Name: Victoria

Teacher: Ms. Babb

Date: Wednesday, November 13, 2013.

                                 My Teen Ranch Experience

            Have you ever heard some of the older kids talk about how amazing Teen Ranch is and wondered what's so amazing about it? That's what I use to wonder when I heard my brothers and the intermediates talking about it. But when you finally get there and you finally step off that bus, all it takes is one look around to think "I'm going to like it here." As you lug all your heavy bags back to your cabin, you'll begin to get more and more excited. Just like I did, except I was excited since last summer! Not that I'm saying you can't be excited any sooner. It is pretty exciting. When Agatha came to visit and tell us more about Teen Ranch, I got even more excited. The second Ms. Babb told us our activities, three of them caught my attention and I knew they would be my favourite. Horseback riding, the bonfire and the cabins. I thought all these things would definitely be what made Teen Ranch special and fun. But little did I know how much fun it really was.

My favourite day time activity at Teen Ranch was horseback riding. Before we got on the horses, a lot of people were scared and nervous to get on, but I wasn't. Well that changed completely when I got on. I felt like I was sitting on top of the CN Tower, bound to fall to my death in a heartbeat. Now that may sound like a huge exaggeration, but believe me, you are a lot higher up than you may think. When the horse started to walk and there was no long anyone in control but me, it was a million times scarier. All I was thinking was "I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I am going to die!" But as we started to make our way into forest, I started to relax. I learned that my horse's name was Daisy. She was dark brown with an almost black tail. She was a great horse and she always stayed in line. Except for when another horse bit her that is… But I can't blame her for getting out of line then. I grew up as the only girl of three. I've been bitten enough times to know that it is not pleasant. So after Daisy got back into line, we started trotting. It wasn't the most fun for me. As everyone else was enjoying themselves, perfectly seated, as the horse did all the work, my heart was beating a thousand beats per second. I must have been doing something wrong because I was bouncing up so high, I felt like I was going to fall off and die. I don't think I'll be doing anything faster than a slow walk on a horse ever again.

Then there was the night of the bonfire. It was definitely the most… eventful nights at Teen Ranch to say the least. There was absolutely no dull moments. To start, there was a terrifying walk through to get to the bonfire location. Walking through the pitch black woods, with only the dim  light of a flashlight to keep you from smashing into a tree, while the wind twirls around you like you're trapped in the middle of a tornado was like being in a bad dream. You never know what's going to happen next. It felt like we had been walking for hours, when we finally made it to the clearing of the bonfire. We all sat down on the benches, a few of us sighing in relief, while Mr. Leitmann started the fire. That would be when I totally regretted telling him about Slenderman in the woods. He turned to look at the trees behind us, only to say "Hey, is that Slenderman?" This of course caused all the girls to scream, including me. When we all calmed down and we could breathe again, we started roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. Believe me when I say that you must always turn your face the other way when you see the smoke being blown towards you. The searing pain that fills your eyes and nose as just a small gust of smoke hits you is horrible. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it hurt!

            Getting the chance to lie down and go to sleep at night was like getting to open a present early on Christmas Eve. The second my head hit the pillow, I was out. Not that it was any different from going to bed at home any other time. I like to sleep! It's normal! But when you want to sleep and you wake up at 6 AM to the ear piercing sound of an out of tune ukulele being played in your face like a shrieking child, it's extremely annoying. I was about to rip the chords out of it. No joke… To add to Cherokee and her shrieking instrument, the cabin above mine kept walking around like a herd of elephants. The constant thumping of their feet made me want to rip my hair out. I need my sleep! Although the walls and ceilings were thin, the cabins were so clean, it felt like I was staying in a college dorm. I really thought it would be like a camp kind of cabin, where you're outside and your cabin is old and dusty, all made of wood. But the cabins were much better. My brother was even jealous (even though he wouldn't admit it) because he got to stay in Porky's Pit, which was like what I thought we'd be staying in.

            After hearing about all these things, anyone would most likely be excited. I mean it's Teen Ranch! Who wouldn't be excited to go there? Almost falling off a horse, having the life scared out of me and barely getting any sleep all week sounds inviting, right? Okay maybe not so much, but I did also talk about the many good things about Teen Ranch. Sure, it has a few cons, but doesn't everything? Anyway, I wonder what next year's grade sevens will think about Slenderma- I mean Teen Ranch!