Content (10m), Language (17m)
“Are you ready for the camp? My new friend, Bob, asked me as we boarded the bus to
the campsite. I nodded my head, stomach filled with butterflies and excitement. This was going
to be my first time spending a night without my family, and I had checked that I had all the items
necessary before setting off this morning. Thanks to my anxiety, the bus ride there felt like it
took a million years.
Upon reaching there, we introduced ourselves and played some simple bonding games. then
came the first event of the camp - outdoor cooking. At home, I rarely cooked anything for my
family, and even when I did, it was simple things like scrambled eggs or soup. This time,
however, I had no family members to give me guidance and advice, and was away from the
comfort of my own home.
Apart from that, I also had to start a fire using charcoal or solid fuel, and cook using mess tins. I
had only used them once in my entire life. Looking at the sea of unfamiliar faces before me,
waves of apprehension crashed down hard.
Would I be able to produce something edible?
Who do I pick as my teammates?
What should- no, can- I cook?
Uncertainty flooded my head like dark clouds covering the Clear Blue sky. Just then, Bob turned
to me and suggested, “why don't we ask them to join our team?” pointing to Angela and Steph.
As I had no other better ideas, I nodded my head in agreement. During our discussion, I felt
stressed and left out many as my groupmates all seemed to know a lot about different dishes
and cuisines.
Thankfully, the final dish we chose was something that I was somewhat familiar with - A rap. we
took the ingredients we needed - mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, pita bread, eggs, some butter
and a little bit of tomato. Then, we agreed on what each of us would do- Bob was in charge of
cooking, Angela and Steph's roles were to cut and prepare the ingredients, and I was to start
the fire and keep the insects away from the food. Feeling slightly less nervous now that we had
a plan and my task was within my skill set, I followed the instructor to collect necessary
equipment for cooking.
As soon as we came back with the items, the area turned into a hive of frenzied activity as we
did not have much time left to cook. Everyone watched impatiently as our instructor taught us
how to start the fire. Then, everyone got to work. Soon, the aroma of delicious food wafted into
my nose as the cooking got underway.
Bob cooked the scrambled eggs first and added pepper to them while they were still cooking.
after that, However, we realised that we had forgotten to add butter to the mess tin before
cooking, causing some of the eggs to stick to the bottom of it. We grimaced in frustration and
determination as we tried to get the remaining egg out.
After trying for a while, we finally did. Seeing that we had spent too much time trying to get the
egg out, we hardly wrapped the remaining ingredients in the rap and lightly seared it until it
turned a light golden-brown color. Finally, we were done…or so I thought.
Our instructor, upon seeing that we were done, walked up to us and delivered our worst
nightmare, “ you guys know that you still need to wash the equipment used before eating,
right?” we let out a collective groan as we looked at the pile of plates, chopping boards, and
utensils we had used.
Determined to get it over and done with, we quickly took the used equipment and went to clean
them. initially, I thought it was going to be easy. However, as the beads of sweat trickled down
my forehead, I realised that I was experiencing what my parents went through after every meal.
A pang of regret hit me as I made a silent promise to be more filial to my parents and help them
with the dishes when I went back home.
Finally, after a grueling 15 minutes, we were finally done. Upon placing the wrap in my mouth, I
experience and explosion of flavor I had never felt before - the sweet taste of my group’s
collective effort. I never knew tasting the fruits of your own labor could be so sweet.
From this outdoor cooking experience at camp, I learned to be more independent and not keep
relying on my parents. I'm very thankful for this camp experience as it allowed me to step out of
my comfort zone and try new things. From now on, I will definitely help my parents with the
household chores to relieve their burden.
