Seeing my Old Self in Someone Else

Sometimes in life, you don't see or realize how much progress you've made in your life or in a particular area of your life until you meet someone who used to be where you were or who you were; then it becomes very clear to you.

_{photo by Windah Limbai}

One of my main objectives in coming to this camp was to make friends. I always told myself that no matter what, I was going to make sure I connected with people every way I could. And I immediately started doing that even before I got to the camp.

I remember how I had met a guy at the last bus stop who also was traveling to the same camp that I was, and we both had clicked without even introducing ourselves. We had both gone through the hectic registration process together and gotten beds that were right next to each other, and I only got to find out his name the next day when I had asked him for his number so that we could always get in touch if we somehow got lost in the crowd.

Unfortunately, we both ended up becoming members of different platoons, and that kind of made us start doing things differently. But unlike what I thought, that wasn't a bad thing because I feel like if we had both ended up in the same platoon, I probably would have just stuck with him throughout the entirety of this camp.

But rather, I had gone out on my own, found my platoon, and made my own friends there. Believe me when I say that for a minute, it was very surprising how easily I was able to flow and talk to any and everyone. All of a sudden I no longer needed any form of alcohol, like my old self would, in order to summon up the courage to talk to anyone.

And as it turns out, in a place like this where almost no one knows the other person, everyone is ready to mingle; some of them just aren't bold enough to start up a conversation, but when you do, they're more than willing to have one with you.

My time here has almost gotten to two weeks, and during that time, I've met someone who used to be the quiet, shy guy that I was, and it wasn't until I met him that I realized how much growth I've made during the years. Unfortunately, three weeks in camp isn't enough time for someone like me to help build someone else's confidence, because I would rather spend that time connecting and networking with other people than trying to be a coach and most likely end up with almost no friends myself because I had spent my time trying to build someone else's confidence.