I close my notepad as the bus comes to a halt at South-lake. A few minutes later, I'm standing in the hot sun waiting for my luggage to be unpacked.
The curse of being one of the first to get on the bus.
"Dios mío (my goodness)" I say under my breath. I thought that the interior of the bus was hot, but outside feels even worse.
Finally, with bags in hand, I follow the crowd of teens walking toward a large building surrounded by outdoor tables with closed, bright red umbrellas.
My stomach grumbles loudly. I could really use some food right now.
I follow the directions of the camp counselors in bright orange shirts as they guide us down the well-worn path. As I step into the campfire clearing, I don't bother looking for any familiar faces, but I spend a few minutes searching for a good wooden bench that isn't too dirty.
My stomach grumbles again as I sit down. I hope these speeches are really quick, or they bring us some food soon.
A few minutes later, a hush falls over the crowd as the carrot orange shirts tell the remaining noise makers to settle down. I lean back against the tree just as I see someone in a suit rush past me.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Hey guys!" he yells, jumping off the last step before facing the crowd, "How are y'all doin' today?"
The whole crowd grumbles, including myself. I think we're all tired, hungry, sweaty, and stinky from the long bus ride.
"Okay" he smiles, undeterred by our response, or lack there of, "Well, welcome to summer. I'm sure all of you are hungry, tired, and would rather go inside than sit out here in the heat, but I have a few things to go over, so I'll keep this quick."
"I know that some of you may think I'm Patrick, a dear friend of mine, and I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm actually Brendon. My official title is 'South-Lake camp regional head', but as you will find out, I'm not as stuffy as that title sounds. I'm mainly here to make sure to have a great time with you guys. I went to this same camp when I was your age, and I only want to make it better than when I was here. So I'm practically another camp counselor, only I don't have to wear the ugly, bright orange shirts."
The other counselors nod along, watching the bouncing ball of energy walk to the other side of the circle. Its just amazing how he hasn't broken into a sweat yet in this weather, all while wearing a suit.
"Now, I assume that you all read the permission slip and rules, so I won't repeat them to you. And if you haven't, read them tonight before lights out. Basically, you won't get in trouble if you don't make trouble - simple as that. Neither you, or I, want to spend our time contacting your parents and Patrick, who is already busy enough making sure that everything at all the camps goes smoothly. "
