A Real Experience of a Long Time Camper

The fireflies freely danced around in the night sky, while the last whispers of song echoed through the trees, meaning that the final closing campfire of the summer was slowly coming to an end. I couldn’t believe that the five weeks I was away this summer were already over so soon, and my childhood here was over. In a quiet place tucked away in the wilderness of Western New York lies a Girl Scout sleepaway camp, where every summer approximately 150 girls attend and get to do things they never dreamed about. I was fortunate enough to be one of those girls for eleven summers. Being that I was a second generation camper in my family, I practically grew up at camp, but I particularly value this getaway for its peace and serenity. Waking up to the sound of robins was a dream from which I never wanted to wake up, and gave me an appreciation for nature. Meeting girls from all over the world exposed me to many different cultures and experiences and lasting friendships.

As I was immersed into the camp’s warm community, I began to internalize the camp’s values and how I now honor them in my own life. One of these values is tradition. I never had any big family traditions growing up, so during the summer at camp I looked forward to the traditions of having campfires every Sunday and Thursday night and singing all the crazy songs throughout the week. Some classics include Little Red Wagon, Titanic, The Princess Pat, and my personal favorite, Roll Me Over the Ocean. I looked forward to having our unit circle -a daily debrief conversation while sitting around the kitchen shelter - every night before going to sleep. Most of all, I looked forward to our weekly competitive all camp event held on Fridays after lunch: Color Wars, unit vs. unit musical showdowns, giant obstacle courses, and field games, oh my! It was truly always an exciting thing to see. Camp also really helped boost my confidence by giving me many opportunities to explore and get in touch with my leadership skills from such a young age all the way into my high school career.

A stranger would think that I’m naturally outgoing and outspoken because that’s how I am at camp. But it’s taken me quite a while to go from a naturally more reserved person to being more confident and outgoing at home as well. Camp has taught me how to be a true leader and most importantly how to appreciate my true authentic self. I’m able to step out of my comfort zone in an environment where it’s okay to be yourself and to be vulnerable. However, of all the lessons I’ve accumulated over the years, there's one that has stuck with me the most: learning to speak up. Speaking up has always been a part of my life that I’ve personally struggled with, but this past summer while I was a counselor-in-training, I learned not to suffer in silence. My counselors helped me see that no one will know if anything is wrong on the inside if you don't speak up. When I finally realized that it's okay to let someone know that you are struggling is when I finally felt like I had friends who could  make me feel truly appreciated.

The growth I have noticed in myself over the years has contributed to making me the strong, independent young woman I am today. Because of camp, I have all these tools in one box that I can take with me wherever I go. I’m ecstatic just thinking about the opportunities that I’ll get to experience these next however many years and beyond. The skills that I’ll continue to learn and challenges I’ll experience throughout my life make it all worthwhile. And to think, this all started with a quiet place tucked away in the wilderness of Western New York.