Summer 2014: Part 1

hmmm.... second times the charm I think, and I hope you think so too.

I had a jam packed summer with people who I've known for years and people I hope to know for many more. I left off on this blog saying that I was on a bus headed for the Adirondacks, a school bus I would come to find out as I made my way, with my huge ass suitcase and overflowing backpack, to the youth hostel in Harlem where the international camp counselors were staying. To say I was nervous was an understatement. The only person who I knew was going to be on the bus was my friend Tom, who I didn't see until I was actually sitting on the full bus. My now friend Annabel, who was the first person I talked to that morning in the city said I looked like I was about to faint from pure anxiety (which I probably was about to anyway, but thankfully didn't).

To say a six hour school bus ride (with no air conditioning in July) went quickly would be a flat out lie. I'm not going to lie to you. The time would not go fast enough. But as soon as we got there, that's when the time flew, quite literally, right past my eyes. The first real memory I have of the early summer was the 4th of July, when I got to spend some time meeting the other eight CIT's who were in the same boat as me. That night was an experience in its self. Spending time in the summer town that was and is Old Forge, NY with new friends, and some old ones, that I would be family with for the next seven weeks and the rest of my life.

The first month went by slowly but quickly, the days would last a lifetime but a week would past without realizing it. It was in the first month that I got to see a part of camp that I had never known. Boys. Boys everywhere. You see the camp is split into a boys session and a girls session, boy's is the first three weeks and girl's the second, and the first is training week. While idea of having boys at camp was not new to me (my brothers and cousin all went) I still seemed a bit shaken at, I guess the prospect that I was actually growing up, and that I was actually working at a camp I had gone to since 2006. I also met people I never would have if I was just a year younger or didn't get the job. I cannot imagine not knowing these people anymore, and that's how you know an experience has changed your life.

I also had the unique experience of being surrounded by my family. My younger brother still goes to camp there so not only would I be in charge of him, I'd meet his friends and become friends with his friends which added a new layer to our relationship. But that would only last three weeks, you say. Well, I was also working with my two older cousins, Chrissy and Ander. I had never been around them for a long period of time and now I can honestly say that I didn't mind it. Chrissy and I were in the same cabin for both sessions and working with her showed me more of what I already knew; she is reliable, honest, motivated, caring and willing to make you a friendship bracelet with your name on it if you beg her enough. Working with Ander also confirmed what I already knew; that you need to laugh everything off with this job, and do that a lot. Because, what's the point of spending energy on frivolous stuff that would mean nothing if put in a real world setting? I can guarantee that 95%of the stuff fought over at camp would not be fought over in real life.

I seem to keep referring to camp as a seemingly separate world from the rest of civilization. I do this because once the parents drop off the kids, almost all communication is cut out. Campers aren't allowed to have cellphones with sim cards and aren't allowed to call until after the first week. Sure the camp has a computer lab with internet but that is only open during a two hour window, unless the cabin has an activity specifically in computers. The internet is the only way out of the bubble, other than that, your friends are who ever's at camp and whoever you spend time with. My best friend at camp was a girl who was the exact opposite than me. She liked completely different music, had a different upbringing, different hobbies, literally everything. But from when we met when I was nine, until she aged out when I was 15, we were inseparable, we picked up where we left off the year before, sharing the past years' experiences with each other, making memories and reminiscing on old ones. Some of my best friends I met at camp, who are from around the world, and who I still keep in touch with now.

This is by far my favorite photo I've ever taken.

Considering I'm only half way done with this topic, I'm going to stop here and actually continue with it on Thursday. So look forward to Parts 2-4 where I finish with the last half of camp and then move on to my trip to Greece. Also the link for information to the camp I'm talking about, Camp Turk, will be linked here.

Talk to you later,

-Karin xx