I think the first time I ever left home I was 10 or so . I went to a summer camp for one week . It was a church camp for kids , on a lake in the middle of New York State . My sister had gone the year before so she knew what we were in store for . Upon arrival I was taken back from all the kids that were there , it had to be two hundred or more. The sun was shining and for me , I had to go to a short indoctrination with my parents to get acquainted with the grounds and activity’s . When we were through it was time for the parents to go , wow I was on my own for the first time .

It was a feeling of internal power , I could feel my heart pounding a little harder. My breathing was a little deeper and I even think I was standing a little taller . We went right into the activity’s we had picked following our assignments for sleeping . The cabins were amazing , made of log and trimmed with wood , they were kept in immaculate condition . The first day was busy , I’m sure to keep the homesickness at bay .

I learned the first day how to make a candle , then went swimming in the lake . It was the best time I ever had , we went to eat the evening meal having hot dogs and hamburgers ( which was my all time favorite ) . Before we settled down for the night  we all gathered in a big field to listen to the next days announcements as well as singing a few songs. We finally went back to our cabins and there , once I lay in my bed came the biggest sense of loneliness I have ever had . The first time in my life that I hadn’t seen or talked with my mother before I went to sleep . The sense of fear was out of my control , as I thought about home and my own bed I truly was homesick .

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