Another camp season has ended, but we know our campers are already thinking about next June.  This week’s guest blog comes from Camp Laurel because it expresses the enthusiasm (re: sentiments) of ALL campers–no matter which camp they call home–so well…

“Summer is winding down. Wait – we just got here!

That’s how fast camp goes. One day a kid boards the bus with nervous anticipation. The next, he heads home on the same bus with a smile and a lifetime of memories.

They don’t even realize that – in addition to having tons of fun – they’ve grown a lot.

The other day, we asked a few of our campers what they learned this summer. Here’s what they shouted – er, said:

• Counselors are cool. We talked about everything.
• Before I went to camp, people said the food stinks. It didn’t.
• I learned I could swim a lot farther than I thought. But the waterfront guys told me I could do it all along.
• It’s impossible for my counselor to pack everything back up the way my mom did before camp.
• It’s okay to wake up early if you don’t know what time it is.
• I’m not sure, but I may ask my parents if I can do yoga when I get home.
• Sometimes when people say “hurry up, you’ll be late,” they really mean it. Sometimes they don’t.
• I always thought I liked lacrosse better than soccer. Now I’m not sure.
• I saw my sister less this summer than I do at home. But it was still nice having her here.

• No one will clean up your cabin for you, except you.
• It’s really nice if your parents write a lot, even if they don’t say much in their letters.
• It’s hard to canoe when your paddle falls in the water.
• I have eight new best friends.
• When they tell you to bring a sweatshirt and a blanket, they know what they are talking about.
• I was positive I couldn’t live without my cell phone. Now I forget where I put it in my room before I left.
• How come no one ever told me that waterskiing was so much fun?
• It’s good to go on trips away from camp. And it’s good to come back.
• I like my new nickname a lot.
• When I came to camp I missed my dog. When I go home I’m going to miss my horse.
• Maine is an awesome state!

• It feels like I grew five inches, but the nurse says only one.
• I still can’t sing, but our play was amazing anyway.
• My goal in life is to come back as a counselor.”