Our second session at camp has been incredible so far. Campers are making new friendships, trying new activities and having so much fun. We wanted to try and new spin on things this session and we are going to have some guest blog posts. The first is from a camper named Natalia.
Birch Trail
There have been many instances when I have lost track of time and felt uplifted. I often ask myself why. I lose track of time at Birch Trail, the sleepaway camp I go to each summer. I started going to sleepaway camp when I was eight years old. I am now thirteen. Looking back at all my past camp experiences, I’ve grown and learned different skills for later in my life. I think this is made possible by entering a state of mind that my family and I like to call a “flow.” At home, we have talked about being in a ‘flow”which means being so focused and not thinking about anything else. The ”flow” to me is losing track of time and being able to immerse myself in whatever I chose to do. When I’m at Birch Trail, I am in a “flow” the whole time. It’s a very inspiring feeling. I’d like to share with you what stands out most: being with my friends, making choices of my own, and playing tennis and sailing.
Being with all my friends at camp makes me feel happy. We live together for one month. We hang out in the cabin sitting in our Crazy Creek chairs, tell stories when we go to bed, do each other’s hair for color wars, tell jokes together, and so much more. My friends at camp are from all over the world. There are people from Brazil, Mexico, Israel, the United States, and many more places. I get to learn about their different cultures and how they live. Now that I have gone to camp for several years, I stay connected with my friends even when I’m not at camp. When my friends and I are together, it’s timeless.
At camp there is a sense of independence. When I go to sleepaway camp, I am on my own to speak up for myself. My parents aren’t there to remind me to buckle my seat belt on the plane, to help me buy food at the airport, or to be there when my sailboat capsizes in the middle of the lake. There is definitely a sense of timelessness at camp that gives me the space and allows me to make my own decisions.
When I’m at camp, I’m fully involved in the activities I’m doing. Tennis and sailing are the main activities I love participating in at camp. Tennis is a sport I play year round. I get to share the love of my sport with all my friends at camp. In Austin, I train competitively. At Birch Trail it is more carefree, but I get to show what I’ve learned from practicing at home. It makes me feel proud to show how much my hard work has paid off. I know tennis like the back of my hand, but I didn’t know anything about sailing. Sailing was an activity I discovered at camp. This year when I was at camp I was in the skippers class. The skippers class is a course I took that opened my eyes to sailing. For example, I learned how to tie an alien knot. That was a fun thing to learn because it was part of setting up the boat. One funny memory that happened was that my friend Juliet and I accidentally capsized in the middle of a course. It was such a funny memory because we were trying so hard not to capsize, but it actually happened. Being at Birch Trail gives me the time and space to focus on tennis and sailing. I hope that I get to focus on many more activities over the next few years.
At camp, time seems to stand still. I’m so lucky to be able to have that feeling because I can be immersed in whatever I do. My daily life is very busy, but camp gives me the space to focus on myself and all the other things that I may not have time to do at home. Now that I know what that timeless feeling is like, I can apply that to my daily life. At Birch Trail, being with my friends, making my own choices, playing tennis and sailing gives me the opportunity to appreciate all the little things in my daily life.
