1

G.K. Lai10/08/13IA-0252Khan

William Ortiz’s Summer Camp and Bug Collection Journal

July 1 st 2013

Today was the first day of sleep away summer camp in the woods, and I’m not happy.

I’m in a new group at camp. Last year, I was in the Young Explorers Group for six to eight

year old kids. I turned nine years old in March, and now I’m in the Big Journeyers Group for

nine to eleven year olds. Last year, I was the biggest kid, so nobody bothered me. Now, I’m

the smallest kid, and I don’t like it. Everyone is mean because they don’t talk to me and

everyone has friends, and no one wants to be my friend. But, the meanest kid is Jerry Malia.

He is fat, with curly black hair, and really big hands, and he is colored copper. He is the

biggest, and he has the most friends, and today he picked on me.

I brought my bug collecting stuff,

2

and I was looking for new bugs in the really tall grass behind my team’s cabin. I didn’t find

anything yet, but then Jerry came up to me, and asked me what my name was. I said my

parents call me Billy. He asked me what I was doing, and I said I was catching bugs. Then,

he said I was gross, and called me Buggy Billy. That made me sad. I said my name was just

Billy. But, he called me Buggy Billy again, and started laughing at me. Then, he ran and told

the other kids my name was Buggy Billy. Then, everyone started called me that stupid name.

I started to cry. A counsolor counselor saw me, and asked me what was wrong. I told her

what happened, and she told Jerry and the other kids to stop. So, they did. But when the

counselor left, they started saying it again. So, I went back inside the cabin and laid on my

bed that smells like old ladies. I cried a little bit more. Why are they being mean to me? I

didn’t do nothing to them.

That has to be what bugs feel like. People are so mean to bugs. They always squish them.

But, the bugs never bother them. My mom says bugs bother her, but I don’t see how. All they

do is fly around, or crawl around, and look for food. Don’t people do that? Sometimes they

bite you, like mosquitos do. But, when I was seven, and when Nicky Chin bit me, no one

squished him. The teacher just told him not to do it anymore. People should just tell

mosquitos not to bite them. That’s what I do, and they listen to me.

Bugs don’t want to bother people. They just want to live, and eat, and be with their

families just like hemosopian homosepien humans do. Ants and bees live with all of their

family, and they don’t complain. Even people can’t do that. My Uncle Jose is not even

allowed to come to our house anymore. Dad says it’s because he drinks too much. I don’t

know why that’s a problem, because Mom says I drink too much soda, but I can still go back

to my house.

3

Bugs are better than people too. People only come in four colors, but bugs come in like a

bajillion colors. There are red bugs, and blue bugs, and yellow ones, and brown ones, and

green bugs, and black ones, white bugs, and pink ones too. People only come in copper, raw

umber, apricot, and canary yellow. Those are the crayons I use to color people. My 3rd grade

teacher, Mrs. Goodman, said I was really good at choosing the right colors.

People only come in a few sizes and shapes too. Some people are long, some are wide,

but they all look really alike. But, bugs have so many different shapes. Some are long and

skinny, like a ruler, with a thousand legs. Some are short and fat and have stripes, and fly like

bees. Some have long skinny arms and jump a lot like grasshoppers. But, all people do the

same thing. They all walk, and sometimes run. Boring.

For my birthday this year, my parents got me the Bugopedia. It’s a giant book that has the

names and pictures of every bug ever seen in it. When I grow up, I want to add new bugs to

this book. Then, everyone who likes bugs will thank me for discovering new types of bugs.

When I see bugs I’ve never seen before, I like to give them names. I know the book has

the real name, and the sci-fi name, but those names are never cool, and the sci-fi one is too

hard to say. So, I give them better and new names. Like this bug.

4

Its real name is the Common Pill Bug. In science, it is called Armadillidium vulgare. But, I

like to call it the Basketball Bug. When it gets scared, it rolls into a basketball to make sure

it’s safe. I wish I could do that. But, I can’t. So I get hurt all the time.

