I am going to start off by saying that the month of June has been the best month of my life. At the beginning of the month, I left my home to go to Camp Barney Medintz in Cleveland, Georgia. Camp Barney is basically my second home. I spend 25 days there every year, and it's always the best 25 days of every year. The past month has exceeded my expectations and didn't cease to amaze me.
Camp Barney Medintz is a Jewish sleep-away camp. While there, thousands of people and I do a range of activities and trips that meet everyone's interests. Activities can range from sports, waterfront, horseback and nature. Trips are even greater than that, because we travel to different states to do the most amazing things like white water rafting, rock climbing and hiking. Every Friday night and Saturday morning we have fun-filled services where everyone in camp gathers together in one place and engage in one thing.
This year, the unit I was in was the J.I.T. unit, which stands for juniors in training. It's supposed to be the most fun out of all the units in camp, and oh man was the rumor right. J.I.T. year was all about unity and coming together as one. There are 61 people in my unit, and they are my second family. We always said one thing throughout the entire month and that was 61=1. That was the statement we stuck to. It meant that we are one, and without one of us, we would not be the same. We are all united as one and we accept each other for who we are, even though we may all have faults.
During the J.I.T. program, we did almost everything together. We were rarely separated as every other unit in the camp is. Through this month, I have learned that being united as one is one of the most important ideals in the world. All 61 one of us love each other like crazy. Our counselors kept burning into out minds that we have to strive and reach unity, like all J.I.T. generations before us.
As a unit, we did so many amazing things that wouldn't have been as fun if we only did them in cabin groups. We went on a trip called Six Day where we go out of camp for six days and do different things every day, and everyday, I spent time with different people than I did the day before. Those six days allowed me to get to talk to people I wouldn't normally talk to because we were in a different environment than camp. Which brings me to say that I talked to every single person in the unit at least once in the entire month we were there.
At camp, there were rarely any moments that I felt left out. Everyone tried to include everyone, and if there was someone standing off to the side when there was something happening, there would always be someone to start a conversation with them or invite them to hang out with them. That is what really made me smile at camp. It was great to see other people do that
All of this and more made me love the past month at Camp Barney Medintz. It was the best month and I will never forget it. The reason for this is the people I spent it with. They made it feel like it was my home, and I couldn't feel more grateful.
