This is a project named Time Machine and I am making this for the Who Am I Course. The purpose of this is to show you a moment in my life that has changed me into a different person. I am proud that I have been able to analyze my memory to see how it changed me. I learned who I am even better than I did before through this process. Read the Writing below to see how I changed through this memory. Also look at the Prezi all the way at the bottom to see what some of the things that occur in the memory looked like. Thanks!
This is a memory of an amazing experience I had because I am a Christian. I went to a really crazy Christian summer camp. I had gone to this summercamp on the advice of my grandfather. Before he passed away, he told me to live life to the fullest while I’m young, because it only gets crazier as we grow. Before I explain the rest of this memory I would like to state why this memory is important to me. When I left this camp, I never wanted to get chocolate on my skin ever again. Many other campers who went with me now feel the same (Hint hint: collective memory!). Despite this gross experience of mine, I had fun; I learned that to have fun, I sometimes have to risk it.
Now, I did not go to this camp expecting to go knife throwing. When I heard we were I have to admit, I was really scared. I was scared because the camp was trusting 15 teenage boys to hold 14” long, smooth, iron blades. These knives were a little heavy and to fling them full force at a wooden wall – that looked as if it could be knocked over with the next blow of the wind – seemed crazy. But I went up there and I chucked my knives at the wall and said, “Hey, this is AWESOME!” and I never worried about those knives afterwards.
Next thing was Blobbing. Imagine a bouncy house. Now imagine that bouncy house in the middle of a lake. Now imagine it with no roof. Now imagine sitting on one end of it and having another camper launch you into the air by jumping on the opposite end. That is what Blobbing is. I saw this and I said, “OH LORD JESUS! I ain’t gettin on that!”
Somehow, later that same day, I found myself on the end of that Blob and I say to myself, “What on earth am I thinking?” I had blobbed someone else, not realizing I would be shot in the air afterward. As I thought this, BAMN! Into the air I went and crashing down into the lake. And I have to say, I felt like I was a bird that was dive-bombing into a lake of really cold water. I also think that bird-like feeling was one of the most amazing things I have ever done; I took a huge risk. I mean, I was launched maybe 50 feet into the air with only a life jacket and swimming trunks on. It was CRAZY!
Then we braved a high-ropes course where we were to walk from one tree to another using a wooden plank bridge. These planks were only connected in the middle by a single cable. We were also supposed to walk across with a second person. Did I mention we were also suspended 50 ft. above the ground? It was really scary but somehow I survived and live to tell the tale.
The least comfort I felt all summer was at something called Fight Night. Imagine 150 pumped-up teens all running to an open field. All of a sudden we were given numbers in a group and were pulled to the outside of a rope arena. The counselors called a different number each time, with campers trying a different challenge concerning some sort of food. When my number – 12 – was called, I was to put my feet in a little swimming pool filled with Kool-Aid and little candy hearts. I had to grab as many candy hearts as possible in 3 minutes. I didn’t get any. But that wasn’t even the bad part. For those of you who don’t know me, I don’t like to get food or sticky stuff on me. But after all of these games, the counselors came out of nowhere with buckets filled with what I think was a cinnamon and melted-chocolate mix (from what I could taste). They started throwing it by the handfuls at us. Then the counselors took orange Mountain Dew that had been sitting in the sun all day and started spraying the mass of kids. Next, our torturers came out with buckets of what I thought was powdered sugar (but from tasting it found out it was flour) and started throwing that on us all. Next came tortillas. Then, they made a huge slip n slide and everyone went down it to get a little bit of the nasty off. I crashed into about 5 people going down. Even after that, I still left Fight Night looking like I could be baked into a chocolate cake. It was completely disgusting. But I am glad I stood up against that fear and had so much fun that day.
Throughout this camp experience, I learned that sometimes if I go against what I think are my limits, I can have a lot of fun. I also followed what my grandfather said: “Live life to the fullest, Jus.” I will Papa. I promise.