Dear Cherished Childhood Summer Camp,
Every summer I look forward to returning and advancing in the program aspiring to be a counselor sometime in the near future. Moving along straight through the program has meant the world to me and has taught me what it means to truly be committed. Though some days I question why I spend my summer in the hot sun away from my family, I know this is where my heart is at. This is where I belong.
Every summer, I come home with new friends, new experiences and new memories to tell. The past eight summers have been a heck of a ride only going up. I use to dread going away for a week and being under a random stranger's supervision who doesn't even know anything about me but my name and emergency information. But now, I understand.
Now, I understand that the "random stranger" isn't random, and not a stranger. They were my counselors for the week — who I spilled my heart out to for a week, who I trusted for a week (and longer), who I went to for just about anything for a week, and who's shoulder I leaned on for a week, but what seemed to be much longer than a week. Now, I am very thankful for you.
Every summer I have come back, I come for a time period longer than the summer before. This has taught me independence, responsibility, and how to cope with certain things. I'm learning to take advantage of the time I am there, because my time under the trees shade hanging out with the ones I love in the summer breeze will eventually come to an end. Most importantly, you taught me to live in the moment.
Every summer, a new definition of diversity comes to my mind. When I was only 8 years old, I thought diversity was simply being around others who weren't like me. Seven years later, my definition of diversity includes a wide range of age, gender, ethnicity, and background. This camp has given me a whole new perspective.
Every summer, my head is filled with camp songs on repeat and camp fire skits playing in my head. Most people would think singing about Percy the pale-faced polar bear is childish, but I think it is fun and brings out my inner 12-year-old self. Those camp songs hold my childhood along with countless memories.
Every summer, my love grows for you, Jameson Camp. You have shaped me into the person I am today, and soon I won't be able to wake up to the 8 a.m. summer air right outside of my cabin and smell the wet grass from the early morning dew. I have had some of my best memories made there, including walking to the furthest cabin with one of my closest friends in the pouring rain late at night with luggage in our hands. It was a rough, long walk, but it is at the top of my memories at this camp because I don't get to experience such bad walks anywhere else but there.
Love,
A current C.I.T. (counselor in training)
