Personal Narrative

Baby me circa 1999

My Life Journey 

12 Moments of my life: 

Me and Jared when we still got along.

1. My brother Jared was born--We're two years apart and we used to fight a lot but I think it has gotten better. I take advantage of him on a daily basis and people say that we look alike. 

2. Made my first friend--I didn't really have a best friend until 2nd grade when I met Nicole. Our mom's forced us to play Barbie's together and we discovered our mutual love of The Littlest Pet Shop. We stayed close until 8th grade when we went to different high schools. 

My brief time as an ice skater. 

3. Determined I had no talent in physical activity- I tried figure skating in 2nd grade since I was terrible at every other sport. I thought I was pretty good at it until 7th grade when I decided I hated the cold and falling on ice all the time so I stopped sports all together. 

4. Started choir but never sang in front of anyone- I loved choir in 4th grade, I don't remember if it was for the singing part or because we always got candy at the end, but I remember looking forward to every Tuesday recess to go to choir. I had never sang by myself in front of anyone else, but it was a start. 

5. Starting developing my own personality- Until 6th grade I didn't really know what my personality was, I tried to act like everybody else, but this was when I started to become my weird self. I became friends with Shulie who I'm still really close with, and started to act more like I do today. 

6. First time going to camp- I started going to a two week camp in 6th grade. I had a lot of fun and made some really good friends but I ended up switching camps a few years later. 

Me in the height of my awkward phase with Shulie. 

7. I was in my first play- In 7th grade my school's musical was Beauty and the Beast and I decided to try out for it. I had been taking voice lessons for a couple years before that but had never sang in front of any of my classmates. I ended up getting the role of Belle and that was the start of my involvement in musical theater. 

8. Went to Israel on an 8th grade trip--Going to Israel was the first time I had been out of the country, and I realized how much I really enjoyed traveling. I loved seeing cultures outside of the United States and this started my love for travel.  

9.  Started a new camp and met Cari- I started going to a different camp where I met one of my best friends Cari. This was the summer before I started going to Parker and she really helped me get used to going to a new camp as well as a new school. 

10. Started high school--This was my first time at a new school, I had gone to the same school my whole life before that, and it was very different for me to change school environments. 

11. Travelled to Belgium--This was the only time, other than Israel than in my life (so far) I've been out of the United States and again I rekindled my love for travel. I made a lot of new friends and felt a lot more adjusted to Parker afterwards than I had ever felt. 

12. Made a solid group of friends- I established a group of friends that I can talk to about anything and feel like I have found more of a place for myself in high school. 

Me on my first day of camp this past year. 

My first day at Lake of the Woods was not really a good precursor for what awaited me the next 2 summers. I was nervous the night before and the morning I was leaving for camp. I had never been away from home for more than 2 weeks and a month sounded like a really long time. I didn't drink any water all day and the heat that day was over 100 degrees, a bad decision on my part because I was the only new kid to my cabin that year and also the only one who did not pass their swim test that day due to dehydration. I probably didn't make such a good first impression. I was worried before I started camp because I was joining the year before I started 9th grade, and these girls had been together since they were 7. Fortunately, I was completely wrong, and by dinner that first night I was a part of the family. On my first day, I met Cari, who already went to Parker. I didn't know anyone else at the time and Cari helped me make a much smoother transition into starting school that fall. She became my best friend as did the rest of my cabin.

Me on my first day ever at camp. 

Going to camp is something everyone should try to experience. I count down the days to leaving for camp every year. My friends from camp have become people that I can tell anything too and we have become like sisters. I love camp, and it has become a large part of my life. Living with people for a month can create much closer bonds than anything else I know. Camp really tested my leadership abilities and gives everyone the opportunity to be responsible for yourself and I want to continue having camp as a part of my life in the future, whether it be as a counselor or even running my own camp someday. 

Because of camp I have become more independent and I have become who I am today. The experiences I have had at camp have been some of my best memories and I have made some of my closest friends. I'm not sure who I would be today if I never went to camp. Camp  made me less shy and socially awkward and forced me to be independent by taking care of myself. It prepared me for the future by living outside of home but has become one of the places I think of as home at the same time. I learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses at camp and who I am. Every year I tried a new activity and I have established that I again have no talent in sports but I enjoy art activities and sailing. I have tried a lot of new things at camp and have been pushed out of my comfort zone in the best way possible. Camp will remain my favorite part of every year and it has given me some of my best memories. I don't think I would be the same person if I never attended camp, and I'm so glad that I did.