I never thought the day would come when I would not be heading back to the Catskill Mountains for the summer. Since I was nine years old I have counted down the months, weeks, days, and minutes until the end of June. I have anxiously anticipated each summer, and then dreaded the day when camp ended.

My first summer I spent more days crying than laughing. I was extremely homesick and did not think I would make it past visiting day. I regularly threw temper tantrums and was awful to my counselors. The next summer, despite my protest, my parents sent me back to camp and I have never been more thankful.

As I reflect on my summer memories I realize just how much I truly love camp. I love being able to run around all day, whether it was playing sports or an intense game of capture the flag. I love staying up late with my friends, laughing and playing pranks on our counselors. I love camp food, especially the grilled cheese sandwiches and the pizza. I love the thrill and competition of color war. I love the spirit and comradery on display in the Rec Hall every Saturday night. I love being a counselor and teaching my campers all that my counselors had taught me. And most of all, I love looking up at the stars late at night, embracing the freshness and openness of the sky and the mountains.

I know that most people who went to camp say, “Camp made me who I am today.” For me I know this to be the truth. I learned how to waterski, dribble a basketball between my legs, and how to braid my own hair. I learned how to shave my legs and how to take a three-minute shower. I learned how to advocate for myself and how to be a good friend. I learned that there was no other place in the world where I could do socially unacceptable things and for it to be not only accepted, but embraced. I learned that no matter what happens in life, something better is always around the corner. I learned how to confront my problems instead of hiding behind a phone. And, I came to realize how important it is to be myself and not to pretend to be something I’m not.

So thank you camp for everything you’ve done for me. Thank you for teaching me valuable life lessons that I would not have learned anywhere else. Thank you for teaching me to embrace my weirdness. Thank you for providing me with the setting and confidence to create friendships with people who encourage me and love me unconditionally. Thank you for believing in me since I was that homesick nine-year old girl, and for never giving up on me. Thank you for being my happy place.

Cliché or not, I will always have a special place in my heart for camp. The feelings of excitement and anticipation I get every time I drive up the winding, hilly, three-mile, camp road will never leave me. So camp, I love you. I love you with all my heart. I love you even though I complained about having to go to free swim and tennis instruction. I love you because I had to go to free swim and tennis instruction. I simply cannot fathom not having you in my life and I honestly don’t know how I am going to make it through this upcoming summer without you.