Journey into the Jungle

This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. Each post will be associated with a letter of the alphabet with the theme ‘Letters to my younger self’.

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Dear 13-nearly-14-year-old me,

This weekend, you’ll get on a bus with the rest of the Form 1 and Form 2 prefects for a leadership camp. You love being outdoors and the camp will be a welcome break from school. The other girls, your pseudo-friends, will go “Eeeeee, camping, sure got mosquitoes!” and “Bathe outdoors? Eeeee!!!!” Brace yourself (and pack earplugs) there will be plenty of high-pitched Eeeeeeees during the trip.

A hike up the nearby hill will be one of the activities planned. You’re in your element when surrounded by nature and will cannot wait to get going. One of the senior prefects will insist on taking charge of the hike, grabbing the compass and route map. He will immediately bark out instructions and other survival-related tidbits ala Bear Grylls. The girls in your group will be amazed at his vast knowledge. You will purse your lips to prevent from snorting out a laugh.

Thirty minutes into the hike, you will realise that the likelihood that the group is slightly lost is highly probable as the croaks from the toad beside the murky pond your group will pass by sounds really familiar. You will politely ask to see the map and look at the compass to re-orientate but the senior prefect will insist that he is in control and will tell the group not to worry. You will resist from rolling your eyes, but they will still roll against your will.

After another hour, your group will finally trudge back to camp. The simple hike your group will take will last 1.5 hours. Everyone will be grumpy and awfully hungry. You will find out that the other groups arrived after only a 30-minute hike. You will be internally fuming.

So, my advise, when your group hike past the same fallen log for the second time, ignore the authority of the senior prefect and grab the compass and route map from him and lead the group back to camp. This will be to your advantage and also your hearing will be preserved otherwise you will be subjected to the high-pitched squeals from the girls in your group as they swat away non-existent insects from their persons.