we played games on dusty sports fields and held dances indoors; and two, staying at home and doing my required summer readings.

My experiences at the YMCA camps were very enjoyable. I rotated every year between Camp Speers Eljabar, which was located in the Poconos and Frost Valley, which was located in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. Being YMCA camps, most of the children were from major cities. Most of the kids had never been out of their city before coming to camp. Camp Speers Eljabar was the first camp I attended, and there, I learned how to make friendship bracelets and roasted my first ever marshmallows. Frost Valley was the hub for New York City kids. Frost Valley was not considered a camp in my experience looking back now, because all we did was socialize. At the YMCA camps, we did occasionally go out on overnight excursions in the woods, but a snake would bite someone or a child would have an anxiety attack and we would have to cut the outing short. Looking back, the camping experiences I received from both Speers Eljabar and Frost Valley were extremely

sheltered.
I was used to the routine of going to YMCA camp or staying home for my whole summer because I had been doing the same routine since I was five. It worked for my family and I. Then, in the summer going into 6th grade, this familiar routine was abruptly interrupted when my mother announced that I was going to a new camp. As she described this new camp, I became angry. Each year that I attended my YMCA camps, I forged better bonds with friends that I had known since I was younger. Moreover, not going back would hurt those bonds because my camp friends and I did not talk throughout the school year. My mother explained that I was going to have to sleep out in the woods for days at a time, use the bathroom in the woods, climb mountains, and hike long trails just to take a shower. As a city kid, this was foreign to me and I did not want to go. She insisted that I would enjoy myself and forced me to pack my bags. I had a lot of doubt about going because I did not know anyone there and the camp was located deep in North Carolina. The anticipation of leaving hit me like a ton of bricks. My mom told me I was leaving for the new camp 3 days before I had to attend. I had to pack that night of the big news and the next morning go out and buy the rest of my supplies.
The drive down took around 12 hours. Being cut short for time, we made only one stop. My parents drove straight through while my brother and I slept in the car. When we woke up the next morning, we were 5 miles out from the camp. The drive felt extremely long, but as soon as I fell asleep, time passed by rapidly fast. My anxiety and nervous jitters already started to kick in and all I wanted to do was turn back around and go home. When I first arrived at Green River, the feeling was completely different from any other camp I had ever attended. The air smelled fresh. The lake was serene. The land was lush and green, surrounded by hemlock and mixed-oak pines. At my other camps, the air reeked of exhaust. The grass, if there was any, was dull and brown. The staff made you feel more like a burden than an actual camper. At Green River, the camp directors immediately made me feel at home, like I was already a part of this new, special community. I started crying when I had to leave my parents, but the directors assured me that by the end of the night, everything would be much better.
My first night away was difficult because I only saw my brother once, and he seemed to be adjusting better than I. Usually at our other camps, we would hang out for most of the camp session and were only separated when it was time to sleep. The first night away ended with all the campers walking to the Upper Council campfire area. At the Upper Council area, we brought spirit stones that we decorated with visions we wished to come true. Even though the first night was difficult, I looked forward to counting down the remaining 20 days that were left. The next day was filled with meeting other campers, learning how to fly fish, finding fun extracurricular activities geared towards my likes, not ones picked for me, as well as going on my first hike.
In the beginning, I was miserable but after completing it and seeing how far up and how beautiful the scenery was below, I was proud.

As a city kid, I never thought in a million years that I could do something like that. Each day at Green River was a surprise. My third day away I was provided with mentors who led me on longer hikes through the Blue Ridge Mountains, and who taught me about the flora and fauna of the land. I ate fresh blueberries for the first time on my second time ever hiking. Green River Preserve was not just about the camping experience but also about the experiences of respecting yourself, the ones around you, and the land you live on. Each night we gathered around and sung camp songs. When we returned to our cabins, we explain how our days went through Rose, Bud, and Thorn. Rose is the highlight of your day, Bud is what you are looking forward to the next day, and Thorn is a bad part of your day. We hugged one another and told one another compliments, which I truly enjoyed. In the morning, before we entered the dining hall, we would wake up as a cabin and meditate together. After meditation, we had to do a quirky activity of some sort, and the quickest cabin went in first. Plastered in the main lodge of Green River were the Woodcraft Laws. There are four laws: The law of Beauty is described as being clean for both yourself and the place you live in, as well as understanding and respecting your body because it is the temple of the spirit. Be a friend of

all wildlife, converse the land, forest, and rivers. The law of Truth is described, as word of honor is sacred. Play fair. Foul play is treachery. Be reverent. Worship the Great Spirit and respect all worships of him by others. The law of Fortitude is described as being brave. Courage is the noblest of all attainments. Be silent while your elders are speaking or otherwise show them deference. Obey. Obedience is the first duty of the woodcrafter. Lastly, the law of Love is described as being kind and doing at least one act of unbar gaining service each day. Being helpful and doing your share of the work. Be joyful and seek the joy of being alive. The Woodcraft Laws were instilled in myself from the first time I heard them and each day at camp, I strived to stay true to them.
The 21 days away at camp passed by quicker than I thought. It was hard leaving a place where everyone was kind to go back to a place where people were unfriendly. I came away from Green River Preserve with a newfound appreciation for the little things in life. Having to find water to drink was not an easy task, if I wanted a sip of water, I had to go down to the stream and filter it. After each meal, I had to dig holes to hide our scraps from bears. It was hard work. Nevertheless, living out in nature helped me get in touch with the earth for the first time and I learned how to live in harmony with it. Growing up is inevitable process, and it served as a huge loss when, upon entering high school, I became too old to continue at Green River. Green River Preserve had a camp for High School Children but it was different. Growing too old for GRP was terrible. I missed my family there and never went back to visit, but I still carry the lessons today and values I learned at Green River, as well as the community I found and was fortunate to have become a part of.