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“Hey,” Max said as he put his hand on Mia’s shoulder. Max was saying goodbye to his sister, who was leaving us for eight nights to attend an overnight camp about six hours south of Santiago. Mia looked at Max for more information. The line, he explained, is from Spiderman Into the Spider-Verse in a scene where Miles’ uncle, Aaron, is trying to teach Miles how to show that he has feelings for a girl. “Give her a hug, bud, and tell her you love her,” I said to Max. “You are not going to see her for eight days.” Actually, it was me that needed to hug my daughter tight and tell her that I loved her.
My daughter is fearless. She does not get that from me. We dropped her off at the Estacion Central to catch a 7:25 am train this morning with 38 other kids ranging from 6-14. She never teared up. After her four hour train ride, she had an hour van ride followed by a 40 minute hike. Kids from our school love this overnight camp, and Mia begged to go despite all of my best attempts to dissuade her. “It will be dark at night,” I told her. “I bet they won’t let you sleep with the light on. You can’t call us,” I continued. “There is no cell service. They are not going to floss your teeth or put on your sunscreen. What will you do if you don’t like the food?” And still Mia held on. I paid the deposit but waited way past the due date to pay the final balance. A week before the camp, I asked if she was absolutely sure and then transferred the final payment.
It is a very surreal experience to watch your eight-year old get on a train and pull out of the station. She will visit a place I will never see in the Andes. She will have eight days of adventures with people I do not know but somehow have trusted to take care of my most treasured angel. Some parents cheered. One parent was crying. Parents from the school, including close friends of ours, claim that their kids say this camp is the best experience of their lives. I am not sure how Mia will do once she is there. I wrote her eight letters, one for each day. I reminded her about applying sunscreen, brushing her teeth, and getting enough sleep. I warned her about the dangers of the river, horse-backing riding, and evening camp fires. I told her if anything made her feel uncomfortable that she should tell a counselor.
“I cannot believe you got on that train with them,” my friend Kelly said. “I thought you were just going to help them with their suitcases on the platform, but then I see you getting them in their seats.” Well, I just wanted to be sure that the girls would be able to sit together, and maybe I was hoping for a sign to pull Mia off.
However, the counselors actually genuinely made the most perfect comments. “I went to this camp when I was six,” Tito a charming counselor shared. “I loved it so much I had to come back as a counselor.” What do you do when you arrive at camp I asked him. “Well, the first day we introduce the kids to the river. It is awesome,” he gushed to Mia and her friend, Veda. “And totally safe,” he said eyeing me with a wholesome smile.
The director has texted to say that the train arrived and that the kids arrived safely to the trail head. After that, her very clear message is that “No news is good news.” I did write her back the following text: “Great. Thanks for the update. I hope everyone is well. Please remind Mia about sunscreen this week. Have a great time. She is so excited!” I realize that this comes across as a bit “helicoptery”, but I cannot help it.
I am not sure how I will get through these eight days. Mia comes home fittingly on Valentine’s Day. I will love that girl to pieces when she gets home. I have already made us a nails appointment. I hope that she approaches every challenge in the future with this same bold, brave enthusiasm. This morning at 5:30 am when Rich woke her up and said, “Good morning, camper.” She had a huge smile on her face. She had gone to bed dressed and was ready to go. I hope she is still wearing that smile.
Living in Chile 