My grandpa once said: “Enjoy it kid cause time never stops flying”.
Through three years of high school, most of us would spend our time on studying and developing our own selves. But if you ask us whether we had ever tried our best, until we forgot about day and night, tried our best together as a real team, the answer is definitely YES! One of them is the 2022 Sao Nam Culinary Camp, when I was 17 years old with the class 11/2.
This can be said to be the last big camp for us in high school, so when we started preparing, everyone carried the determination to play their best and win the game. Last year, due to a sudden outbreak of COVID in Quang Nam, everyone thought the Camp could have been canceled. However, things started to be better and it was announced that the camp would resume in May, when we had finished our exams. Hearing the news, we all sounded like bees flying out their broken nest. We didn’t worry about study or examination anymore, all we had to do then was to focus our efforts on the camp!
We have billions of things to prepare for a camp like this, more especially that year’s theme was about our hometown’s Culinary and Culture. The first requirement was a food tent, where our class will prepare menus, cook dishes from sweet to savory, and sell them to other students in the school. Fortunately, there are some “future designers and artists” in the class, so it was not that hard for us to come up with ideas and decorations. Moreover, the “production team” was equally talented when working at full capacity and producing finished products that exceed expectations. And the main dish our class brought to the camp that year was “banh dap” with fish sauce and lemon tea. At first, no one knew how to make lemon tea. We were unable to swallow a single sip as the drink was too sour and bitter. However, about 5 minutes later, the drink is addictive with a new recipe from class 11/2’s chefs. In that small tent, some people make the ‘banh dap”, some others prepare the drink, some try to catch up with the orders. That was truly a food store. Not only is the tent and food, but 11/2 also invested in the mini games to attract more customers including darts and lucky wheels. This promotional tactic was really effective when more and more people came to our tent and bought food, threw darts and spun the wheel.
Second, equally important are the “big games” like Semaphore and Green Dance. For me, I was in charge of the Green Dance as the main choreographer. We formed a group of 8 and together we made our own dance moves, planned about costumes and props. I remember that time, whenever I had free time, I would go to practice dancing. Sometimes we danced until ten o’clock at night and still didn’t come home but gathered around to talk and make jokes together. The team also encountered pretty much difficulty with some of the dance moves being challenging and fast, which resulted in everyone feeling aches and tired afterwards. However, it was worth it that the class won the second prize in the Green Dance and the first prize in the Semaphore.
Indispensable in the camp were small games, requiring high teamwork. A memorable game was tug-of-war, it took less than three seconds for us to be eliminated, however, the important thing was we still cheered and screamed for the team and the game, which even made other classes feel motivated and energized. We say that wherever class 11/2 go, that place will be bustling, noisy, drums are beaten, legs are danced, hands are waved, mouths are always cheering… And of the small games, I remember the boat race on land the most. The game required members to sit cross-legged and move together on the ground to reach the finish line. At that time, the game schedule was quite close to Semaphore and forced us – the watchers to enter the game instead to take place for those having to perform Semaphore later. However, the class won the second prize in surprise and laughter.
Besides the competitions, we also had a great time under the erratic rain and sunshine of the coming summer. Just when a song came up, the whole crowd would huddle together, shoulder to shoulder, jostling each other, singing like never before. At that time, we no longer paid attention to anyone around, we all became friends. It’s true that youth is always something different and unforgettable in us!
At the end of the 2 days and 1 night camp, when it was time to announce the results, everyone in the class was worried and nervous. And:
“First prize went to 11/2”
We burst onto the stage, not knowing what was around. The effort and preparation put in was really worth it. At that time, I really just wanted to stay in the moment forever, holding the red flag with the words “First Prize” to brag to the whole school about my class.
Be the twinkling stars,
Nhi Bui