It is late now, and my counselor, James, is telling me to go to sleep. I don’t really want to,

because the bed smells really bad, and there are cob webs all over the wooden cabin, and I

think there is a bat in the corner of the ceiling, because something keeps going squeak-

squeek. But, I’m really excited to look for more bugs tomorrow. Good night, journal.

July 3 rd , 2013

Today I was looking for bugs again. Jerry came up to me, and called me Buggy Billy.

Mom told me to ignore people who bother me, so I didn’t listen to Jerry. Then, Jerry took my

Bugopedia book. He asked me which bug was the hardest to find in New York (where our

camp is), and I asked for the book back so I could show him. He didn’t give it back to me.

So, I had to show him while he held the book. I showed him the Nine-Spotted Ladybug.

5

I told him it was one of the rarest bugs in whole state of New York. He punched me when I

said that. He said to stop talking so big. Then, he bet me that I couldn’t find it. Dad told me

that when someone bets me something, that I have to win. But, I didn’t want to bet, so I said

no. Then, Jerry said he would be my friend if I found the lady bug. I don’t want to be his

friend, but I don’t want to be picked on, so I said yes. I don’t think he really wants to be my

friend either. I think he is trying something funny, but I don’t know what.

Even, if Jerry doesn’t care about the Nine-Spotted Ladybug, I do. I’ve always wanted to

find one. Now is my chance. I’ll be like a real explorer when I find it.

I’m going to go into the woods to look for it. I’m going to leave on Friday to go look for

it. I’m going to leave really early in the morning, by myself. It won’t take me a long time,

and I’ll be back before my counselor wakes up. My counselor always wakes up late, so I

won’t get in trouble. Then, Jerry won’t be mean to me, and no one else will bother me.

July 5 th , 2013

6

It’s Friday, and I left the cabin early (6:45 am) and my Spiderman watch says it is 8:00

am right now. I think I’ll be back before breakfast (9:30 am), but, just in case it takes a little

too long, I saved peanut butter and jelly samwitches sandwiches from the dining hall, and

some bottles of water. I brought my bug stuff, and I put it all in my Adventure Bag.

It’s green and brown. Those are my favorite colors, the colors of outside. I take my

Adventure Bag with me everywhere I go. I never know when I’m going to get into trouble,

Mom says. So, I always have a first-aid kit (different sized bandages, alcohol swabs, and

pain-relief cream), and my asthma pump in my bag. Mom makes me put that stuff there. She

says she wants me to always be safe. I threw away the alcohol swabs one time because they

sting really bad, but Mom put more inside the first-aid box. She always knows. I also have

my journal, pencils and my crayons too. Those are the most important.

-----

It’s 12:13 pm, and I still haven’t found the Nine-Spotted Ladybug yet. Now, everyone at

camp is eating lunch. Maybe they don’t notice I’m gone. I hope they don’t notice. I’ve been

walking in the woods for like six hours now. I think I’m really far from the camp. My legs

are tired. If I had more legs, then I wouldn’t be so tired. I wish I had eight legs like the spider

I saw a little while ago. Everyone calls it a Daddy Longlegs, and the sci-fi name is Opiliones,

7

but I call it the Spaghettis and Meat Ball Bug. I call it this because, the body looks like a

meat ball, and it’s really long brown legs look like the nasty organic pasta that Mom keeps

trying to get me and Dad to eat. Anyway, I wish I had eight long legs like it does. Then, I

wouldn’t have to take so many breaks. Good thing I brought the sandwiches, I already ate

one of my four.

I don’t like the name Buggy Billy. I want a new name like Brave Billy, or Big Billy. Or,

maybe just Bill. No “y”, just Bill. And, then people can call me Bad Bill or Brave Bill. Yeah,

I like that. Maybe when I come back, after being the woods by myself so for so long, all the

other kids will call me Brave Bill. Then, no one will say things that hurt my feelings. That’s

the name I want. Dad says names are important. Dad says a name is who you are to the rest

of the world. Dad says if you don’t have a serious name, then people won’t take you

seriously. I don’t want the rest of the world to call me Buggy Billy. It’s just not cool.

