The ABCs of Camp

It’s week 5!

It sounds cliche but summer has flown by in the blink of an eye. We’ve gone on trips across New Hampshire, to Massachusetts, and across the border to Canada. We’ve sent out most of the bunks on Hubba Hubbas. We’ve hosted and gone to dozens of inter-camp competitions and socials. Living in the camp time warp means every day feels like a week and every week feels like a day.

This is my third blog post for Camp Winaukee. I guess it’s time to introduce myself. Hi, my name is Evangeline and this is my first year at camp. Being at Camp Winaukee has been a whirlwind of an eye-opening, unforgettable experience. As the office manager, I get to interact with campers, parents, and staff every day. So, for today’s post, I want to give you a brief glimpse of what I see and what I appreciate most about Camp Winaukee culture.

Camaraderie

On welcome day and the days that followed, the scene that stuck out to me most was seeing old campers greet and hug each other and staff members. The excited chatter and happiness on everyone’s faces were a touching sight.

Also, it was not only seeing old friends reunite but also seeing them bring new campers into the fold. In social settings like at camp, it can be very hard to deter cliques. So I’m always amazed when I see old campers hanging out with new ones, like sitting next to a newbie on the bus and playing card games with him.

Brotherhood

The incredible sportsmanship shown by the boys is evident at the awards events on Sunday evenings. After the winner’s name is announced, chants of “take a lap” would start, and every boy would scramble down from the benches for the chance to give a congratulatory hand slap to the winner. It doesn’t even matter if the winner is from another team.

Adventure

Every day at camp is an adventure, literally and figuratively. Adventure at camp isn’t just the activities. It’s also scrambling out of the water and into buildings when the storm protocol is activated. It’s adjusting schedules when a tree off-camp brings down a power line and leaves us without electricity for hours (have you ever showered by flashlight and then gotten a text not to shower because the septic tank runs on power? oops). And it’s doing things out of my comfort zone like living with bugs in a cabin in the woods.