Wait, where are you from?
Nemo, a Brazilian man with curly dark hair, and Danger, A Black woman with eye glasses and shoulder length braid, hugging in the STL airport. They are in matching black tee shirts and are both smiling very big.
Alright, gather 'round, folks! I'm about to share a story that has rarely been told in its entirety. Consider yourselves lucky. You know how in movies and TV shows, there's that one moment that changes everything? The dramatic flashbacks, the suspenseful music, all happening in slow motion? Well, my turning point came when I was 19. Picture this: I was in college and determined not to return home to STL (that's St. Louis, by the way) for the summer. I had finally experienced the taste of independence and going back meant dealing with my siblings and the challenges that came with living in STL in 2006. So, I set my sights on finding summer gigs and ended up with two offers on the table. One was a stage management internship at a conservatory in Arkansas, paying me peanuts. The other was a job as a summer camp counselor at YMCA Camp Lakewood, also paying me pennies, but at least it was closer to home.
Guess which one I chose? That's right, the Y camp. Little did I know, that summer of 2006 would become my pivotal moment. You see, in movies, they give you the music cue to let you know something big is happening. But in real life, it's not always that obvious. I packed my bags, left the dorm, and spent a few days at home before heading down to Potosi. Before becoming a full-fledged counselor, I had to survive staff training, which was basically a marathon of singing at the top of your lungs, being creative with limited resources, and surviving on minimal sleep... all while loading up on carbs. It was the perfect recipe for building friendships. And boy, did I make some amazing friends!
The Y camp often brings in counselors from other countries, creating a truly unique experience for both campers and staff. I was placed in a village called the Explorers, where I met some folks who would become my closest friends. On my second day of staff training, I encountered a guy named Nemo, yes, like the fish. Oh, I forgot to mention, at this camp, everyone has a nickname. It's a way to keep the campers from finding us on social media (I know, I'm dating myself with the mention of MySpace and all). Nemo would always introduce himself by proudly stating that he was "made in Brazil." At first, I thought it was a joke, but when I asked where he was really from, turns out he was genuinely from São Paulo, Brazil. I was perplexed. Out of all the places to spend his summer, why Potosi, Missouri?
Up until that point, I had never left the country. My travel experience was limited to family road trips to Oklahoma, Illinois, and Arkansas for a debate camp. I had never ventured far from the Midwest, and I certainly didn't know anyone my age who lived in a different country.
During the summers of 2006 and 2007, I crossed paths with people from the UK, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, South Africa, and Taiwan. Each one extended an invitation for me to visit them someday. At first, I brushed it off as a polite gesture, like saying "I'm fine" when you're really not. But as time went on, I realized they genuinely meant it.
Working at YMCA Camp Lakewood introduced me to my best friends, Trouble and T-Bone (yes, we all had nicknames). We've been on countless adventures together, and they even stood by my side at my wedding.
When the summer came to an end, it was time for Nemo to head back home, so a few of us went to see him off at the international
airport terminal in St. Louis. It was my first time being inside that terminal, and little did I know it would take another 12 years before I would travel through it for my own adventures. But that experience planted a seed in me, awakening the realization that there was so much more beyond the Midwest.
A special shoutout to Nemo, the first person to invite me to his faraway home, and to T-Bone for inviting me along for the ride.
This is Rosetta, also known as Danger. And this is just the beginning of my incredible journey. Stay tuned for more tales from distant lands.