I really want to find the Nine-Spotted Ladybug. It’s supposed to be almost extinct. That’s

why it’s rare. That’s why it’s special. Then, if I catch it, my collection will be special. Then, I

will be special. Then, everyone will like me. Dad says catching bugs is silly. That’s why he

calls me Silly Billy. I wish he wouldn’t. But, maybe if he saw the Nine-Spotted Ladybug, and

he knew how rare it was, he’d like me more.

July 6 th , 2013

I fell asleep in the woods last night. All the camp counselors must be really worried that

I’m not back yet. They probably called Mom. She is probably crying. I’m going to get into a

lot of trouble when I get back. I’ve been snapping twigs so I know how to get back. I’ve

watched a lot of the Survivor’s Tales show. They said that if you ever get lost in the woods,

make a trail so you know how to get to different places.

8

I fell today, and cut my knee. I had to use the first-aid kit. Thanks Mom.

I’m probably going to get into a lot of trouble. But, I really need to find the Nine-Spotted

Ladybug. Maybe they won’t be so angry when they see that I found it. Maybe they’ll call me

a hero? I hope they do.

Last night was really cold. There was a lot of fog, and my teeth were shaking all night

long. I was afraid a bear or wolves would find me, but they didn’t. But, I was so scared about

that I couldn’t breathe right, so I used my asthma pump.

I found a lot of leaves at the bottom of a tree and slept on that. I was comfy, and only a

little bit warm. But, last night was really pretty. The woods are really nice in the night. I was

able to draw a picture because some moonlight got through the fog.

I’m going to keep looking for the bug tomorrow. I only have one sandwich left, and one

bottle of water left. I hope it lasts me.

July 7 th , 2013

9

I found the Nine-Spotted Ladybug.

I was getting really tired, and I only had half a sandwich left, and almost no water, and I

was about to go back, but then I found it. It was walking on a branch of a bush. I almost

didn’t believe I had found it. I had seen a lot of different types of Ladybugs over the last

three days, but none were it. I kept getting tricked. But, then I found it. It was beautiful.

I didn’t even want to touch it at first. It was so pretty to watch. It walked slowly. It wasn’t

even worried that something might eat it or catch it. It was just living its life. This rare bug,

this bug that I wanted so much, was right there in front of me. I took out my bug collecting

stuff. I chose the net, because I didn’t want to hurt it. I was about to swing my net to catch it,

but then it flew up right before my net got to it. I was about to cry because it got away, but I

didn’t. I just watched it fly around. Then, it landed on my arm.

I felt it climbing around on me. Its little legs on my skin sent tingles up and down my

body. It trusted me. This little thing, that I was going to capture and take away from its home,

trusted me. What was I doing? Why did I need this bug so much? Why did I need everyone

to like me? This bug didn’t seem to have any friends, and it was happy all by itself. It was

beautiful all by itself. Then, the bug flew away from my arm.

It landed on the tip of my nose. It was so big all of a sudden. It circled around on my

nose. Its face was facing my face. Its eyes were looking into my eyes. The Nine-Spotted

Ladybug, being on my nose, made me want to sneeze. But, I held it in. I didn’t want it to go

away. It just stayed there. We just kept staring at each other. Then, I decided what I was

going to do. I twitched my nose, and it flew off. It landed in my net. But, I took my net and

shook it, and told it to go away. I told it to be free. I told it to be happy.

I’m going to head back to camp in the morning. I know what my name is now.

10

July 8 th , 2013

I made it back to camp this morning, and there were state troopers, and a whole lot of

other types of “serious job” people at camp. They were probably looking for me. When I got

to camp, I saw my cabin mates sitting in a circle. So, I walked over to them. While I was

doing that, everyone else started to realize I was back. Then, I heard someone scream my

name. It was my Mom. She was with Dad. They started running over to me. But, I didn’t

want to see them. I kept walking over to my cabin mates.

When I got to them, Jerry stood up. He walked over to me and asked me if I found the

bug. I didn’t answer. He then said he knew I couldn’t find it. Then, he said I was just a loser.

He said I was just Buggy Billy. Then, he pushed his finger into my chest. I grabbed his

finger, and bent it backwards. He said stop. He said I was hurting him. He said please. I said

don’t call me Buggy Billy anymore. My name is William.