Sam 1
The sun was clear and the sky was bright, as the atmosphere was full of tumultuous
noises and overwhelming excitements. My feeling was also stimulated. My heart beat faster,
and I could feel my body flaming. “I can finally live without my parents’ assistance!” I
thought, excitedly. Finally, it was the moment of departure. Suddenly, I felt a little feeling of
sorrow, seeming that I would miss my family in the following days. However, the feeling was
soon covered by my joy and excitement. I waved my mom goodbye and went on the bus to
our destination.
A few weeks before, my mom told me that she had helped me signed up for a
mathematic overnight camp held by Kang-Chiao International School. Since I was an infant
child, mathematics had been my favorite subject. Besides that, this overnight camp would be
the first time I ever live independently without my parents. Therefore, when I heard this
news, I immediately became excited about it. On the starting day, my parents took me to the
Taipei Main Station, where our eight-day overnight camp began.
On the bus, I made a few friends quickly, and we soon had a joyful discussion about life
in the following days. Undoubtedly, we all believed that our time in the camp would go
smoothly. However, in the following few days, I would experience an unexpected but
unforgettable misery – homesickness.
When we arrived at the campus, I was completely fascinated and impressed at the
gorgeous, European-style buildings and the modern internal, which was similar to some
Sam 2
medieval castles standing solitarily on the hill.
After a short visit to the campus, we finally went to the school’s dormitory. Like most of
the other rooms, our room had a capacity of four people. At the moment we opened the door,
I instinctively burst into the room, and was greeted with the cleanness and brightness of the
room. I jumped up the stairs and fell on the cozy bed with a soft pillow and quilt. “What a
nice day!” I naively thought, “I wished I could stay here for a longer time.”
On the first night, the teachers required us to call our family on our cell phones. At the
beginning of the conversation between my parents and I, I was excited to tell them about the
things I had learned, experienced, and all the friends I met there. “Sam, I was really proud of
you. Although I am not physically by your side, I will still be on your side.” Suddenly, I felt
that somewhere in my mind collapsed. At that moment, I realized that my parents would
always be the ones that love and care about me the most in the world. Countless moments
and memories flash in my mind. In the past, when I met with setbacks, they always
encouraged and had faith in me; when I achieved my goal or completed some brilliant works,
they would always give recognition for my work and be proud of me. “How if they leave me
one day? How could I live without them?” I anxiously thought. I felt like rushing back home
and, hug them and, never leave them…. I started to cry desperately, as it was the last moment
of my life.
I walked back to my room silently, but my heart was still restless. I hid in the bathroom
Sam 3
and continued crying. After a long time, one of my roommates, Henry, walked softly to my
front and said, “Are you okay?” I looked at him with teary eyes. “Ah, yes, I’m fine.” I held
back my tears and answer. “Then come out and play with us!” He said with confidence.
On the second night, I cried again after giving a call to my parents. When I was ready to
leave the teaching building, Henry trotted toward me and asked, “what happened?” I finally
burst out crying. “I miss my father and mother!” I cried. Shortly after, he put his hand on my
shoulder. “I got this feeling of homesickness when I first came to this camp.” He said,
sympathetically, “it felt really bad in the beginning. But, trust me, after a few days, you will
feel less pain and eventually become braver and more independent.”
Since then, we had started to interact and communicate more frequently. During our
break time, we discussed and talked about the context of the previous class; at night, we
chatted together about our lives and hobbies. From music performance to Lego EV3 Robots,
we had many pleasant and selfless conversations. Gradually, I became less sorrowful about
homesickness.
Just as he had said to me, I realized my increasing independence. I started to get used to
many life habits, such as brushing my teeth after a meal, washing my hands frequently, as
well as going to bed and getting up early. Instead of doing these things after my parent’s
reminder, I became self-conscious of these habits. Most importantly, I had become
courageous to live independently and without my parents beside me.
Sam 4
On the final night, I gave a call to my parents for the last time. “Mom, do you know
what I learned today?” I said, with an excited and energetic voice. “I finally know how to
calculate the combination and probability of various kinds of dices! Also, we learned
about…, it was really enjoyable! Also, I became friends with one of my roommates. His
name is Henry, and we have a good time talking about our school lives! ”
“Oh? ” My parents replied, being slightly startled. “Anyway, I will attend your ending
ceremony. See you tomorrow!”
On the next day, all the students along with their parents attended the ending ceremony.
When I saw my parents, I ran as fast as I could towards them. Unlike my reaction on the first
night, I hugged them with warmth but no tears. At that moment, I finally realized that I was
not the childish and worrying kid anymore. I was now a child with self-discipline and
maturity.
Going back home, everything remained the same, except for my mind. In retrospect, this
camp not only gave me a painful experience of homesickness but also provide me the chance
of changing my personality and lifestyle. However, without the support of friendship, it
would be much more difficult to come through all these hardships. During the camp, it was
my dear friend, Henry, that accompanied me to go through all these fear and sadness, which
perfectly reflect a famous quote by Walter Winchell: “A real friend is one who walks in when
the rest of the world walks out.”