I was first introduced to the idea of
going to sleep-away camp from my mom’s friend in 2011, whose daughter happened
to already been going to camp for about three summers. It was an all girl’s camp in New Hampshire,
so basically an all girl’s camp in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t know how I felt about going away for
half the summer: away from my friends and family at home. My mom actually wanted to get me out of the
house over the summer, especially because my daily summer routine was the same
every day and she knew how boring it got to always wake up, go to the beach,
come home to shower and eat lunch, go back out with friends, and finally come
home late at night, right in time to say goodnight to my parents. She thought I was wasting my days. In all honesty, I was just having fun and
enjoying my “homework-free” days. So, my
mom decided that sleep-away camp would be the perfect solution to get me off
the Internet and expose me to the beauty of nature. Personally, I thought going to camp meant I could
be cool and stay up all night telling ghost stories by the fire with my friends. I would have half the summer to chill out and
take it easy without having my parents bug me every day about when to do this
and when to do that. The eleven year old
that I was, having the chance to take charge and responsibility of myself miles
away from my parents was an offer I couldn’t resist. And so this is when it all began.
The first day of camp was pretty
exciting, yet horrifying on the inside for me.
I was all packed and ready with about ten different bags and boxes of
clothing, accessories, and all the other good stuff a girl always has to have. My mom was overwhelmed with the amount of
items I decided to take with me. We had
to get out on the road at around five in the morning because New Hampshire was
about a six hour drive away and the camp officially welcomed the campers at
twelve in the afternoon. The drive was
tiring and long, particularly for my dad who had to drive the whole way. As we drove from state to state, down to NH,
the cities began to look more peaceful and calm, far from how New York City
ever appeared. Once we reached the state
of New Hampshire, everything around us was filled with grass fields, farms, and
relaxing people. Grass lawns looked so
mellow and green that I couldn’t believe I was living in reality. Everything was so different and it felt as if
I have entered a new planet, a planet with a complete contrary environment to
that of which I live amongst. Immediately
as I began to lose service on my phone, I understood that I was nearby the
campsite, because as expected, the camp was located in the middle of fields and
fields of plantations and occasional farmhouses.
As soon as we reached the campsite,
I began to think about the girls I would meet and the friendships I would
hopefully create. I only knew one girl
at the camp through my mom’s friend, and I didn’t really know the girl too
well. I was worried that everyone would
judge me on how I look, what I wear, and what I do. I felt as if I had to fit in if I wanted to
survive the next month of my life. I think
I was most startled about having to sleep in the same room with other girls, mainly
because I’m an only child so usually it’s always quiet. Getting out of the car and breathing in the
fresh air of the leafy trees around me, the counselors came up to us. They greeted us, and for a second, I lost the
feeling of anxiety. The counselors, who
were also girls, were from all over the world – some from Australia, others
from England, and several from Germany. My mind was telling me everything will be all
right, and quickly I began to believe it.
The counselors helped my parents and I bring my things to our cabin. I was in cabin 6. It was a pretty small and ordinary cabin with
six beds in total, three aligned on each side.
Part of me was scared and nervous to sleep in a cabin, and that fear
came from where the cabin was located.
We were in a small cabin, located by a road, with no cellphone service,
and in New Hampshire. I supposed that
the idea of someone coming to harm us in the middle of nowhere was very
unlikely, and I was relieved to find out that there was a man who watches over the
camp at night.
The best and most memorable moment of the
first day of camp was definitely when I met the girls in my age group. I remember myself feeling like I had to act
cool to fit in, but the girls were open to accept me for who I really was. There were about twenty-five of us in the
whole age group, and it honestly surprised me that they were all so generous
towards me. Some of the girls in my age
group came from Europe, while the rest of us where from all over the United
States. I thought it was really cool
that we were such a diverse group of girls, and I couldn’t wait to get to know
them all. The first night we got
together as a group in one of our cabins and just talked to each other and got
to know how everyone was and how everyone’s year was. They were all so enthusiastic about returning
to camp, as it showed that camp was their second home where they got to spend
the summer of their lives with their second family. Their reactions to seeing one another made me
feel hopeful to be able to feel like that the next summer.
Over the years, the relationships I have
built with many of the girls have grown stronger. We chat as a group online almost everyday,
and are always talking about how we can’t wait to experience the summer of
2015, the summer during which we are the oldest group at the camp. We’ve been counting down till the day we get
to see each other for months now, and everyday, we get more and more excited. I have shared numerous fantastic memories
with them all, and I treasure each and every moment as if there is no tomorrow. Now that I look back on my first year at
camp, I don’t regret a single instant because I am so proud of how the
experience changed me, and the friendships that it has let me make. Camp friends are always the best kind, aren’t
they!
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