I Could Almost Survive In The Wild

The day after I turned eight, my Mom sent me to this sleep away camp called Outward Bound – the Hong Kong Branch. It was a 7-days 6 nights camp for children ages 7 to 14. It was my first time away from home. Alone.

When I arrived to the campus, I met students from different ethnic backgrounds and different ages. I was the second youngest one in the group. We quickly made friends, and picked our bunk beds randomly.

The morning routine: we would wake up at 6:30 am and had a morning swim in the ocean. Although Hong Kong never snows, swimming in 50-65 F weather was not exactly an easy task. After the half an hour or so exercise, we would go to the canteen to have breakfast. Each meal was made for us by the staff members, and each small group would take turn to clean up the canteen and wash the dishes after each meal.

There were different outdoor activities, none of which I had done before. Zip-lining for several minutes one way. I could do that over and over again. There was treasure hunt on the campus.

Another activity was to climb up a tall tree on little steps, then each person was supposed to aim and jump to reach a hanging bar. I was looking on how my teammates were doing. Some made it, some missed the bar. I was determined to reach my goal. When it was my turn, I aimed at the bar, told myself that I would do it, and went for it. I grabbed it! What a satisfying feeling.

Then there was a little excursion. We were all handed backpacks which were almost the size of my small stature. We packed the essentials, along with sleeping bags, cooking utensils, tent gear, and went hiking. I never knew that Hong Kong, the metropolitan city, the glamour of high-rise buildings, had a quiet side of nature, with no cars, no lights and no electricity. We set up our tents, with the help of our instructors. We spent two nights in the wild. No toilets, no shower. Thankfully we had toilet paper.

Another day, another new adventure. We set sailing on a big sailing boat which fit 20 people. We learned how to use the sail and situated ourselves in the middle of the ocean (pretty sure we were still within the Hong Kong boundary) with the moonlight as our guide. We then spent the night on the boat.

There were many more little adventures and new experiences, but those were the ones which stood out in my memory. It was a great week of gaining knowledge outside of the regular routine. I was curious, eager to learn, and was not afraid. I was determined to do things to the best of my ability. With those skills I learned, I was ready to set out into the wild.

I believe that experience prepared me for years to come. I was independent, adventurous and determined, ready to survive with basic tools and resources. My 8-year-old self shaped who I am today. I got to remind myself that I am ready for the new things in life, for new territories I haven’t trotted into. I am determined to do it.