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I was only seventeen and had had a very stressful year. I had just gotten in college to study biology, and everything was new to me: my hair was shorter, I was happier, and felt relived. I was feeling alive, it was like I was being reborn. There was a college camp trip planned for the weekend before the start of classes; I had never gone camping before. I didn't know anybody yet and I really wanted to go. I didn’t know why, I just wanted to. So I asked to my classmates who'd like to share a tent with me. A girl answered, a girl who I had never met before, and she said she would stay with me. Yay! There was one last thing to worry about: EVERYTHING! I didn't have ANY camping equipment, but luckily I have family and friends who support me: one of my best friends lent me her tend and my other friend lent me his huge backpack and sleeping bag. All set? Ready to go! I didn't realize it back in that day but now I do: I was very brave to go there! Picture it: a young me in a bus with a bunch of people I had never seen in my life, going to camp with a girl I didn't know. It could’ve been a recipe for disaster... except it wasn't. Rebeca, my new camping partner and friend, was with me the whole time. There was only us and other 3 freshmans in that crowded, loud university bus. The music was loud and everyone was singing. I felt so happy! Me and Rebeca talked to our new colleagues the whole trip. There was this boy... what's his name? Oh, I think it was Marcelo... I didn't pay attention at the time. But now I do... How couldn't I? So we arrived at last. We were at the Honey Island, a famous island in the Paranaense coast. Such a beautiful and magical place! And each person in the group made it more magical. I was sitting with all of those strangers, quietly listening to their conversations and I saw all of those amazing women... Real women, you know, real bodies, real people. They were all so happy and comfortable that I started to feel the same way. Those people and that magical place were already changing me. We walked the whole day with our new friends that once were strangers to us. I was completely barefoot, feeling the sand in my feet and the sea breeze in my hair. Together we discovered new places and the wonders of that island. I wanted to live there! At a point, a guy started to talk to me. What was his name? MARCOS! HIS NAME WAS MARCOS! How could I forget? He was telling me jokes and making me feel so comfortable that it was like we had known each other for ages. At the dawn of the night I wanted to take a walk in the beach so I invited Rebeca and Marcos to come with me. Rebeca was acting weird and she said she didn't want to but Marcos, on the other hand, accepted the invitation right away. At night, the beach is amazing. No artificial lights, no other sound, just the sea and our conversation. We could see the mountains' of the island reflection in the wet sand. I was stunned. At some point, as we discussed politics, religion, love, education as we watched the reflection Marcos st opped and asked gently to kiss me. I was nervous but at the same time my courage (that grew in a matter of days since I decided to travel with them) peaked, and so we kissed. With only the sea and the mountains looking at us. And we were looking at them and at each other. But I guess in that moment it was all the same thing. That trip was more than just a camping experience: it was a leap into the unknown: unknown people, places and love. A love that I didn't know I could feel for myself or for anybody else. And now, I could never ever forget his name again.