By Angelina L.
I was sitting on my bed in my hotel room, comfy in pajama pants, legs crossed, between my two friends Adela and Valerie. The room felt packed in a cozy but good way, with 12 people sitting on the two beds, on the couches, and on the ground. A circle had formed in the middle of the room, decks of bent cards scattered around. We were in the middle of an intense round of Egyptian War, with people diving for the cards. I was surrounded by laughter and squabbles between the rules, snacks being passed around from when we DoorDashed two hours ago. In that moment, I realized just how much I had come to love this place and these people, and part of me already knew how much I was going to miss this summer camp more than I could explain. Time flew by in a blur of playful chaos, inside jokes, amazing friends, and intense games, that the ten days of sleepaway camp were gone before I even knew it. Sleepaway camp wasn’t just a camp; it was a whole new world for me.
~~~
I stepped out of the plane, holding onto my suitcase, looking at what was across the world. Getting the acceptance email that day felt more than surreal, and getting picked out of the thousands of teens applying over the entire country for a sleepaway camp in China still felt like a dream. But in this moment, it was real. I still remember the exact moment when I stepped into the hotel, nerves bubbling and eyes darting around, looking at the other teens just like me, from places like Belgium, England, and the Netherlands. We were all united by language and culture. Though I didn’t know anyone yet, I felt like I truly belonged already.
From that day on, it was probably the best week and a half of my life. I quickly became friends with everyone in our group, even though I was the youngest member. On the bus rides, we’d play Mafia, Uno, and Truth or Dare. All of us quickly became one giant friend group. During the day, we explored ancient villages, tall bridges, breathtaking waterfalls, and a nearby university for traditional crafty activities like wax-dyeing and tea classes. Team-building games brought us all even closer, but it was the nights that made the trip unforgettable. After long days of exploring, everyone piled into my hotel room for movies, card games, late-night DoorDash runs, and nonstop laughter. We even had volleyball games in the fitness center. Even though we did get in a bit of trouble for being loud, staying up past curfew, and a few all-nighters, I never once got bored, and never once wanted to stop what we had. About halfway through the trip, we’d become friends with people from the other international groups. One of the highlights of the trip was going onto the rooftops with everyone I knew; there were no less than 15 people gazing up at the night sky, stars scattered all across like paint splatters. Adela, a British guy (Nick), his Belgian friend (Alex), and I had formed a mini friend group that was pretty great. While Nick and Adela watched movies together, Alex and I sat close by, talking about pretty much anything and everything, the kind of conversation that made you forget about time. We shared earbuds, listening to songs that I would later replay again and again, hoping that the music would take me back to the sleepless nights at camp. As other people drifted asleep to the soft sound of playing cards, the four of us chatted about our lives instead. For a moment, the world felt small enough to fit onto the rooftop. Sitting on the benches next to the glowing hotel sign, we overlooked the beautiful city at 3:00 in the morning. Nick and Adela sat side by side, whispering jokes between stories and occasionally falling asleep on each other’s shoulders. Alex and I always teased them for it, but to tell you the truth, it was really cute. From then on, with every team game, it was our little four-person friend group. Every bus ride, the boys would sit in front of us and join in on our games. When we were in a crowd, they’d always make sure we never got lost. Even though we had all just met a week ago, it felt like we’d known each other our whole lives. We understood each other in a way that no one else did. After the camp ended, we still stayed in really close contact with each other. Every hour of our lives for those weeks was spent texting and calling in our little friend group.
But sadly, good things don’t always last forever. After everyone parted ways, the main group chat naturally still blew up with messages, with everyone still sending updates and texting about their lives in the group chat, constantly. But a few weeks later, two of the couples in our group broke up, including Nick and Adela. And soon, calls became uncomfortable as it always felt like we had to pick a side. With four of the main people leaving the group chat, fewer people texted. When everyone got back to their respective countries, texts were only about once a day, and calls were sometimes even only once a week. The time differences made it hard to find a time when everyone was available. And since everyone was older than me, they got busy with SATs, exams, and their own lives, which made it too busy to continue staying in contact every day or even every week. Before I knew it, all I could do was hold on to the hope that our paths would cross again next summer.
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When I first received the news that I would be able to attend this camp, I had to admit, I didn’t want to go. I was mostly afraid. I was afraid that I wouldn’t make friends. Afraid that I wouldn’t have fun. I’d had lots of bad experiences with meeting new people in the past that made me reluctant to try something that was outside of what I was used to. But my mom convinced me to go, saying that it was a rare opportunity for me, and I’m so glad I did.
The trip changed me. I walked across one of the tallest bridges in the world, sang and played piano on stage, and made so many friends from across the world. The memories that I made during this trip are some of the most priceless ones. After the trip, I’ve become a better version of myself who strives to accomplish harder things, and who isn’t afraid to take on challenges. The camp taught me to be brave and to be myself without fear of being judged.
When I think back to the trip, months later, it still fills me with nostalgia. I was so lucky to have such amazing friends and unforgettable experiences. When next year’s camp applications open, I’ll definitely be crossing my fingers to get accepted again. I’ll never forget the laughter, the late nights, and the feeling of belonging that made sleepaway camp truly special. Even as the days fade into falling leaves and hot cocoa, I can still feel it all, like a dream that never quite leaves. The magic of those days will always live somewhere between summer and forever.