energy that stays with you
By Bátor Tábor, Hungary
Böbe is a smiling, yet timid Hungarian girl, who is a good listener, and also a great conversationalist. She tells stories with a deep meaning. Böbe first attended Bátor Tábor (Camp of Courage) in Hungary as a camper, but for the past many years, she has been working as a volunteer. She is determined to give back to others all the things she got from camp when she attended. We asked Böbe to reflect on her time at camp, and here’s what she had to say:
What comes to your mind about Bátor Tábor?
Definitely HAPPINESS! But camp is really hard to describe. It is a lifestyle. I feel like I am at home here.
You were a camper in 2003 for the first time. What kind of experience was it as a child?
In the first year, I had a really good experience with rowing and archery. My shoulder had been operated on shortly before attending, so my arm was half-paralyzed. One of the volunteers helped me with archery by holding the bow, while I pulled back the string and took a shot. It was an incredible experience to be able to do these things – things which seemed impossible to me. I became stronger mentally and physically.
Back then, I had just finished my oncological treatments, and I was still under the effect of the chemotherapy. At that time it was uncertain whether I needed more treatment or not. Several years went by like this. Illness is not like a coat that you can take off easily.
As a child, camp was a firm point that I could hold on to. It was like a stone that I could step on. It also helped me to fit back into society.
The volunteers were very creative. Back then I did not realize this. I simply enjoyed the games and loved the fact that they could invent great games for us from scratch. The volunteers set a positive example for us. I met so many good and caring people. I thought this type of person – who really sacrificed his or her time to give to children – did not exist. I feel like the people that I met influenced the kind of person I have come to be.
As a volunteer, how did Bátor Tábor change for you?
As a child, you think that volunteers came to camp simply to have fun. You don’t realize how much work there is behind it. This was the biggest realization for me. But what does not change is the energy of the camp that stays with you for at least a year. Camp appears from time to time in my thoughts and the memories make me smile. Bátor Tábor fills my whole year. Every day life is full of challenges, but there is that one week at camp that helps me forget everything else and gives meaning to everything. As a volunteer, I want to show children and everyone who is fighting this problem that I am here, symptom-free for 10 years. I feel great, and life is all right now and full of possibilities.