Personal Narrative

On a humid afternoon, I remember sitting on that old renovated school bus, wearing denim shorts and an old tee, completely soaked in mucky water from head to toe. When my mom told me about the weeklong adventure camp that was completely free for military dependent kids, I suppose I was unprepared for the level of adventuring in store. With her dad stationed in Alaska, my best friend Yarish also came with me to Clemson, South Carolina where it was held in July 2012.
It was our first real day there, as we had gotten dropped off the following evening, and the agenda that morning called from canoeing. Neither of us had experience with maneuvering watercrafts, but that calm, sunny morning we began without hesitation. There were about fifteen

other canoes with a pair of campers in each, with a camp leader canoe at the front and back of the pack. Yarish and I despised the thought of tipping over the canoe and falling into the chilly water, so we were hesitant- ending up near the end of the train of canoes. After switching positions so that she was now in the back steering and I was in the front powering, we began to get the hang of things. We never tipped it over, but learned quickly that horrendous, assumingly inhabited spider webs covered the banks of the river. A few miles downstream, our group stopped at to eat lunch on a wide sandy beach-like area. We sat in the blue, beached canoe eating our peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches, apples, trail mix, and water in contentment. After about thirty minutes it was time to go, and overcast had brought shade. About five minutes into the rest of our journey down the river, the rain began.
These raindrops were unlike anything I had ever experienced- what started out abruptly and profoundly, would not cease.

I forgot we were in South Carolina and presumed we were in a South American tropics rainforest at this point. The pack was moving faster after the crackling thunder threatened us directly overhead, and more power was needed from my end of the canoe to keep up. Our own canoe was quickly getting heavier, as it filled nearly halfway up with the huge raindrops that would not stop pouring. We were getting weighed down, and soon we were the last pair before the counselor’s canoe. They signaled to us to try to latch our boats together, so that the water could be scooped out. Once I grabbed ahold of theirs, our latched canoes veered left and Yarish & I’s slammed into the banks, knocking dozens of monstrous spiders into the freshwater of our boat. In a state of anxiousness and completely soaked, we soon found another beach-like area and tipped over the wooden canoe, releasing its water contents and arachnids. After that, my arms turned to noodles as we tried to catch up with the rest of the group. The skies cleared just before we reached our exit point, which was over seven miles from where we started that morning. We drug the canoe up the steep hill and unto a carrier before boarding the bus. Everyone’s shoes squeaked while walking down the narrow bus aisle. With the start of the engine, I closed my eyes; head leaned against the vibrating window, completely

exhausted. Once we got back to the basecamp, I was never so thrilled for a common shower room and loading myself into an unfamiliar bunk bed. The only thing on my mind before my slumber was if the remainder of the week would be this insane, and if so how I was going to make it.
Luckily, the rest of the camp experience was not nearly as traumatizing.

We got to know the other campers more through playing ultimate Frisbee outside and variations of tag in the gym the following day. We also bonded racing go-karts and playing video games. It was interesting bonding with other kids not from my town that understood what it was like to have a parent deployed- to send care packages and Skype as much as possible with drastic time differences. There was a rock wall that I mastered, after watching many others. Everyone else maneuvered the belaying rope system for the person climbing, inciting trust between the group. The next day, we went hiking and rock climbing on a natural rock slope. Whereas the manmade before one was straight up and down with artificial rocks, this one was strange and had a somewhat gradual slope and nearly smooth surface. It wasn’t what I expected, and on the climb up I was feeling quite confident. Then standing at the top, looking down at the rest of the group, higher than I had realized, the venture down was a little more intimidating. It was exciting and meals with the group were nearly always the same food but great bonding each day. There was a fair skinned brunette named Rachel, and a tall red headed boy called Zane that Yarish and I bonded with most. Overall there was a great vibe between the entire dozen boys and seven girls. Every night we had a campfire, around which we played hilarious games and let ours walls down to each

