Personal Narrative: Middle School
Every summer break, I dreaded summers final days as though it was the plague or some kind of virus. It marked the end of a time of laughter, friends and fun. I can remember sitting on my porch, scarfing down a juicy watermelon with many other kids my age. There was laughter and joy that filled this moment. Afterwards, we would get on our bikes and ride to the nearest friend’s home, hoping to find more summer activities to satisfy our summer time thirst for fun. But upon summer time coming to a close, the result was all kids my age having to return once again to the life sucking place known as middle school. But even middle school is known for being one of the most dreadful times in someone’s teen years, I have a place that my younger self would
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argue is far more dreadful then any school.
During the beginning of an ordinary summer, I was in my room playing Pokémon Emerald on my Gameboy, when suddenly I heard the phone start to ring.
My Mom then pick it up and began talking to the person on the other end. After a minute or two, she opened the door to my room and reached out the phone to me and said “It’s your scout master Adam, something about summer camp?” I have been involved in Scouts since the beginning of my fourth-grade year in elementary school. Over the last three years, I have finger painted pictures, carved wood, tied rope and weaved baskets all so that I could get the allusive merit badges they dangled in front of our heads. I remember always giving scouts the cold shoulder, feeling this resentment toward the whole entire program. The only think I thought scouts did, for me in my mind, was pull me away from having fun in life! I wanted to sit on a porch with my friends eating sugary food. I wanted to play video games tell dusk with no interruptions. I wanted to ride my bike around the neighborhood and shoot birds with my slingshot. But no, instead, Boy Scouts put a screeching halt to all my summer plans. I was quite surprised to hear my mother say it was him as I took the phone from her. “Of all people, I said, why would he want to talk to me about camp? After all, we just had our Boy Scout meeting yesterday, why call today?” As I answered it with the faintest hello, knowing that whatever he said would probably be disastrous for my summer. My scout master replied with his booming voice, and it then overtook my ears for the next five dreadful minutes. Frankly, I don’t remember much of what we discussed after the first few seconds of our conversation, mainly because I was not prepared for what he had to say. His words sent a chill inducing spark down my spine, so much so that I remember my heart sinking down into my stomach, along with every other innards contained in my body. He said “Hi Adam, So have you signed up for Summer Camp? I
didn’t see your name on the list. Remember you need to be at camp to get your required badges, it’s only a few weeks away!”
And just like that, a week of my summer was to be whisked away, never to be recovered. My hopes of being able to have fun this summer, between building Legos and playing games with friends, were now ruined; halted for what seemed like years. I could have been running free around my neighborhood, waving at my friends from afar, and joining them in an intense game of hide and seek. But those planned events weren’t going to happen, and I realized that I needed to swallow this reality. Surviving a whole week seemed like an impossible feat, the high mountain that could never be conquered. I could already imagine the dirty latrines, the rabble of smelly teenage boys, the seventeen-century old dining hall, the roads and trails laden with huge mud puddles after rain, and the large infestation of mosquitos that haunt our open-ended tents. But most of all, the one thing I dreaded more than anything at camp was how we started our week…with a swim test. The swim test was required of every scout to see how proficient of a swimmer he was. Depending on how well you preform, you could be permitted to all zones of the lake, or for poor performance, stuck in shallow zone that barely comes up to your waist. I already had many problems as a swimming that I have struggled with throughout the years. Between almost drowning in our family pool and totally failing a swim class in elementary school, even the thought of swimming made me weak in my knees! But the swim test was a whole other league, and you were tested to the limit of your swimming abilities, something had very little of. After failing the test the first time I went to summer camp the previous year, my confidence you can imagine was at rock-bottom. In this moment, I remember just wanting to curl up in a blanket and hid from the cruel reality I was facing.
The dreaded morning came. I dragged myself out of bed, scarfed down some cereal, packed some last-minute clothing, and embarked on what seemed like the longest car ride ever. I remember looking out the window at civilization and just taking it all in. I knew I wasn’t going to return for a week, and just seeing something like a McDonalds as we drove by was somewhat comforting. Upon arriving, to my dismay, I had to give my final farewell to my parents, which included long hugs and many encouraging words from them. My Mom held me hand and told me to just try to enjoy my time, and my Dad roughly patted me on the back, telling me I was his “little man.” Their words helped ease my pain a little, but it quickly faded upon them driving away. I remember being herded off with my troop of fellow scouts and leaders. I only hoped that I could make it out alive to see my family once again. Upon arriving at our campsite and were told to unpack our stuff and change into our swim trunks for the swim test. Oh joy.
