In 2012, my last year of school, was my graduation trip which was out of the traditional. Usually, the graduation trip is to more touristy places with more entertainment such as discos, amusement parks, etc... But the one I attended was one that was planned sporadically: a camping trip to an island in Tigre, Buenos Aires.

I remember that this trip was planned by a Physical Education teacher, he wanted to do something economical so that all of us could attend. My classmates had already organized another trip to the province of Cordoba, but for most of us it was expensive and not many could attend, so a second option was organized so that no one would be excluded.

In that year, my mom happened to get a job, it was temporary, but it was enough to pay for the trip and everything I needed for a camp, it was the first time I would live an experience like that.

The trip was 3 days and 2 nights, we had to cross the river by boat to get to the island where our camp would be. At first I wasn't going to go because I couldn't afford it either, so the job my mom got came like a godsend and I had everything ready to embark.

I took my personal belongings, and a classmate took the tent where we would sleep 4 people (including me). I was excited to be able to make this short trip, but I enjoyed it especially for the scenery that was presented there.

There were not many attractions to visit, but the idea was not that, but to live the experience of camping and enjoying nature for a while. Of course we did some activities like sports, water games with buckets, walking around the island, going into the forest, although this part I was afraid of getting lost and I didn't go.

The first activity was playing sports, I remember it was very hot and I got a slight heat stroke. I had to stop playing and take a cold shower to recover. A teacher who was not even from my class scolded me for that and I explained that I felt bad, little empathy on her part.

Once recovered, I went out with my group to tour the site. We walked along the shores of the island, it was all nature. Green everywhere and some huts hidden in the middle of the trees. We walked around and it was a beautiful place, I was fascinated!

There were food sectors, but we had to take turns preparing food for the rest of the campers. At that time I didn't know how to cook, luckily when it was my turn I only had to prepare a pionono, although I broke it because I didn't know how to make a simple pionono either. What a shame!

The first day I had a great time, being in contact with nature was the best part of the trip, but from the second day on, I started to feel sick. I was not used to being out of my house and even less in a tent, so I did not sleep during the whole trip and I caught a cold. On the other hand, the last night the river had risen and the water reached the tents, but luckily we didn't drown.

These mishaps happened, but the rest was great. There were more games that I did not participate in because I wanted to be alone contemplating the river at night or watching the stars, I was never sociable.

Today, I no longer talk to or have any kind of contact with any of the people I went with. It doesn't bother me because after a few years I understood that they were not true friendships, the only thing I wanted back then, was to enjoy a place different from the four walls in which I was always locked up, and I still am.

The last night, after the river went down, preparations began to say goodbye to the site with a bonfire. There we sang, danced, the teachers dressed up in a ballerina tutu to make us laugh. (I don't have pictures because it was too dark and they couldn't be seen).

I still remember the song from that campfire, I leave it below:

When I went to New York,
I went to see the Mary,
and the Mary taught me
To dance the Chipi-Chipi
Dance the Chipi-Chipi!

If the person who was singing the song stopped to dance the Chipi-Chipi in front of you, you had to start dancing, singing and doing the same, choosing the next victim. On the way back to our homes, in the bus, they kept singing that song, to distract us because the bus I was on got stranded in the middle of the road for a while.

And this was my graduation trip, simple and with some bad moments, but what was really worth it was the experience of camping in nature away from the noise of the city. I loved the place and would go again.

Thanks for your visit!

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📷 Photos taken by me with my digital camera

✏️ Text written by me and translated with DeeplTranslate free version

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