By: Sarah Feingold
People love the Summer for many reasons. You get to go swimming, you can have ice cream, you get a few months off from school and you get to travel. Molly McIntire, the Historical American Girl Doll, enjoys her summer at a sleep-away camp called Camp Gowonagin. I enjoyed going to sleep away camp, too. From 2012 to 2016, I went to a sleep-away camp called Summit Camp.
Sleep-away camp is fun because they provide so many activities. While I was at sleep-away camp, I got to go swimming, kayaking, hiking, play sports, perform in camp shows, feed the animals, go to amusement parks, bowling alleys, and movie theaters, but my favorite thing about my sleepaway camp is that there were counselors from different parts of the world including, Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, Argentina, South Africa, Kenya, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, France, Iceland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Czech Republic, Israel, Russia, India, Australia, and New Zealand. I loved meeting people from around the world. There are some counselors from camp who helped me during my five summers at camp.
When I went to Summit for the first time in 2012, I was very nervous because I had never been to a sleep-away camp before. One counselor who helped me through my first summer was Laura. She was the head of the girl’s unit for ages 13 and 14. Laura comes from England and is very funny and loves to joke around with everyone but is always serious when she needs to be. She once told everyone to take a shower because we all stink after we came back from a trip. Laura helped me by making sure I was getting along with my counselors and other campers, and she would talk to me if I was having a bad day.
From 2013 through 2015, my counselor Georgina was the head of the girl’s unit for ages 15 and up. Georgina is from New Castle, United Kingdom, and her voice sounds a lot like Mary Poppins. She is very funny with everyone, she loves when people cheer for her and she is very motherly with everyone. She helped me by talking to me when I had a bad day, she told me I could do anything I set my mind to, and she taught me to look at things from a positive perspective.
In 2013, 2014, and 2016, my counselor Natasha was an assistant for Georgina for the girl’s unit. Natasha is from Wales, and she is a very sweet person. Natasha was always there for me. When she noticed I was not my usual self, she took a few minutes and talked with me to make me feel better. She is very funny, but when she needs to be serious, she will be. One time, a camper in my bunk locked my counselors in the cabin and Natasha told us in a very serious voice that it’s not okay to do that. Even after camp, Natasha reached out to me when I was nervous about school or if I lost someone in my life. Natasha is a very nice person.
In 2014, my counselor Hilary was Georgina’s assistant for the girl’s unit. She was also my counselor for my bunk. Hilary is from Melbourne, Australia. She loves to exercise early in the morning, which is why everyone nicknamed her “Circuit”, she loves Nutella, and she loves to share facts about her hometown. Hilary taught me that not everything in the world is black and white. She told me that it’s okay to be a little sassy, a little dramatic, and a little sarcastic but too much is not okay. Before camp was over, she gave me a headband with the Australian flag on it that I enjoy wearing.
In 2014, my counselor Lauren was a counselor in the girl’s unit. She is from Melbourne, Australia. We first connected when we found out that we share a birthday, and we call each other “birthday buddies”. Lauren is a person who always positively looks at things and doesn’t let anything difficult ruin her day. She taught me that even when you are having a bad day, or aren’t feeling your best, or see something you don’t like, you need to stay positive because you will go your whole life facing challenges. Thanks to her, I positively look at things. Every year on our birthdays, we wish each other a happy birthday and I reach out to Lauren for advice.
In 2014, I met my counselor Annie when I served her table during meals. Annie is from Birmingham, United Kingdom. Annie is very outgoing, and she likes to get everyone moving. Annie always told me how great I was at serving her table. In 2016, she was head of the girl’s unit. On the first morning of camp, she came barging into my cabin and told everyone that she would squirt us with a water gun if we didn’t get out of our beds in five minutes. Annie made things very fun and I enjoyed getting to know her.
Molly and I both really enjoy sleepaway camp. We both feel like it helps us get outside, meet new friends, and love creating summer camp memories.
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