I sullenly made my way over to the tent and looked inside. There was a rusted old spring frame in the center of the tent with a discolored, lumpy mattress that looked like something you would find thrown out to the curb. Bugs crawled on the tent walls and bed frame legs, and spider webs hung from each point of the tent. This sight almost made me want to scream running out of my tent! The grotesqueness of the tent was so bad, that I almost felt like crying. I felt a thought I had entered the underworld, a dark and emotional draining void filled with the most despising creatures. Once I took a moment to pull myself back together, I did my best to brush the bugs off as fast as I could and then began to change into my swimsuit.
Arriving at the water front, a line of boys were stacked from one end to the other. It was humorous to see the variety of shapes and sizes (all the way from scrawny to plump). I couldn’t help but chuckle a little to myself and it helped to relieve some of the dreaded that had been looming over me all day. The sun beat down hard on us as we waited in line for our shot at passing the swim test. All my friends had already passed the test and came up to me bragging about how awesome they did. I remember my friend Brad in particular, who came up to me, patted me on the back and said “You’re going to be fine, just do your best!” His words stuck with me for the remainder of our waiting time, but ultimately were overshadowed by my own fears. Upon entering the gates to the lake, I could see the green, scummy water that we were being forced to dive into. Weeds were all along the front of the beach, while other small green amalgamations covered the rest of the lake and beyond. On the dock, I could hear the heavy breathing of scouts struggling to make their way around the lake, which sent more chills down my back. I thought to myself “I can’t do this, this is impossible! What if I get tired, cramp up or even drown!”
The life guard came up to me and asked my name, and upon writing it down he then told me I was all set to jump in. But I didn’t… I just stood there…not moving, continuing to look at my refection in the dark, murky water. My feet rapped around the edge of the dock as I struggled to grasp anything to keep me from going over. “This is it” I thought to myself, “This is where I’m going to die.” I tried to move myself, but my body was a stiff as a board. The life guard looked at me with a puzzled look and then began to press hard on my back with his hand. The lake seemed to consume my body as I entered the water. I tried treading with my hands and feet, willing to do anything to get my head above water. As I came up, I started to franticly flail my arms, one after the other, scooping water to make a path for myself. I just keep telling myself to stay calm, but every time I looked down the course, the finish line seemed to get farther away. I felt my body start to drag me under as my arms became weaker and weaker, and I began to sink further and further. This feeling shocked and scared me! So much so that it gave me just enough adrenaline to just start booking it. I didn’t even care about passing the test at this point. I just did want to get out of there alive! I felt like I had just been given the potion that Captain America received, which make him super strong! I felt empowered, but sadly it didn’t last long. I soon became tired and began franticly kicking my legs. I was sinking again, slowly and quietly. My mind began to shut down and I closed my eyes. Then suddenly I felt a hand firmly grab me by the arm and I was flung out of the water! I coughed and wheezed for air, and upon grasping the nearest dock post, I looked up to my savior who had rescued me for the clutches of death. The life guard calmly smiled at me and gave me the thumbs up as I returned one to him. I didn’t even realize it because of my panic, but I had swum the entire distance of the swimming area plus more! I had begun heading in the wrong direction and a life guard had to come grab me. The lifeguard helped me off the dock and then led me over to one of the tables to grade me. I didn’t really know if he would pass or fail me. I still couldn’t really think, for my head felt as though it was under some intense pressure. I was incredible light headed, and felt as though I could fall over at any moment. The lifeguard wrote down a few notes and then pushed a red and blue colored tag in front of me. Hesitantly, I took the tag to see my score and written on it was “Level Two Swimmer, all zones permitted.”
Upon returning to my tent, I felt this sense of relief overtake me. I sat on my rusted bed and just gazed at the swimmer pass I was given. I felt this urge to just start jumping up and down or do some kind of victory pose! My body now had a high of energy and I felt like I could do anything! The next morning, I got up and went to my merit badge classes as usual, but what was different this year was that I had a huge big grin on my face. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy all the time, and it stuck with me for the entire week. I smiled while I learned to tie notes with my friends. I smiled while I splashed in the puddles around camp. I smiled as I ate shot a gun at the rifle range. I smiled while I roasted marshmallows over an open fire. The clouds that loomed over scout camp seemed be parting, letting in a much needed ray of light. The image my mind originally painted for me turned out to be something that was never really there. Fear had successfully infiltrated my every thought with its poisonous venom of doubt and worry. I had succumbed to its schemes, but now I had regained the reins. Upon waking up one morning, I quickly got out of bed and ran to the campfire where everyone was eating breakfast. I was so hungry, and I was going to need it to face the big day ahead of me! But then I was greeted with my scout master out of nowhere, who halted me from reaching my destination. He asked me, “Have you packed up your gear yet? You know were leaving at noon, right?” A stinking feeling hit me, and I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces. “But I had so much planned! I thought to myself, I wanted to go climb the rock wall, go swimming again and have an intense game of tug of war!”
