For years I have kept up with the summer travels of my friends and the late night adventures they partake on. I’ve apologetically answered texts explaining why I can’t stay out late on a Wednesday night even though it’s the middle of summer vacation. See, what people need to understand is, my summer belongs to a 7-week long Summer Camp. My friends never fail to question me as to why I go back year after year, but honestly, something inside of me just keeps bringing me back (and it's definitely not the paycheck).

1. Amazing Friendships

Everyone has those friends that you only see once a year and barely keep in touch with. You have your school friends, your lifelong friends, your work friends and of course, your summer friends. Being at this camp for many years has given me the opportunity to become friends with some pretty amazing people. The best part about it is that even though for the most part we really only see each other for seven weeks straight before we go our separate ways, we stay in touch all year long.

2. Never Being Bored

The next best part about summer camp is that you’re never bored. A daily schedule allows for my group to be in a different activity every hour on the hour. We go from soccer, to swimming, to table games and even softball or arts and crafts. Aside from all the daily activities we take on, you can’t help but keep an ear open for the ongoing camp drama- because there is always camp drama.

3. Making a Difference

One of my favorite parts of the summer is meeting the new group I have every year. As a camper, I was always excited to move up with my group, but excited to see how fun and exciting my new counselors are. As a counselor, it’s always so exciting to meet a new group of campers each year and create a special bond with them by the end of the summer. I love coming back year after year and seeing how much my campers have grown and letting them attack me with hugs.

4. Staying Fit

A total perk of summer camp is having to play all the activities with the campers. It gives me the opportunity to stay fit and enjoy the summer sun. Although I always get a pretty bad farmers tan and end up asleep by 7:30, playing sports and dancing with the campers is really fun. Plus, they are way more competitive than we are!

5. End of the Year Show

To finish off the summer, my summer camp has a huge end of the year show. Our campers spend half the entire summer getting ready for this night and tickets are sold out very quickly. This is my favorite part of the summer because it celebrates the end of another amazing summer and getting ready to perform on stage is so exciting. Props are made, costumes are ordered and our campers are nothing but smiles when they arrive at camp for one last shebang before the summer ends.

At the end of it all, I never regret dedicating my summer to my summer camp. Having been a camper before I had the opportunity to be a counselor has allowed me to meet tons of people and build lifelong relationships. Each year I’m hesitant about returning and basically having to ignore my friends the whole summer, but on that last day of camp I can’t help but be thankful for having the opportunity to spend another summer here! Thanks to my camp family, for making this summer another one for the books!