other. Laughing over s’mores, I realized how many more people shared similar experiences to me in this sense with deployed parents. It was incredibly humbling being around this group, and it made me enjoy every activity and adventure while at camp.
In the middle of our week there we headed out on a road trip to have a night of camping. As my one and only camping trip to date, I wasn’t exactly thrilled about this mission, but of course was willing for the experience. On the way, we stopped at Sliding Rock, a waterfall that kids rode down- splashing into the eight-foot natural icy pool. The water was freezing but we stood in line as many times as possible and had a blast. We talked about our lives back home with the others while waiting and bonded with goose bumps and dripping hair. Some people didn’t get in because of the temperature, but I knew I was making the most of my time here- even when I was changing into dry clothes in a dingy public restroom. After that we stopped at a fishery for a tour. The endless amount of fish in each pool was sickening, but made me appreciate being born human. We then ate our usual lunch and got back in the bus, driven yet again by Crazy Susan (Our own counselors called her this).
The sun was drifting down the horizon leaving cotton candy skies until fading into darkness, and time passed slowly but I was unaware of how long we were riding or where we were really going. Yarish and I sat in the middle of the bus, and I was sitting next to the window. We both had our headphone in listening to music. Once the darkness really set in, everyone became slightly restless and anxious to get there, so we stopped at a random campground to use the bathroom and stretch out. As we pulled around the circular loop, there was a thud and jolt above the back right tire. We got out and inspected, and underneath the bus laid an enormous tortoise. It had a cracked shell, a hurt limb, and was stuck helpless in a puddle of blood. We ran to tell Crazy Susan, but she denied hitting it despite the evidence. We felt horrible for it, but just tried not to look and ignore the sight by sitting at the curb elsewhere. The thought of death-our dads in the Middle East when as explosion occurs- raced through my mind, and perhaps others. We changed the subject from dying turtles to home life and childish subjects. The adults in charge were stalling, but they had gotten us lost and had no idea how to get to their particular camping location. After about thirty minutes, they loaded us back into the bus, where we road for at least another hour. At first I tried to shut my eyes to get some rest, but soon some of the boys started singing popular songs together a few rows back. Almost instinctively everyone joined in as we sung along to songs by Drake and other pop stars. We really bonded through this little action together, and it was nice to be so pleasant despite the circumstances as the week was concluding. By the time we got to the campground, it was well past one in the morning. (We weren’t allowed to have our phones so I had no way of being precise.) We quickly set up our tents, brushed our teeth in the uncleanly kept bathroom, and climbed into our sleeping bags with the pure mountain air in our lungs before drifting to sleep.
We rose early the next day with the sun, despite the prior night’s late endeavors. Breakfast was held under a large pavilion nearby on the grounds, before heading back to Clemson. Most of us slept on the bus ride back, and the rest of the day we relaxed and mingled with our peers. We ate popcorn, watching Inception and played the usual gym games. That night our girl’s counselor, Sam, let us go watch movies in a special computer room. It was a romantic comedy, and I soon passed out until the credits were rolling and they woke me up to get ready for bed. We got ready for bed, and went back to the large girl’s room. There were dozens of bunk beds, but only seven girls this week to use them. By this time, all of our claimed beds were closer together symbolizing our newfound friendships. We even resisted the curfew, as we wanted to make intricate bracelets together, while giggling and telling jokes. We still went to sleep on time though, and prepared for our final day with this lovely group at camp.
On our last day there, we got up early as usual. After breakfast, we again got on the bus with Crazy Susan and headed to a site that the camp owned nearby. The ride was pretty short, and we soon hopped out and got our gear together. We were prepared to propel ourselves down a running waterfall. We grabbed helmets and harnesses before beginning our hike to this exclusive waterfall. On the way, the counselors explained that since the camp itself owed the waterfall, very few people would have this experience! When we reached the area, it was nothing like I expected. My imagination had intimidated me with an enormous powerful waterfall- but this one was about 70 feet tall and although water tumbling down it, certain routes were not heavily flowing. Nevertheless, I was still nervous and watched many others do it before I would try. Yarish even did it before me, somehow gracefully. When I finally gained the courage, I began the climb up to the top. It was a steep hill, and a narrow path with ropes to help guide the way and provide balance. The rush of the water was incredibly loud, so when it was my turn, the instructor strapped me in before shouting, “Are you ready?” I gave him a thumbs up and a nervous smile before using the ropes to slowly lower myself down. Everyone standing in the pool at the bottom cheered me on, and although I got soaked on the way down and scraped up my knee a little, I made it. It was the more exhilarating thing I have done, and I felt so accomplished after taking off my harness and assess the waterfall I had just conquered.
The rest of the day we spent relaxing with the gang. Who knew great bonds could form in just a week? At dinner, we were finally given our phones back and exchanged contacts. When they announced they were taking them away the first day, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to cope- but now getting the iPhone back it was hardly exciting. Zane and Rachel were from Arizona, and were leaving that night to catch their flights. They were bubbly characters, and saying goodbye was tough. During this week I learned how in most cases someone, somewhere knows what it feels like, no matter how alone you think you are. I had newfound appreciation for the hard work of my stepfather who has had three, long-term deployments to Iraq. When my mom picked us up, I couldn’t spit out fast enough our torrential rainfall canoeing story, and all about the waterfall. Unsurprisingly, she doubted Crazy Susan and the dying turtle.