I have never experienced going to camp, and while packing for it, I realized that this camp was also my first girl’s trip; I’m like 31! My girlfriends and I planned this trip to camp Onomia a few months ago, hosted yearly by Bloom Adventure under Sunshine and Sisterhood. We registered for the short trip – Friday evening through Sunday morning. Bloom is a Muslim organization that hosts nature retreats on lakeside camp centers such as camp Onomia. Muslim women can experience outdoor activities such as swimming, canoeing, hiking, bonfire, and many other adventures in utter privacy. I mean, we took off our hijabs (head coverings) during this trip and got super comfortable around our surroundings.
Bloom organized the Sunshine and Sisterhood retreat with nature, wellness, and sisterhood in mind. We were encouraged to keep our electronics in our rooms at all times and to experience nature and sisterhood without social media interruptions.
The retreat was an open schedule, which meant that we were free to do as we pleased or join in on one of the communal activities.
I traveled with six of my girlfriends, and we all participated in various activities together and at times separately from the large group. Our Muslim chef, sister Aisha, served some of the yummiest foods during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The schedule was packed with fun indoor and outdoor activities. I tried beginner canoeing, paddleboarding, and swimming.
If hammocking was an activity on the list, I tried it too! Hammocking was super relaxing, especially while listening to the waves crashing on the lake, the wind hitting the tree branches, and the sound of the birds. It was my favorite activity to do alone.
On our last night at camp, we participated in the communal bonfire, made s’mores, and went around the circle, sharing our passion and where we were in life. The stories shared were deep and diverse and touched on family, culture, motherhood, health, the environment, nature, and youth. We were a diverse group of women, but we all shared Islam. We bounded through our experiences and the struggles we were going through. The stories were compelling, and I felt a deep connection to most of these stories, especially regarding motherhood.
My friends and I ended our night stargazing, laying down on the large communal prayer tarp we found on the grass from a prayer just earlier in the night. We did not plan this activity, but it was such a fantastic experience; looking up into the pitch dark sky mesmerized by the sparkling stars. The funniest thing happened: we all saw two stars moving together, and someone said, look, those stars following each other. We were all in awe, they were MOVING, and we could all see it. Then someone said those are satellites. We all felt silly but laughed about it! Stargazing with my friends was an experience for me like no other. I laid there the longest, and I just kept staring and was in awe by the beauty of the stars and the creator who created them.
I was grateful to have been in the mindset to venture out and try something new. I was even blessed to have experienced this trip with my girlfriends and met some new friends. A big thank you to sister Sally and the rest of the awesome sisters who cooked and organized our activities. I had a fantastic time and would do this again!
If you are like me and have never done camp, please do yourself a favor and sign up next year with Bloom Adventure.