This past Wednesday, I embarked on a journey to the place I will be calling my home for the next two months. This fascinating place is summer camp, and I am to be one of many camp counselors who runs the place. I have learned a few things while being here for what it feels like weeks (it's has only been about 36 hours, though).
The first lesson was simple: everyone should always be free to be his or her true self, which is pretty amazing. It all started with an empty room and some music. I have never been to any other place where 200 total strangers walk into a room that has music on and start dancing as if they'd known each other for years. Then at dinner, you see all the staff jam to "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" theme song. It’s a world without any sort of judgement. If you want to dance, dance your heart out. If you want to sing, sing as loud as possible so everyone can hear you. You are free to be whomever you want to be.
The second lesson came as quickly as the first one: by putting yourself out there, you put aside what makes you blend and become a person that is nothing short of extraordinary. After sitting through staff meetings upon staff meetings, there was one piece of advice that really stuck to me. I learned that everybody can be ordinary, but to be extraordinary you have to take a few extra steps and go out of your way. Whether it’s by walking down the hall and always saying hello to the passersby or by asking the person you sort of know how they are doing on that day. You don’t have to move mountains or do anything amazing to be extraordinary (although being super-strong or winning a Nobel Prize might help). The only thing you need to do is take everything you do at least one step further than expected.
Third lesson was sort of a shocker: life without technology is actually pretty great. The camp is located in a small town in Maine, which is truly like living in my own little bubble. But I have to admit that there is something refreshing about not having to worry about emails or text messages. I know I have friends at home, yes I will send them a text to tell them I am, in fact, alive. After all, you need to keep your loved ones updated on the current status of the bears roaming the outskirts of the camp (I'm joking ... or am I?). At first I thought it would be incredibly difficult to disconnect myself from the technological world around me, but if my campers can unplug so can I.
It's incredible how I met 200 counselors in about 36 hours and immediately felt at home. Sometimes, the only thing you need to get through the day is feeling like you have a place where you belong. And as of approximately 36 hours ago, I am happy to say that I belong here, on the small town in Maine where technology is scarce and bears roam the woods (still joking ... or am I?).
