Getting back on track

As you all know, I've been doing "real" housework for about 2 weeks now. While doing the laundry earlier, I was taken back in time when I was still in my teens. Most of the times, I look forward to these moments. Please do bear with me as my getting back on track post may seem a bit long and nostalgic.

I used to play golf when I was in my teens. Every summer, my father would sign me and my sister up for a sponsored golf clinic. He knew it was a month-long one hour one-on-one session with a certified golf teacher (or pro as we call them) in one of the driving ranges here in Manila. With a stroke of luck, our first time to join was also the first time the organizers decided that the culminating activity was a week of golf camp out of town. I was probably 14 but I dreaded that it was a week without my parents. Still, our parents decided it would be good for us so we went ahead and participated. Looking back now, I think they also thought it would be good for us to interact with different people, especially since we were studying in an all-girls school.

So after a month of tutorials, our golf camp was scheduled at an old Country Club 3 hours from Manila. We were 5 girls all in all, me being the oldest girl if I'm not mistaken, and maybe 20 boys. I know... golf then wasn't too common for girls.

Before I go on, because we were staying in a Club did not necessarily mean we had all the hotel-like amenities. Since it was a Camp, we were designated an old, beaten down activity area. There were cracks everywhere and the whole place smelled old. I instantly loved it though. I knew it would make the experience more "realistic".

Being girls, we were given a room while the boys slept in tents. There were maybe 6-8 tents for the boys and 2 for some of the organizers. The head organizer camped out at the foot of the stairs leading to our room. As expected, I slept lightly the first night. I was getting used to the sleeping mat, as well as being aware if my sister was comfortable.

When I awoke early the next morning, it was such a sight to see all the camping tents in the open field. One tent struck me though, it was huge!! The camping tent could fit maybe 10-12 people. I asked around and was told that it was for a group of kids from the province, 5 boys I think, but from prominent families. They also had two tents nearby for their bodyguards. I remember saying "Wow!" then and said to myself "Let's see how these boys camp."

To cut the story short, the boys did things for themselves, to my amazement. They weren't prissy or too proud, and they didn't boss anyone around. They went through the same experience just like we did. I actually expected them to stick to their own group but they were very friendly.

I did say that doing the laundry reminded me of this experience, right? Why? Because back then we had to do our own laundry everyday, manually, by hand - which is what I did today. I loved where my laundry duty took me today. It was a fun trip down memory lane. Now that I have my own family, I am looking at maybe investing in camping gears. I would definitely want my little girl to have the same experience even if I have to organize one myself since summer camps are not too common around here. And because we usually do our activities with my extended family, I'd love one of those huge camping tents too.

I'm glad I'm able to maintain my blogs once again. It's hard to get back on track in this blogosphere but kicking it off again with a memorable experience just might do the trick. How about you? Any recent trips down memory lane?