the summer camp of 2012

3. camp lakewood [m]

when i finally arrived to sunny california, my mood was slightly lifted. maybe it was the palm trees, maybe it was the sunshine, or maybe, camp lakewood looks decent. i wasn't expecting much, but it looked absolutely amazing. 

i thanked the driver and he helped me roll up my suitcases to what looks like a box office. i left them outside and i walked in. i saw a few people, all in line to talk to the lady at the receptionist. since there were a few more days until camp started, i assumed they were all here for camp councillor training. 

i hesitantly lined up behind the last girl in line. she turned around to face me and greeted me with a big smile. "hey there! you here for councillor registration too?"  she had long wavy dirty blonde hair with the prettiest blue eyes ever. her freckles stretched wide across her face when she smiled, it was so cute.

i laughed as i nodded my head, "yup! it's my first time here." 

"i see, well you're gonna have so much fun here." she chirped cheerfully. "my name is kayley, and i'm 16. i've been here every summer since i was 8, but this year i decided to be a councillor instead of a camper!" "every summer? that's so impressive! my name is mila and i'm also 16." "do you live in cali? because you don't really give the vibe of a cali girl." she cocked her head to her right. that made me giggle, "no, i don't live in cali, i actually came fro-" i got cut off as the lady at the receptionist tells kayley that it's her turn. 

i waited behind her and wait for my turn. after a few minutes, she grabbed a bag full with stuff from the lady. "i'll catch you letter at the bonfire." she grinned. 

i waved goodbye to her as she practically skipped away to the cabins. i turned over to face the lady. "hello there, my name is ms anderson, and i'll be the supervisor of this entire summer camp. of course, there will be other adults and councillors like you supervising. now, let's get you signed in." she pulls out a clip board, "name?" "mila zhang." she ticked off a column from the paper. "okey dokey, you have the entire day to explore and settle in. you'll be staying in cabin 2 with lucas d'angelo." i grabbed the same bag full of stuff that kayley also got and left the box office. 

"oh by the way," she stopped me before i leave. "phones are not allowed, please drop them off here. there will also be cabin checks every night when camp starts." i did as she told me to and dropped my phone off.

what she didn't know was, i knew this was coming, so i brought an extra burner phone. 

in the bag, there was a map of the entire campsite. the entire campsite was basically shaped like a compound: fences around the entire area with a wooden entrance and a box office to the right, then around 10 cabins for the campers and 6 for all the staff. the staff ones were noticeably smaller, so i guess it explains why it only fits 2 people. there was also a gate on the fence that leads to a rather large creek. 

i opened the cabin door with the key that was in the bag. i carefully pushed open the door, in case someone was already in there. i peeked my head inside while dragging my stuff into the cabin. the cabin wasn't big, but it was big enough and quite spacious for two people. it was shaped like a rectangle, and another room with a closed door, which i assumed was a bathroom.

the inside is exactly how one would imagine a cabin to look like, dimly yellow lit lights, sun peeking through the blinds, which if you open them, would lead you to two large windows that have the most stunning view of the creek. 

there were a few wardrobes and storage areas. what bothers me slightly is the fact that the beds are only separated by two bedside tables. someone must've been here already since there was a duffel bag on the other bag untouched. still, i groaned and began unpacking my stuff.