For the past four years of my life, summer camp has been the most important part of me. If you talk to me for more than ten minutes, it is inevitable that I will talk about camp. Summer camp has been such a huge part of my life that when I found out that all of my friends have never been to camp before, it broke my heart. Okay, well, one of my friends has been to girl scout camp, and while I won’t argue that it was a summer camp, it was not a sleepover camp and her mom was the scout leader. I have no doubt in my mind that she had a blast, and made a lot of great memories, but it’s just not the same. Going away from home for a week or two or four or six is the most terrifying, most thrilling, and most rewarding thing that I have ever done.
You meet the most amazing people that turn into lifelong friends, you are completely submerged in the joy of camp life; you make the most incredible memories that will stay with you until the end of time. I remember the first year I went to camp, it was between the summer of 8th and 9th grade, I went with my best friend at the time, and we were both absolutely petrified. We had no idea what to expect, we were just wee-little sprouts at the time and we had signed up for the two week session. Little did I know that those two weeks were going to change my life.
Fast forward almost five years, I am at college right now and I am rooming with a girl I met my first year of summer camp (and roomed with the last two years of camp). You really do meet lifelong friends, and some might be in your life more than others. But you can log on to Facebook and see how well your other friends are doing and what they have been up to even if they are in another city, state, or country.
Being at camp with no electronics, phones, or really anyway of contacting the outside world (unless you tell the nurse you are homesick then she’ll let you call your parents) you gain a new attitude when you don’t have to be updating what is going on in your life with the rest of the world. You really do get completely submerged in camp life. The classes you take and the activities you do, and everything in between become so much more fun when you aren’t living them through a phone screen. We have a different activity every evening and they are so much fun if you just put yourself out there and enjoy it. There’s scavenger hunts, team-building games, auctions, and so much more. There is a special time of day when everyone at camp comes together, campers, counselors, even the owner of the camp, and we all just enjoy each other’s company; we are one big family.
Camp really does bring the best out of people (and the worst but let’s not talk about that). I was extremely saddened when I found out I couldn’t go to camp as a counselor this summer, camp is such a huge part of my life and going an entire year without it is killing me. Everyone around me is so excited to go to college and start classes, and don’t get me wrong, I am too. But, I am even more thrilled about my first year of college being over so I can pack up and go to camp. Before I end this, I would like to add that if you ever get a chance to go to camp, as a camper or a counselor, do it. It will change your life, as it did mine.
