Month: October 2022

The Call to the Camp

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Camp Hanes 2022

WHAT? On one hand, I was like “Is school seriously this fun?” and on the other hand I was like “What if I smile too much and then my mouth will start hurting and I’ll feel HORRIBLE???”. *Sigh*. Do you need some details? I’m sure you do. Well, I’m a sixth grader (best grade) at Durham Academy Middle School, and we went for a sleep away camp at Camp Hanes in King, NC! By the way, this is my first night away at a camp. But letting my nervousness drown in my excitement, with an incredibly and unnecessarily large duffle bag I hopped on to the bus (not actually hopping but that’s not the point).

After a 2 hour long bus ride that felt like 20 hours, I was feeling a bit cranky and frustrated. But all those miserable feelings flew away by the time I reached my destination. Crisp air, soothing wind, clear blue sky, chirping birds (and people screaming instructions at each other but let’s put that aside) the place was like a resort. Like paradise. Now feeling significantly better, I jumped off the bus with a wide grin on my face, taking in my peaceful atmosphere. 

Now if I explain word to word of everything we did there, we’re going to be stuck here for days. So let me be a bit brief. First up, we had lunch. Mac & Cheese and garlic bread. And you won’t believe it, but the salad bar was delicious. No seriously, it was. Anyways,  after that my group went rock climbing. But funny enough, the hard part was EASY and the easy part was HARD. Huh? After that, we went canoeing. My boat, however, kept crashing into the trees. It was chaos. But fun chaos, if you know what I mean. Finally, we did archery. By the way I missed all of my shots, and almost shot one into the woods. Probably because I was being a trigger happy. Maybe. Dinner was yummy with spaghetti. After going into our cabins and settling in (I was the top bunk, because what’s life without some risk?), we had the best part. Dark night + campfire + s’mores = pure bliss. And then we slept (I mean we don’t party in the night do we?).

All in all, Camp Hanes was an experience to remember. Both thrilling and nerve wracking at the same time, personally, I enjoyed it very much. I’m looking forward to more fun experiences like this. Also, one last question. Why is Camp Hanes named Camp Hanes? Anyways, bye.

Lakshmi’s Backpack

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Lakshmi’s Backpack 

5th grade was done and I was finally ready to go to 6th grade. For summer reading, my school recommended a book named Finding Someplace. The year is 2005, and Reesie Boone is excitedly waiting for her 13th birthday. Then tragedy strikes. Hurricane Katrina is on its way to her home, New Orleans. In a rush, Reesie is forced to choose what items she actually needs. Packing up important files, her phone, and more she sets off. Little does she know, she returns as a smarter, experienced, and different individual.

Reading that book got me thinking. What if I was in Reesie’s situation? What if I was forced to choose only a few items to take with me? What would I do? Thinking about it for a while, I decided I would go to my room and see what items were important to me. And I did. I told myself that I would pack my phone with extra batteries (in case it runs out of charge), pack food and water sufficient for at least a week, a whistle to signal for help, a flashlight (to see in the dark), a tent (to sleep in), extra clothes including a jacket and shoes, first aid kit, and my passport. Of course, hopefully, I’ll never be in a natural disaster situation. After reading this book though, if I ever am, I’ll be prepared.