Christy’s Camp Delta X Experiences
This summer, I was fortunate enough to attend Camp Delta X, which is a leadership retreat for college students, who are a part of Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) from schools all around the Gulf Coast Region. This leadership retreat helps individuals reflect on themselves as well as create everlasting bonds with one another and connects all of the Gulf Coast Region’s VSA together as a whole.
“Introducing the Yoshi Family”
This year was actually my second time attending Camp Delta as an attendee, and it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. At Camp Delta, every attendee is split into groups, which we refer to as “families.” At first, I was so nervous and scared because my first time attending Camp Delta was great but I was worried that my family would not click or bond. During the time, I was very distracted and emotional. I had a strong front, but inside I had a lot going on in my mind because I was going through a lot of things that made me question everything. It also created a lot of insecurities within myself to the extent where I was not even comfortable in my own skin. Due to that, I was not able to open up and form a strong bond with my family. It made me really sad and envious of other families that created a real bond and friendship that they kept and still have to this very day. Sometimes I would think back and wonder if I opened up to my family, would other members in my family open up as well and would our relationship be stronger. A part of me was really scared that my second year at Camp Delta might end up the same way my first year did. However, this year was different because the campsite was different. Each family had their own room which made it easier to have a real conversation with your family members. There were also fewer attendees, which made the atmosphere more intimate. Regardless of what family you were put in, it was really easy to open up and make friends with everyone at camp. It did not matter if you were an attendee or a staff member, I learned that everyone faces difficulties in their lives whether it has to do with insecurities, family, friends, significant others, and/or anything. There is no measurement to how bad it is, but the fact that you are able to get up everyday shows that you are strong enough to face it all.
“Gimme a Y-O to the S-H- I, Y-O to the S-H- I, Y-O to the S-H- I! We’re Yoshi! Yeah!
We’re Yoshi all the time!”
Within four days and three nights, twelve strangers become friends and a family. As a family, we learn to be respectful, transparent, and communicate with one another as we face difficult obstacles. The obstacles we faced were activities setup to present certain obstacles that we face throughout our entire lives. No matter how hard it was, how many times we had to restart, or how many times we fell. We always got back up together as a team and encouraged each other to keep moving forward. It is truly amazing how much twelve individuals can bond on the course of four days. I honestly love every member of my family and I cannot imagine what my second year at Camp Delta would be like without them. Camp Delta has also taught me that I cannot always carry all the workload myself, and that I will have to ask for help and rely on others especially when you are a part of a club, organization, or anything. From the bottom of my heart, I am so grateful to be a part of VSA. I would have never gotten to experience this or meet so many unique, intelligent, and great individuals if it wasn’t for VSA.
-Christy