Life is filled with new adventures to experience every day. Whether its tasting new foods or skydiving, it’s all worth it at the end. Lucky, I have had the opportunity to do lots of things that are unforgettable. For example when I went to summer camp in summer 2013, it was one of the best weeks I’ve ever had. I met new friends,had endless laughters, but most important I learned a lesson that changed who I am.

“I have some news, good news.” My mom said entering the room. I wondered what it was, I sent my application for camp months ago so I did expect it.

“What is it,Tell me!” I shouted really excited.
“Well, I just got an email and you are going to camp!” My moms face was shining, I could tell she wanted me to go. My mom always encouraged me to try new things and have fun.

“Oh my god, I’m so happy!” I was super excited to finally go, I never really convinced myself into going because I was very timid. “Who am I going with?” I asked hoping for a good answer.

“Well, you are actually going alone, but its fine because I am sure you will meet lots of new friends.” Thats not the words I hoped my mom would say. Suddenly I felt mad, sad and unsure if I wanted to go. As I said before I used to be very shy and never did anything alone, I always needed someone to be with me. I used to be like a glue stick, if you came with me you wouldn’t be able to separate.

The day came, I was gonna arrive at camp. I could feel the warm air flowing through my skin and I felt my stomach full of butterflies trying to get out. We entered the camp after a long drive, their were hundreds of cars decorated with red or blue spray paint. I got more excited every time and less nervous. I could already tell it was gonna be a great couple of weeks.
“Hi where is cabin H?” My mom asked a counselor.

“Oh just go straight and turn,” The counselor replied.
We did as they told us to and arrived at cabin H. It was like a cul de sac with 4 cabins, they were all made of heavy brown logs. It was so pretty, there were bright green trees all over and skinny blocks of recycled wood covered the floor. My cabin had a green door. I knocked and entered.The cabin had a fresh vanilla scent, there were 6 bunk beds all aligned. Campers were already settled, I remember seeing them for the first time, wondering how their personality was. There were blonds,brunettes,blue eyes,brown eyes...

“Hi, Im Julia,” A tall, tanned skin with bright blue eyes said to me.
“Hi, Im Gabby.” I replied very bashful.
“Where are you from?” She asked.
“Mexico.” You could tell I was kind of insecure.
“Wow thats cool, I always wanted to go to Mexico.” Julia was a very nice girl.
I never knew why people wanted to go to Mexico, it isn’t that great, well at least Monterrey.

I introduced myself to the other girls. The girls in my cabin were Caroline, Julia, Kaylyn, Amelia,Hannah,Mariana and Kennedy. They were all so nice and I couldn’t wait to have a wonderful time with them.

One week had passed from camp and I was having an awesome time. I already went kayaking, canoeing, water skiing, went on various of adventures and the best of all, made a lot of friends. Every activity had new people so it was awesome to experience it with them. I met friends from Panama , Canada ,Arizona ,Columbia ,Dallas and even some from my home town, Monterrey.

After a week full of laughter and just plain fun it was the day we left. The day that I would have to say goodbye to my best friends. We all waited for our parents on the basketball court, wanting to stay more. Unfortunately, parents started to arrive, Caroline left, Julia left, Kaelyn left. Saying goodbye was one of the hardest things to do, knowing that I was probably not gonna see them again in my life. I felt so sad like if someone had taken my heart out. It may sound like I am exaggerating but I was young and didn't have any problems so thats what made me sad. After a long time I finally saw my parents entering the gym. I started to say goodbye to my friends and counselors.
“I'm gonna miss you guys!A lot!” I said while I teared up. We exchanged numbers and instagrams. I started walking away feeling like I was leaving a big part of me behind, but on the other hand I got to see my parents after a long time. All the plane back to Monterrey I was talking about how I had a great time and that I wanted to go back next year.

This experience was not only fun but I learned to be independent. When I was younger I always wanted to be with my mom and I would never do things alone. But after this camp experience I learned that independence is essential in life and that it will open opportunities. My opportunity was meeting my new friends and getting to have an awsome 2 weeks. Being independent is also proven to boost your confidence level, and I could agree. I had a better attitude about myself and everything, I am now independent as a bird. Camp is one of the best experiences because it changed how I look at life and how I decided to live it.