I look back on this memory and chuckle to myself over how much my younger self’s thinking shifted. It fills me with joy to look back upon this memory, knowing it help me to grow into the adult I am today. I remember upon finally leaving my camp site that year, my mind began to wander, thinking only of the memories I would gain upon returning the following year.
argue is far more dreadful then any school.
During the beginning of an ordinary summer, I was in my room playing Pokémon Emerald on my Gameboy, when suddenly I heard the phone start to ring.
My Mom then pick it up and began talking to the person on the other end. After a minute or two, she opened the door to my room and reached out the phone to me and said “It’s your scout master Adam, something about summer camp?” I have been involved in Scouts since the beginning of my fourth-grade year in elementary school. Over the last three years, I have finger painted pictures, carved wood, tied rope and weaved baskets all so that I could get the allusive merit badges they dangled in front of our heads. I remember always giving scouts the cold shoulder, feeling this resentment toward the whole entire program. The only think I thought scouts did, for me in my mind, was pull me away from having fun in life! I wanted to sit on a porch with my friends eating sugary food. I wanted to play video games tell dusk with no interruptions. I wanted to ride my bike around the neighborhood and shoot birds with my slingshot. But no, instead, Boy Scouts put a screeching halt to all my summer plans. I was quite surprised to hear my mother say it was him as I took the phone from her. “Of all people, I said, why would he want to talk to me about camp? After all, we just had our Boy Scout meeting yesterday, why call today?” As I answered it with the faintest hello, knowing that whatever he said would probably be disastrous for my summer. My scout master replied with his booming voice, and it then overtook my ears for the next five dreadful minutes. Frankly, I don’t remember much of what we discussed after the first few seconds of our conversation, mainly because I was not prepared for what he had to say. His words sent a chill inducing spark down my spine, so much so that I remember my heart sinking down into my stomach, along with every other innards contained in my body. He said “Hi Adam, So have you signed up for Summer Camp? I
didn’t see your name on the list. Remember you need to be at camp to get your required badges, it’s only a few weeks away!”
And just like that, a week of my summer was to be whisked away, never to be recovered. My hopes of being able to have fun this summer, between building Legos and playing games with friends, were now ruined; halted for what seemed like years. I could have been running free around my neighborhood, waving at my friends from afar, and joining them in an intense game of hide and seek. But those planned events weren’t going to happen, and I realized that I needed to swallow this reality. Surviving a whole week seemed like an impossible feat, the high mountain that could never be conquered. I could already imagine the dirty latrines, the rabble of smelly teenage boys, the seventeen-century old dining hall, the roads and trails laden with huge mud puddles after rain, and the large infestation of mosquitos that haunt our open-ended tents. But most of all, the one thing I dreaded more than anything at camp was how we started our week…with a swim test. The swim test was required of every scout to see how proficient of a swimmer he was. Depending on how well you preform, you could be permitted to all zones of the lake, or for poor performance, stuck in shallow zone that barely comes up to your waist. I already had many problems as a swimming that I have struggled with throughout the years. Between almost drowning in our family pool and totally failing a swim class in elementary school, even the thought of swimming made me weak in my knees! But the swim test was a whole other league, and you were tested to the limit of your swimming abilities, something had very little of. After failing the test the first time I went to summer camp the previous year, my confidence you can imagine was at rock-bottom. In this moment, I remember just wanting to curl up in a blanket and hid from the cruel reality I was facing.
The dreaded morning came. I dragged myself out of bed, scarfed down some cereal, packed some last-minute clothing, and embarked on what seemed like the longest car ride ever. I remember looking out the window at civilization and just taking it all in. I knew I wasn’t going to return for a week, and just seeing something like a McDonalds as we drove by was somewhat comforting. Upon arriving, to my dismay, I had to give my final farewell to my parents, which included long hugs and many encouraging words from them. My Mom held me hand and told me to just try to enjoy my time, and my Dad roughly patted me on the back, telling me I was his “little man.” Their words helped ease my pain a little, but it quickly faded upon them driving away. I remember being herded off with my troop of fellow scouts and leaders. I only hoped that I could make it out alive to see my family once again. Upon arriving at our campsite and were told to unpack our stuff and change into our swim trunks for the swim test. Oh joy.
I sullenly made my way over to the tent and looked inside. There was a rusted old spring frame in the center of the tent with a discolored, lumpy mattress that looked like something you would find thrown out to the curb. Bugs crawled on the tent walls and bed frame legs, and spider webs hung from each point of the tent. This sight almost made me want to scream running out of my tent! The grotesqueness of the tent was so bad, that I almost felt like crying. I felt a thought I had entered the underworld, a dark and emotional draining void filled with the most despising creatures. Once I took a moment to pull myself back together, I did my best to brush the bugs off as fast as I could and then began to change into my swimsuit.
