That Girl
“O-m-g, did you see that girl?” Rosiell said. “Yea! With that hair!” Makayla exclaimed. “And those eyes?” Matthew asked. “Yea, at that restaurant, with that food?” Elle asked continuing the conversation. If you were just a stranger passing by you’d probably think, “What are these kids doing?” In actuality, we have no idea ourselves. But that makes it all more fun. Its called That Girl (property of Rosiell). You basically just continue describing the person you’re talking about. Keep in mind who, what, when, where, why, and how. (Really you dont need to be describing anyone. It can be just a figment of your imagination.)
Talking Lyrics
When most of the New Jersey 2 was under a tarp, (because of the thunder storm) Makayla and Roy found entertainment in different ways, to stall their boredom. Their main way was singing, while getting others to join in. Once people left we were all calmer, and left with nothing to do. Everything was wet and people were relaxing. Roy was passing by, getting ready to tell me something; I just got up and said “Roy, I have something really important to tell you. I need to tell you, it is so important.” He responded anxiously “what is it?!?...” I simply stated in a singing voice, “Maybe we’re trying, trying too hard, maybe we’re torn apart…” then he looked at Makayla and said “well’ (normally, then in a singing voice) everyone knows I’m in over my head, over my head!” and that’s how talking through songs began…
By Makayla a. Rodriguez
Amanda in Wonderland
Coming back from our feudal quest, looking for indoor plumbing and flushing toilets, we saw a small brown rabbit sitting comfortably on a plain. We all freaked out as if we had never seen a rabbit in our lives. On this quest were Kayla, Christine, Roy, Matthew, Christian and I. Coincidently, my name, Amanda, begins with an “A”, just like Alice. We decided to call this incident “Amanda in Wonderland” strictly on this vague similarity. Kayla sprung into action, and being the amazing photographer that she is, grabbed the Canon Rebel XT out of her backpack and captured awesome, gut wrenching pictures of Mr. Rabbit. Ok, maybe not gut wrenching, but they were taken with such precision and grace, that you would have been astounded by her skill behind a viewfinder. We returned to our campsite, bladders still full and our bowls spotless. That morning we pleasantly ate warm pancakes and canned sliced peaches under an incredibly small tarp. It was a great bonding experience. We all were getting closer and closer by the hour. At the end of the day, you get to go to bed (sleeping bag is more like it) knowing that you’ve met some of the most genuine and caring people that exist.
Von Time in Vand Camp
Being with eleven people for five days and four nights, you start to get to know them a lot better. You may even start to get to know yourself a little better, too. I found out towards the end of the trip, that I, a Guatemalan girl from Queens, have a German accent. With phrases like “zere vas zis von time in vand camp” and my grandfather stories (such as, “zis von time, my grandfazzer vent to zee amusement park and fell off of zee roller coaster”), I gained the honorary role as the weird accent girl in the group. Despite the fact that all of us are hilarious…accents and impersonations (such as Kaila’s Lil’ Mama impersonation) are magical to us. Accents transform you into a different person of a different background. You feel new. You feel funny, which in turn makes you confident. You can even become the leader of your pack if you know how to balance your uncanny hilariousness and your keen ability to veer people in the correct direction. We all eventually learned that we all have powers. We all have special abilities unique to us. Whether it is singing, storytelling, leading, dancing, climbing or impersonating someone, we all are masters of our trade. Although, your given talent isn’t always visible, sometimes it’s audible and sometimes, it’s German.
LickFace
Roy. Where do I begin to describe him? From the second I met him I knew that he was going to be weird, weird as in, he marched to the beat of a different drummer, a drummer whose beats at most times, I found myself following. The whole trip, Roy and I were designated best friends. Before the New Jersey trip, we hadn’t spoken in depth or talked about anything really important. At orientation, I grabbed the closest person next to me and it turned out to be Roy. I turned to him and said, “Roy, you’re going to be my best friend on this trip, ok?” he didn’t seem to be disturbed by this sudden order, and if he was, he hid his disturbance very well. One day, as we were talking in the van, I just came out and did a gesture, a gesture that would forever be the “handshake” that Roy and I would share. I pretended to lick my hand and pass it over his face. Nothing too great, I know, but this simultaneous motion would be what bonded us up till this day…two days after the trip came to its’ end. I consider Roy to be one of my very good friends. We both have our differences and our preferences, but in the end, we are two very similar people. I appreciate Roy’s position next to me at orientation, because if anyone else had been standing there, I’m sure my camping experience would have been very different.
