I sat there on the bus. Green signs flashed by outside of my window. Today I was driving home from my fourth year of camp. I looked around at the faces of my friends and recalled my first bus ride going to camp.


I gotten on the bus and found my way to an empty seat. I had brought my two favorite stuffed animals hoping to get some sleep and use them as a pillow. I mean what else I was supposed to do during a 5 hour bus ride. I sat there for about five minutes and started to daze off. Just as I was about to fall asleep, two girls, one tall and skinny with blond hair and the other the same but with dark brown hair, sprinted up to me screaming.
“Are you Lauren?” asked the blond.
“Yes” I spoke in a very timid voice.
“You are one of our new cabin mates”
I stared at them with a blank expression. These were the people that I would live with for the next two months. The dark haired girl had clearly gotten bored with meeting me and turned her attention to some other girls our age a few rows back. “Belle” said the blond in an annoyed tone as she elbowed her.

“Hi, my name is Annie and this is Belle”
Annie was really pretty for our age. Her blond hair gracefully flowed off her shoulders. Every two minutes she would flip her hair. Belle on the other hand had short dark brown hair that seemed to curl around her ears. Her eye never met mine she must had have been eager to talk to someone else as she did before. We sat there with dull expressions. A by-stander luckily noticed our intently awkward moment and stepped in.
“My name is Claire. I am also in your cabin.”
“Ohhhhhh. I was looking for you earlier but I couldn’t find you…..” Annie then drifted into thought.
“Yeah, I feel asleep and did not get up until just a few minutes ago”
Those simple conversations lead to Annie and Belle, Camp professionals, blabbed on and on about all the cool things to do at camp. There was windsurfing, sailing, canoeing, kayaking, horseback riding and so much more. They mostly talked about their favorite activities. Annie’s favorite was sailing. She talked about how good it felt when you were able to manage the tiller and sheets. (Both parts of a sailboat that control witch direction and where the boat brings you.) Belle spoke about the tennis instructors and about mixed tennis. Mixed tennis was an afternoon activity that involves both girls and guys. They go to one of the camps and it becomes girls vs. guys. This went on until one girl shouted “We are getting off the highway!”

Everyone’s face pressed against the windows of the bus like a hungry kid out side of a candy store. Girls rushed to their seats to pack up their belongings and then took their original position. We turned on to a dirt paved road and the bus sped up to a speed of about 50 mph. We dashed pasted the boys camp and slowed down as soon as a dark green sign came into view. Voices all in unison filled the bus. Girls from past years screamed this poem or song that I was hoping that it had meant that we had arrived at camp for the summer.


This day was a really important step in my life. On the bus I had been able to make some new friends and be open with completely new people. Also this lead to me becoming a more independent person and got me too had gone there for another 3 years.


Back in the present time I really thought to myself. Who would I have been if I did not go to camp that summer? I could have been shy and not willing to be open. Going to camp made me more independent and that is a good quality for life. It will really help in colage.