It’s the most bittersweet time of year. That time when camp counselors start to leave the sunny days spent outside on their campgrounds in exchange for dorm rooms and all nighters, classrooms and tailgates. As we count down the days until we head back to campus, let's appreciate the moments that every camp counselor can relate to.

1. Your wrist is constantly covered in friendship bracelets, hair ties, and a water resistant watch. You feel kind of naked without them.
2. You live in your camp shirts. You sometimes get weird looks when you’re out in public with a huge group of people all in the same brightly colored shirt.
3. You can make a theme day costume out of things in your closet in record time, with no budget.
4. You know your camp’s versions of all the standard camp songs. Boom Chicka Boom anyone?
5. You know every lyric to every popular song of the summer, and usually the dance moves to go along with it. They have probably been played EVERY SINGLE DAY.
6. You have been known to say “KEEP IT C.A.” in real life. ‘Cause, you know, you gotta keep it "camp appropriate" in the real world...
7. You know your co-staff way too well after spending all day every day with them, including but not limited to their snack preferences, what makes them angry, and how to cheer them up when nothing is going right that day.
8. If you don’t go home/to your bunk at night covered in sweat and exhausted, you’re not doing your job right.
9. You know that kids say the WEIRDEST things sometimes.
10. Tan lines. All of the tan lines.
11. You will do pretty much anything to get a laugh out of some campers, including, but not limited to, jumping in the pool with all of your clothes on, lip-synch battling, and acting like pretty much any animal.
12. You know that no matter what, even though your campers, coworkers, weather situation, etc. drive you insane some days, you’re going to be really sad when the summer is over and you have to go back to the real world. When you have to remember that it isn’t socially acceptable to break out into song and dance, tackle your friends, yell ridiculous things, and act like a much more responsible eight year old. When you won’t get to hang out with some of the coolest kids you’ve ever met. When you won’t get to see and work with some of your best friends every single day.