Seven Weeks Later
Tomorrow is the last day of camp – that is unbelievable. We have gone through 4 sessions at Camp Huawni but it sure doesn’t feel that way. If you remember, I was the one who posted about being New at Camp . I went back today to read again what I posted at the beginning of the summer and it made me sad to be leaving this place I’ve begun to call home. My second home.
I cringed at my joke about leaking initiation secrets, because now I understand the weight they hold here at Camp Huawni. If you’ve experienced Camp here in East Texas, then you know that we aren’t supposed to be somewhere you visit for two weeks every summer then go home and return to your normal life – Camp Huawni is a place where you are known by your cabin mates, counselors, and directors. This is a place that campers and counselors meet up during the school year for ice cream to see how each other are, or maybe you’ll find your counselor from two summers ago at your school volleyball game because they want to watch you do something you love. When you come to our sleepaway camp, you really do become a part of the Huawni Tribe!
The campers I’ve met have all made me laugh, are all unique, and are some of the most loving people I’ve come across. Each morning at staff meeting, we tell stories from the previous day where we saw campers encourage each other, give help when someone needed it, or think of others before themselves. Working mainly in the office, I’m not constantly around the kiddos but it is a joy to hear about how these campers treat each other. I hear from counselors about how they’ve seen their campers grow from the first day of camp to the last, or hear about campers resolving a conflict that has left them feeling lighter.
One of my favorite parts about working here is the line in every counselor’s contract: Be Teachable. It says two things to me, one is that it’s okay to mess up because we can learn from that and two is that you’re going to grow as a person here. Just from my one summer, I’ve seen both of those things happen to many of our counselors. In my counselor small group, we talked about things that we’ve learned at camp and want to bring back with us to our lives at home. Things a few counselors mentioned is continuing this encouraging environment at home, being able to affirm friends and let them know how important they are, being able to be open about how we really are doing, and understanding others. I thought it would be important to discuss, because home isn’t like camp – it can be hard and doesn’t always feel like a supportive and encouraging place. Learning that we can take who we’ve become at camp home with us to impact our families and friends is a giant feat! We feel most like ourselves at camp, so why not continue that at home?
Overall, Camp Huawni has taught me that it’s okay to be a kid sometimes and get muddy or thrown in the pool. I’ve met people I never would have crossed paths with if it weren’t for Camp that I am unbelievably thankful for. My seven weeks at camp have flown by. Thanks for following me through it all.