Arriving at the water front, a line of boys were stacked from one end to the other. It was humorous to see the variety of shapes and sizes (all the way from scrawny to plump). I couldn’t help but chuckle a little to myself and it helped to relieve some of the dreaded that had been looming over me all day. The sun beat down hard on us as we waited in line for our shot at passing the swim test. All my friends had already passed the test and came up to me bragging about how awesome they did. I remember my friend Brad in particular, who came up to me, patted me on the back and said “You’re going to be fine, just do your best!” His words stuck with me for the remainder of our waiting time, but ultimately were overshadowed by my own fears. Upon entering the gates to the lake, I could see the green, scummy water that we were being forced to dive into. Weeds were all along the front of the beach, while other small green amalgamations covered the rest of the lake and beyond. On the dock, I could hear the heavy breathing of scouts struggling to make their way around the lake, which sent more chills down my back. I thought to myself “I can’t do this, this is impossible! What if I get tired, cramp up or even drown!”
The life guard came up to me and asked my name, and upon writing it down he then told me I was all set to jump in. But I didn’t… I just stood there…not moving, continuing to look at my refection in the dark, murky water. My feet rapped around the edge of the dock as I struggled to grasp anything to keep me from going over. “This is it” I thought to myself, “This is where I’m going to die.” I tried to move myself, but my body was a stiff as a board. The life guard looked at me with a puzzled look and then began to press hard on my back with his hand. The lake seemed to consume my body as I entered the water. I tried treading with my hands and feet, willing to do anything to get my head above water. As I came up, I started to franticly flail my arms, one after the other, scooping water to make a path for myself. I just keep telling myself to stay calm, but every time I looked down the course, the finish line seemed to get farther away. I felt my body start to drag me under as my arms became weaker and weaker, and I began to sink further and further. This feeling shocked and scared me! So much so that it gave me just enough adrenaline to just start booking it. I didn’t even care about passing the test at this point. I just did want to get out of there alive! I felt like I had just been given the potion that Captain America received, which make him super strong! I felt empowered, but sadly it didn’t last long. I soon became tired and began franticly kicking my legs. I was sinking again, slowly and quietly. My mind began to shut down and I closed my eyes. Then suddenly I felt a hand firmly grab me by the arm and I was flung out of the water! I coughed and wheezed for air, and upon grasping the nearest dock post, I looked up to my savior who had rescued me for the clutches of death. The life guard calmly smiled at me and gave me the thumbs up as I returned one to him. I didn’t even realize it because of my panic, but I had swum the entire distance of the swimming area plus more! I had begun heading in the wrong direction and a life guard had to come grab me. The lifeguard helped me off the dock and then led me over to one of the tables to grade me. I didn’t really know if he would pass or fail me. I still couldn’t really think, for my head felt as though it was under some intense pressure. I was incredible light headed, and felt as though I could fall over at any moment. The lifeguard wrote down a few notes and then pushed a red and blue colored tag in front of me. Hesitantly, I took the tag to see my score and written on it was “Level Two Swimmer, all zones permitted.”
Upon returning to my tent, I felt this sense of relief overtake me. I sat on my rusted bed and just gazed at the swimmer pass I was given. I felt this urge to just start jumping up and down or do some kind of victory pose! My body now had a high of energy and I felt like I could do anything! The next morning, I got up and went to my merit badge classes as usual, but what was different this year was that I had a huge big grin on my face. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy all the time, and it stuck with me for the entire week. I smiled while I learned to tie notes with my friends. I smiled while I splashed in the puddles around camp. I smiled as I ate shot a gun at the rifle range. I smiled while I roasted marshmallows over an open fire. The clouds that loomed over scout camp seemed be parting, letting in a much needed ray of light. The image my mind originally painted for me turned out to be something that was never really there. Fear had successfully infiltrated my every thought with its poisonous venom of doubt and worry. I had succumbed to its schemes, but now I had regained the reins. Upon waking up one morning, I quickly got out of bed and ran to the campfire where everyone was eating breakfast. I was so hungry, and I was going to need it to face the big day ahead of me! But then I was greeted with my scout master out of nowhere, who halted me from reaching my destination. He asked me, “Have you packed up your gear yet? You know were leaving at noon, right?” A stinking feeling hit me, and I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces. “But I had so much planned! I thought to myself, I wanted to go climb the rock wall, go swimming again and have an intense game of tug of war!”
I look back on this memory and chuckle to myself over how much my younger self’s thinking shifted. It fills me with joy to look back upon this memory, knowing it help me to grow into the adult I am today. I remember upon finally leaving my camp site that year, my mind began to wander, thinking only of the memories I would gain upon returning the following year.