Blog #2: Personal Writing-Summer Experience

I remember the day like it was yesterday. It was June 23rd, and I was ready to go home. This place has been my home for about twelve years. I only spend a week out of the year at my home, but it is the closest place to Heaven on Earth. My home is not in the Quad Cities, nor anywhere in Illinois. Home to me is in Boone, Iowa. There really isn't much in the tiny town of Boone besides a Walmart and a Post Office, but out in the outskirts of the town, there's a place called Y Camp. The week that I went, Y Camp held a special camp for teenagers with Diabetes. This camp was called Camp Hertko Hollow. Camp Hertko Hollow is my home.

A lot of people don't understand how much it means to someone when they say that they spent a week in the dead of summer with barely any air, only one shower to share between 15 young adults, and walking a half of a mile to eat your meals, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I fall in love with the outdoors every time I drive down the gravel driveway. Y Camp in Boone, Iowa is very serene. There is a river that flows by the cabins and a firepit. It is crazy to think that the flowing of this river can mean so much more than a quiet noise. Hearing the sounds of the river makes me feel connected to something; I know that is where I belong. There is also a set of railroad tracks. This is where a touristy train from Ames, Iowa travels to and from. I loved it when my parents would ride that train and catch a glimpse of Heaven on Earth.

There are a lot of things you can do during this week at Y Camp. This year, I learned some French, tried to make myself crafty by tie-dying and making bracelets, rock climbing, horseback riding, and of course swimming Camp Hertko Hollow was its own little society for a week. A lot of times we just sat by the pool or the trading post (a place where you can buy souveniers) and talk about our day and what we want to do. One day, my cabin and I went canoeing for two full hours! It was quite possibly the smallest lake in the world that you could canoe in, but for me, it was perfect.

With all of the time that you spend with your cabin, you grow close with a lot of your cabin mates. Since this was my 12th year at Y Camp, I had a group of friends that I call my sisters. I met all of them when I was four years old. It was all of our first year at camp, and we were all nervous. We ended up becoming the four best friends that Y Camp had. We would only see each other while we were at camp, but luckily with technology, we were able to contact each other through Facebook or our cell phones. We are still best friends, and I plan on keeping this friendship for my whole life.

On the very last day, the whole camp, which is about 350 kids, goes to an area we call Honor Point. In order to get to Honor Point, you have to weave in and out of a creek several times. It was in the dark, and we were all sad that it was our last night together. We all were crying as we sit down around the fire and hold hands. It is insane to think that just 5 days ago, we were all complete strangers. Now, we are wishing this week would never end because we have fallen in love with our new family. The fire was warm and bright, and the stars were bright and beautiful. It was a perfect summer night for Camp Hertko Hollow to say one final goodbye. During Honor Point, our camp director tells a story. This story is about a mentally disabled boy who went to camp as long as he could. He was not able to get out of bed, and his mom was cleaning his room. She went to throw away a souvenier of camp when he sat straight up in bed and yelled at her not to throw that away. His parents ended up going to the camp to try to understand how much camp meant to their son after he passed away.

The souvenier that the camper had was a half-burned candle. All of the students in the camp get a candle,and we all light them together. We stand in a circle for one final time and sing camp songs before we leave Heaven on Earth. After we leave, we keep our candles lit until we completely leave the path that leads to Honor Point. I am proud to say that I have all 12 candles from camp. They all hold a special meaning in my heart.

I am sad to say that this previous year was my last year. I have grown too old for Y Camp, which is very upsetting. I am happy for all of the memories that I have made, but upset that I will miss out on all of the memories to come.