To all of my fellow camp counselors who find themselves back in their dorm rooms drowning in homework. I know what you're thinking, because I'm there too. It’s hard to leave the awesome environment that camp creates and re enter the real world. Here are a few things I’m sure all camp counselors struggle with as the real world begins again.

1. Everything reminds you of camp

Maybe it’s a song on the radio, or a certain food. Sometimes all it takes is one phrase or just a word that is said, and it reminds you of a funny story about that one time… You get it.

2. You miss all the weird crazy things

Spending the weekend with just the camp staff was the best because there were no kids around. Wanna cover the floor in balloons? Go for it no one is stopping you! This past summer a friend and I emailed the emoji people to see if they would create emoji’s to go with our camp names. They probably never read the email, but we had fun doing it and that’s what counts.

3. Camp stories are the only kind of stories you tell

Because you worked at a camp all summer, and you met most of your best friends there, almost all the stories you tell for the next couple months are about camp. Your college friends are probably getting tired of hearing about camp, but you really don’t care because you love it!

4. You have to explain to all of your school friends

Friends that never went to camp just don’t understand. They look at you funny when you say “my friend (insert camp name)” Eventually they catch on and you no longer have to explain, but it’s gonna take awhile.

5. There will always be that one camp song

There will always be one camp song that is stuck in your head until the next summer. The song is completely pointless and makes no sense. You may love the song or you may hate it, but it will always be there. This past summer, one of my friends found a song about a reindeer and she would sing it every chance she got. It is now forever stuck in my head.

6. Camp friends randomly text you

It's totally normal to get a random message from a camp friend. It’s hard to be away from your summer family after spending almost 3 months with them. These are the people you got lost with on the weekends while adventuring, or just laid outside under the stars and had life chats with. These people are some of the sweetest friends you will ever have.

7. You’re a camp counselor too?!

Meeting another camp counselor creates an instant connection. You finally will have someone outside your camp life that knows exactly what you’re talking about.

8. Seeing your camp friends again

It’s like all the holidays rolled into one when you get to see camp people again. You’ve only been away from each other for a couple months and you text almost everyday, but it’s felt like years. One of the best things is when you’re just out and you run into a camp friend. So much to talk about but so little time.

9. You just want camp food back

You hated starting the fire and then cooking all your kids food, but in the end it was worth it. Nothing beats the taste of food that was cooked over a fire, and let’s face it, we’re all getting sick of the cafeteria food in college.

10. Next summer