Destination: Camp Fury

Last summer I volunteered to be a camp counselor at a camp in Blowing Rock, North Carolina called Camp Sonshine. This camp is different from others in that they bring children ages 5 to 18 from inner city Memphis, Tennessee to the Appalachian Mountains. This

I disbelieve that travel is a journey. Travel are not just the action of going on a trip or going on vacation. To me, travelling means “life”. Yes it’s alive. To me travel is a learning process. It has been one of my most valuable teachers. You absorb, you experience, you react, and you share. But, when traveling you learn more about yourself than you ever imagined. Travelling forces us to examine all aspects of ourselves, be it the good, the bad, and even the ugly. Life on the road can give us so many challenges that test our innate patterns and reactions, our emotions, our likes and dislikes, and what not. Technically, you find

be an integral part of my life. What I experience will shape how I think

Senior Sela Davis decided to go on this trip because she knew this would have a bigger impact on her than going on another vacation. This experience was more than she expected it to be,

When I was 14 my brother convinced me to sign up for the Mcconnel foundation Yosemite trip. I had to do a lot of community service which consisted of picking up trash on the side of the road and teaching the kids at my local elementary school about the environment and global warming. I got accepted and it was definitely one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. I’m outdoorsy and love hiking but, this was a whole different level of hiking. The first couple days were really hard for me because of the extent of the hikes and hiking dozens of switchbacks a day. The yosemite made me realize how beautiful life is and I became a lot more outdoorsy. It helped me figure out who I am. I soon started spending most of my time outdoors fishing and hunting. The yosemite is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to and I’m extremely thankful that I had that experience.

mission trip to Nicaragua. There are two camps this year in Toccoa, GA from June 20-24 and June 25-29. We will be in Nicaragua July 10-17. The experience I had in Nicaragua last year was by far the most outstanding part of the ministry. We stay with The Mustard Seed

I went to this summer camp two times already because it provides for an amazing experience and helps everybody grow as an individual. This camp is located in yosemite national parks, and the company that runs that certain camip is called YSSC. In this camp there's so much to do because there's this one day where you can your roommates go to a lake and go banana boating. Theres also something called “ The King Swing” and you go up to 80 feet in the air just with ropes and a harness, so you pull a tennis ball from the harness then the rope lets you go down super fast.

Since that trip, I look at every good or bad thing as an opportunity. If it's good, it is an opportunity to improve my life or myself, and if it is "bad", it gives me the opportunity to rebuild myself and change what I don't like.

Imagine getting away from the monotony of your everyday life. You can lie on the beach sipping a cool drink miles away from your worries of getting a paper done or helping a customer at work. You can be on top of a mountain overlooking beautiful lands that are different from your own backyard. Half of the class has taken a vacation less than five times in their lifetimes, but let’s face that most of those probably included those little family vacations to Disneyland. But, all of you said that you planned to travel someday. So, why not do it sooner than later? One of the reasons for not traveling that many of you put is not having time because of school or work. Also, one of your major concerns is

Every time I have gone to Camp Geneva it has always been an amazing experience. I have been going to this camp since I was about 8 years old. The first time I went was for day camp and ever since that, I have been going for a week at a time. There are two sides to this camp, shores, and pines. Shores is for 5th graders and under and pines is for middle schoolers and high schoolers. Shores is nice because you are right on Lake Michigan. Pines is tucked back a little, only about a few blocks from shores, and it has a small lake with an island in the middle. The small lake has lots of fun stuff to do on it. For example, it has a climbing tower, a zip line, a blob, paddle boarding, and kayaking. This camp is during the summer and I always bring

My aspiration for the trip was to reclaim my heritage, and unmask a part of me that I had little knowledge about. Before this trip, I felt that I had pending parts of me, waiting to divulge themselves completely. And I was right. From visiting my early life orphanage, to participating in the life and tasks of a villager, to receiving a blessing from a monk, to attempting to find my birth mother, to being a bystander to hundreds of teenage girls pouring out from a Nike sweatshop with no windows, no air conditioning, no space, and no breaks and being paid $1 a day, I have certainly gained an understanding of what my life could have been like if fate had sent me the other way. Beautiful and

The most influential experience was my father’s guidance, which enlightened me about the environment I live in. Environmental stewardship and caring for others were his lessons. To solidify my moral compass, my dad created educational family vacations. We traveled scenic drives such as the Mountain Gateway, visited national parks such as Mount Rushmore and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, explored bodies of waters such as the Illinois River and Texoma, discovered forests such as Quachita and Shasta Redwoods, climbed mountains such as the Arbuckle and Poplar Point, enjoyed the sweet smells of botanical gardens such as the Myriad and Tulsa Botanic, investigated places such as the caves of Missouri and the White Sands of Oklahoma. Each trip was an exposition on why a healthy environment directly relates to our health and well-being. All my experiences have been idiosyncratic culminations leading to a passion for environmental justice action.

While vacation may seem like a week away from home, traveling has so many positive aspects. Whether one travels for a few days, or for a year, it can open the eyes of many people and change their views. While on the road, people often discover who they really are and create relationships with people they will never forget. During this adventure, people learn new languages, and connect with the world in a new way. Traveling is beneficial to both a persons mental and physical health; it makes the mind more creative, and it's a great way to exercise .

I have also proven this by focusing in school and doing special activities to benefit others.This could be a time for me to stay away from home for a few days and see how it feels. It would be very educational for me to travel to new places to learn new things and spend quality time with friends. This year I took Ap Human Geography. This trip will take me to many places that i've studied. Im interested in visiting some of the regions discussed in class. I probably can even learn more things and be able to go back to my teacher and tell her things she didn’t even know. It could also give me an opportunity to meet new people as well because friends who have gone before have told me that they were able to meet many new contacts. This too, would be an incredible experience to not only go with friends I already know, but to also meet new friends. I’ve been on past vacations with the family, but it would be a true learning

It’s quite incredible how often people make plans that ultimately end up failing. I’ve witnessed stories of my parents, family, friends and even strangers on the internet who have planned on traveling to a faraway city with their closest friends and experience a new lifestyle for a few days. We all fantasize about these things, however, more often than not, they do not come true. This was not the case for me.