Five years ago, I went to Camp Lohikan for the first time. I was ten years old. Some may be shocked by the age and say that I was too young, but I had been gone to sleep away camp previously for five years. Before attending Camp Lohikan, I went to two other camps, Camp Lakota and a YMCA camp. Neither were the perfect fit. The YMCA camp was too rustic but everyone was friends, while Lakotta was not rustic, it did not breed friendliness. After my first year at Lohikan, I knew that it was the camp for me. There was everything a child or teenager could possibly ask for. If you liked skateboarding their was a skateboard park. If you liked horseback riding there were stables and instructors. If you liked swimming there was a pool and lake. If you like cooking there was a culinary clinic. If you liked rifles or archery there were shooting ranges and patient instructor willing to help you learn. The facilities were not as rustic as the YMCA camp, but my fellow campers and counselors were even more friendly and sweet. My final summer at Camp Lohikan was one of the best summer’s of my life, so I will share a part of it.

I am returning to camp for my third year as an eleven year old,  and it is surreal. I am a veteran camper, so I know that I today starts the best two weeks of the year.. My nerves are acting like five year olds on a sugar rush. My hands are shaking with pure unadulterated joy.  This is what I have been waiting for the entire school year. As my mom and I drive up the gravel paths leading to my cabin, I smell the fresh earthiness of the grass and dirt around me. The crisp air surrounds me in a warm embrace. A flood of excitement and optimism rushes through my body. I feel as if I am being welcomed home. My mom asks a counselor for directions to my cabin. To say that I am overeager to unpack would be a massive understatement.

When we finally locate my cabin, which is located on Senior Girl Hill, I see one of my friends Ellie. Screaming, I rush to her, and we hug and squeal for a solid five minutes before finally releasing each other. Upon looking away from Ellie, I discover that my mother has brought my first bag out of the trunk, and is walking towards us. She comes to the porch and introduces herself. I am bouncing on the balls of my feets desperately trying to restrain myself from jumping up and down and squeal again. I am a complete squealer. Whenever I feel an intense positive feeling, I squeal. it is uncontrollable. Trust me I have tried. My mom and I enter my cabin, which is not Ellie’s but is adjacent to her’s, and set down my things. My counselors are not there, so we go straight to setting everything up. My mom and I have a system of making the cabin my second home. I always must be extremely organized. If the area around me is a mess, I can not concentrate, start to shake, and my breathing and heart rate increase. I must stop whatever it is I may be doing, no matter how important it may be, and clean. To avoid mismatched outfits and clothing disasters, I have selected outfits, folded, and packed them together. My mother and I also dress the bed in my favorite rich lilac sheets, two pillows in matching lilac fabric, Hunger Games blanket, and Rocco, my coffee brown and extremely soft monkey. After making sure that I am perfectly settled in, my mother leaves. We hug, and I felt the comforting warmth of her skin and the smell of her Moonlit Path body spray from Bath and Body Works. I know that I will miss her, but I am going to have a fantastically splendid time.

Three days later, I stand in my cabin’s bathroom viewing my full body reflection flanked by my two new friends, Ella and Charlotte. Earlier today, Ella and Charlotte discovered that I do not own a bikini nor have I ever worn one. Their voices grew high pitched and shrill as they responded, “You have never worn a bikini! How is that even possible for a thirteen year old?” I told them that I was always too self conscience, so I never wore one. The mere thought of having everyone staring at me in is making me shake and feel bile at the back of my throat. “Well you have an amazing body, and you have to show it off. Charlotte and I are going to get you in a bikini. It is happening, Choose one of our’s to try on,” Ella passionately declares. and then proceeds to take out a bikini from her belongings. One look is all is takes for me to know that it is too risque for me to go out in public in. The black and white paisley pattern stares at me, daring me to at the very least try it on. Deep down I can feel an intense longing to try it on, just to see if it would look even remotely good on me.

For modesty’s sake, I petition Charlotte to loan me one of her suits. The suit she gives me is an intense cobalt blue with a nike check on the top. She must have given me a sports bikini, because she knew I could not cope with wearing a real bikini like Ella’s. I stalk into the bathroom stall with determination. I will try on this suit. Although it feels a bit restricting and uncomfortable, I force myself into the two piece suit. As soon as I walk out, my reflection stares at me, and an abundance of giggles flee from my lips. They are uncontrollable, because this suit is not fit for public. My breasts are strangled by  the top of the suit, and my hip bones are showing,  When Ella and Charlotte see it, they giggle uncontrollably to the point that their faces become a bright ruby red. Still giggling, but less giggles are coming out of her mouth, Charlotte tells us that she wears the bikini to swim practice and never noticed how horrid it looked, because everyone wore it. Needlessly to say, I took it off immediately.

When I return to my bed, I see Ella’s gorgeous bikini and can’t help but given into my hidden longing to put it on. Excitedly strolling into the bathroom, I tell the girls that I am going to try it on. They encourage me and have big goofy smiles on their faces. As soon the cool fabric touches my skin, I know that this is nothing like the previous suit. The vision of me in the white and black gorgeousness assaults my vision, and I can tell I look amazing. The white background of the bikini contrasts beautifully with my tan olive skin. The suit fits my body just tight enough to show that I have a figure, but not enough to make me look like I am offering a piece of my pie.  It does not hurt that both Charlotte and Ella are screaming and jumping down with smiles on their faces telling me how absolutely spectacular. I make the decision to be bolder, so I throw on my black dress  cover up quickly, and we all run to the lake excited to show me off to my friends and other cabin mates.

The moment we step on to the sandy shore in front of the lake Ella and Charlotte tell all of the other girls that they forced me into a bikini for the first time. Most of the girls like Lucinderella, whose real name is Lucinda, thought that it was absolute lunacy that I had never worn one, while my other friends like Ellie totally understood. Hearing their chatter, I decide that it is the moment of truth and rip my black dress cover up off my body in one fluid stroke. My heart starts to beat erratically, and my breathing speeds up. The blood rushing through my heads drowns out all other noise. Then I hear the wolf whistles of the boys around me, and my heart rate and breathing rate return to normal. I may be unsure of myself in the swim attire, but the people around me do not. I let everyone’s confidence in me seep into my pores. A giant smile slips onto my face. I might not have wanted to wear a bikini this morning, but right now I am elated that Ella and Charlotte strong armed me into doing it.

Wearing a bikini for the first time may seem inconsequential to some, but it was a major step for me. It symbolized that I was comfortable in my own skin and was willing to take risks. Everyone needs to take risks. It keeps life from growing too stagnant or boring. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone develops character. The more character building one does, the more they become a better person.