(Yes I know that last part is Spanish. But. I forgot how to say it in Latin.)
(The title, translated, means “where Solus went last week”. You’re welcome :])
(Anyway.)
HELLO EVERYBODY!!
Itsa-me, Solus who disappeared for a week for no reason.
But I HAD A REASON THIS TIME GUYS!
The reason why you guys didn’t get a blog last week is
I WAS LIVING MY BEST LIFE AT LATIN CAMP!!
(Well. It was National Latin Convention. But Latin Camp sounds better.)
Latin Camp was a week on the campus of Miami University…in Ohio. (not Florida.)
(Misleading yes.)
It’s a. HUGE campus. It took forever to walk anywhere. Also didn’t help that everyday we had General Assembly/Spirit, which meant we had to walk. THERE. And BACK. EVERY. DAY.
(I should probably explain. But we’ll get back to that, I promise.)
So let’s go back to my school year. Blah blah Latin blah blah Certamen yay.
Magistra (my Latin teacher) tells me that all her closest friends (that she still talks to) are from Nats. She tells me what Nats is (one week overnight camp where you can do fun Latin things! like play certamen and take tests and wait this doesn’t sound like fun–) and suggests that I register for it.
So, I do. Because it seemed like something worth trying out.
And it was.
THE BEST WEEK OF MY WHOLE LIFE.
SO FAR.
If your Latin teacher recommends Nationals to you, YOU SHOULD GO IF YOU HAVE THE OPTION.
Because you can make FRIENDS.
I made at least 4. As an antisocial ball of sad.
But anyway.
CAMP HIGHLIGHTS.
- Walking with the Certamen team. Everywhere. Because buddy system. And loredumping about ourselves while doing so.
- Taking the various tests and reviewing the answers…and realizing I messed up. Read the questions carefully, kids.
- LUDI SWEEP!! We won all the Olympika/Ludi (athletic/sporting events) except Minecraft. But we got 3rd there and it was still a sweep.
- SPIRIT ALMOST SWEEP! Spirit is a designated 15 minutes of screaming cheers from our state. You lose your voice. And it’s loud. But you get spirit points for your state! Meaning you’re loud. (We got 2nd for Silent Spirit–Spirit with no noise, meaning energy, but won 1st overall so…didn’t matter 😛 WE BEAT TEXAS AND VIRGINIA LETS GOOOO)
- Buying a plush chicken, whom I named Smoosh, at Agora (the marketplace). His name was actually Elektryion, like the failed guard of Ares, but I named him Smoosh.
- During Game Night, playing SSBU and Mario Kart with people you don’t even know. AND WINNING! (once. but anyway)
- The senior speeches. I almost cried.
- Team ice cream outings!! We have soft serve in the dining hall :)))
- MAKING HISTORY AS FIRST NOVICE TEAM FROM WISCONSIN TO WIN NATIONALS!!
YES, WE WON NATIONALS!
After months of studying and practice, Tilly, William, Sohil and I beat the odds and came out on top of Certamen!
(Even after my hyperbuzzes first round…”What son of Zeus–” yes nice one Solus)
We beat the other teams, ourselves, and our nerves to conquer–vicimus!!
(After the round ended, we failed to use a door correctly. All our brain cells merged into one very tiny one.)
SOHIL YOU COOKED THERE NICE NICE >:))))
Shoutout to my Nationals friends–Adrian, Tilly, Emily, Mila, and that one Virginian kid. (I beat you in Mario Kart hahahahahaha)
I cannot wait for Nats 2026 in Indiana. I hope to see everyone there!
– Solus Magnus