August 1st, 2024

Gillete Travel Start!

Last night was the first for me. I got dropped off at my friend's house, but I had the whole house to myself. Nervous, I set my items on their couch: my bag with clothes and tech, camera equipment, and snacks. Their house was huge! It only made my uneasiness even worse. Of course, I had already texted my friend if I had permission to enter in his house. His reply: "Do it. Should be unlocked." Although I knew I was fine, the empty mansion felt creepy to me. I was both physically and mentally tired from a 4-hour drive there. All I wanted was rest. The only thing stopping me was... where was I supposed to sleep? Welp. I just sat at their dining table munching my woes away. In just a couple of hours, I would be on a bus full of strangers, starting the trek to Gillete. I should get some rest...

[4:45AM] The alarm I set blared in my ears. It's so early, yet I'm so awake. I went downstairs to the kitchen to heat up the leftover takeout I had last night. It was fried rice and lo mien- classic asian food. As soon as I finished, my family friend took me on his truck to head over to the bus. We had already put our luggage into the buses the day before, so all I needed to do was find a seat. I vlogged a little bit of the start to get some footage, but slowly went on the bus and headed towards the back. I was the only "adult" at the back of the bus, so it was pretty scary for me. How would the kids treat me? What would I need to do? Can I deal with them for the next 2 days on the bus?

Honestly, the first few hours are very blurry for me. I remember just falling back asleep on the bus. I set my head on the seat in front of me and knocked out. Of course, there were a few bus stops for gas or bathroom breaks, but by the time I truly woke up, it was around 1PM. I looked around, the kids were already socializing and having fun banter with each other. A random thing that happened is that a kid looked at me and asked, "Hey, are you an adult?" I nodded, affirming that I was an adult and a staff for the trip. The kid looked shocked and a bit spooked. Maybe it was because he might have been doing some stuff he shouldn't have. I wouldn't have known though, cause I was asleep. The rest of the trip was just bus driving and rest stops and repeat. The last stop was a crusty camp cabin. We were supposed to be staying here tonight... I don't know the name of the camp, but the beds were crusty and moldy. There were spiderwebs everywhere. The floor looked dirty. The showers were barely working too! If I wasn't tired from the trip, I would have not slept in there. Luckily, in the spur of the moment, I could not care less of where I slept. Though, looking back at this memory, I would not come back. 1/5 stars.

P.S. Future Justin here! There are some moments where I write in the moment so I can capture more emotions accurately. However, things get busy! There are times where I may finish the blog wayyyy later than the actual date of these events. So sorry if I can't put out blogs out as much as can. I plan to make this the more frequent updates to my journey... Thanks for understanding!