Childhood Memory

TEXAS SWIMCAMP

          I have a ton of horrible and wonderful childhood memories but for some odd reason, I only seem to want to tell you about my trip to a Texas Swim camp. Before I tell you about my experience I need to tell you that I do not enjoy swimming…at all. I only do it for my dad because he loves swimming. So when I was about 2 years old my dad said “I wonder what our daughter is good at” so the first thing he does is plops me into the pool. After all those hard, long, excruciating practices I really got good at it. I started winning a bunch of trophies and medals; I even got an award for most corporation and effort from my coaches. So then, of course, my dad says “Andrea you are a talented swimmer…I think you should get pushed harder though.” And, of course, I moan and whine “Ughhhhhhhhhhhh”.

            “Work hard, and don’t disappoint me” my father said just before I boarded the plane to go to Texas. Some people would think “Yay! I’m going to Texas! I’m going to have so much fun, I’m going to party all night and sleep in, yippie!” but what I’m thinking is “No! I’m going to Texas! I’m going to swim, swim, swim! I’m going to work hard all day and I’m going to be tired and exhausted!; And I’m going to have to get up at 5:45 a.m!” (I was thinking of “Finding Nemo” when Dory says “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming!”)

            Finally we arrived to Houston, Texas. And since I was alone and my parents weren’t with me, I needed to find the person from the swim camp to take me to my dorm. After about 10 minutes I found them. (It wasn’t that hard because the person was wearing a bright orange shirt that said “Texas Swim camp”)

Its swim time I thought.

It turns out we had to swim 3 times a day with dryland(which is working out). The first time we swam was just warm-up, the second time was when we had to work hard, and the third….boy it was ALL OUT sprinting! I shared a dorm with 3 other girls and for the first week I really bonded with them. And by the end of the week it was like I’ve known them my whole life. Sadly every week you switch roommates. The camp is only supposed to be for a week, but, of course, my dad signed me up for 2 weeks. So my roommates left the camp and I was feeling sad and lonely and I suddenly got the urge to go home. I called my dad, crying, and told him that I want to go home and that he should come get me. I was desperate. My dad said he already paid the money for 2 weeks. Instead of being sad I got super angry, I hung up the phone, still crying.

            But I learned a lesson and it was a good experience. It was a good lesson because, when I grow up I’m not going to have my parents always with me, and sometimes I am going to feel alone. I need to learn how to deal with it. Because once I grow up, nobody will be making me breakfast, no one with be telling me to get up in the morning, and this camp made me get a feel for what it will be like in the real world. I learned how to get myself up in the morning, I went on a plane by myself, I took care of my bags, swim caps, and swim suits, and I learned to get to know people, and share a room with them, and  I haven’t even met before! So overall I hated this experience but I loved this experience at the same time. I hated the swimming part of it, but I loved getting to know people, and getting to learn how to do things by myself.

           

           

           

Summer is Perfect

SUMMER IS PERFECT

          Laying in the sun, the warmth on your skin, swimming in the ocean, the water overlapping your feet. Digging your toes into the white soft sand. The bright orange sun up, up, up in the sky, way up high where the birds are chirping happily. Light filling the world, not a dark spot in sight. Angles sing when summer comes, rainbows dance across the sky. This is what summer is like, happy and relaxing. All your worries in the world just seem to slip away, like grains of sand being washed away from the ocean. When you hit summer you feel like you’re on top of the world and nothing can stop you from having the time of your life. This is where everyone should be having fun, time seems to stop, everything just seems….perfect.

Scare Tactics

It was a dark stormy night. Blood-curdling screams filled the town. Faces of all kinds were everywhere….it was the night of Halloween. I got on my Darth Vader costume and picked up my red light saver and took a step outside. Wind filled the air…but no one was outside. Not one person. There was no light coming out of my neighbor’s houses, and the only sound there was was the rustling of the trees blowing softly in the wind. Then came the screams. Cries for help and torturing screams filled the night all at once, babies were crying, mothers were weeping, gun shots fired, pleas for mercy. Then it stopped. All the noise went away and the only sound there was was the rustling of the trees again. Well that was weird I thought. Oh well, now it’s gone and more candy for me if no one else is outside. I continued to walk down the street. Only then did I notice that the all the street lights were out except for one, it started to dim, then it flickered and went out. There was barley any light out now. I suddenly got the feeling that I was being followed.

            Suddenly in a flash of light a horrible looking man was in my path. He face was indescribable. Half of it was torn off, and he was missing an eye. His jaw was pulled all the way down to his chin. Dislocated. His one eye turned a neon blue then in a instant turned neon green in a unnatural glowing hue. I screamed in horror. I turned and broke into a run with my life saver still clutched in my hand. But suddenly I wasn’t alone with this monster. Suddenly everyone was outside, I felt a rush of relief thank god! I thought. “HELP! HELP ME THIS MAN IS CHASING ME!” I yelled with all my might. But no one moved…they all just stared at me with….neon blue eyes. I took a closer look at the people around me. Everyone looked exactly like him but in forms of children, mothers, and fathers. “AH!” I yelped. I felt a knot in the pit of my stomach. I started to run as fast as my legs could take me, they started to burn but I didn’t care all I wanted was to get out of this town. I glanced back behind me to see if they were there and BAM I tripped over a twisted branch caught in the asphalt. I hit the ground hard. Agony screaming up my arm. Something splashed up in my face it was warm and liguidy. I wheezed and gasped for air. Rolling onto my back I heard footsteps coming….closer and closer. Panic seized my body. I got up feeling a spiking pain shoot through my arm, but I kept moving. I tried to get up but my foot was caught in the branch.

            I finally got out but it was too late the horrible man had caught up to me and…..spoke. “Don’t run” his voice sounded human.

“Get away from me!” I yelled.

“Are you scared?” he man asked suspiciously.

“YES I AM!” I started to cry. “Please, please don’t kill me.”

“I’m not…..because you’re on “Scare Tactics” he said with a grin.

I didn’t get what he said for a moment….but then I finally got it. Scare tactics was a show made to scare people. A rush of air blew out of my lungs, I didn’t even know I was holding my breath till then. The man spoke again

“Your friend Sammy set you up” 

Sammy suddenly came out by behind a set of bushes. She was wearing her usual clothes a bright neon purple shirt with flowers running down the side of it, and a pair of skinny jeans. Confusion ran throughout my body, but also anger, but at that moment instead of yelling or screaming my lungs out I ran into her arms. I grabbed on to her like there was no tomorrow.

“Gottcha” Sammy said while wrapping her arms around me.

“UGH! Why did you do that!?” I spoke.

“Because you always think that your not scared of anything and I wanted to scare you!” she replied.

“I hate you!” I laughed.”But thanks and yes that DID scare me!”

“Okay well it was all actors so no worries, let’s get you home” she said. And we walked home until the shadows of the night swallowed us.