Today was the last day of camp.
For some, it was the last day of their first year. For others, it was the last day of their final year. I’m in the latter category. I don’t really know how to feel about it yet.
The day started slow, with breakfast of camp potatoes and tofu scramble. Me and some of my friends ate by the swings and talked about life. Then, morning meeting. Usually morning meeting drags on like the honey on Jack’s tea table, but this morning it went by in a flash. I sat leaning against my friends Mooney, Jack, BellaSky, Lucy and Esme.
Advisee was next. And oh my, advisee on the last day is always a trip. Staffer Nathen is my advisor. I had him as my advisor last year, and this year I was a bit like oh, same advisor again for my last year, but Nathan is so great that I wish I could have him as my advisor every year. He always brings out the best in everyone in his group, and also knows when to bring out the worst in us when we need to work it out and cry.
We did appreciation circle in advisee. Basically we go around the circle and say things we appreciate about the people in our advisee. In true Nathan fashion, we got really deep and sweet with our complements. There were a lot of tears, and it made me feel very loved — and I hope I made others feel the same.
I then missed superhero cleanup because I got totally wrapped up in a conversation with someone. I honestly can’t tell you who it was but I can ascertain that they were awesome. I felt really bad about superheroes, but it is what it is (my bad J).
Then I got lunch. Jenna got me a spectacular lunch because I’m a bit sick and am not able to serve my own food. It was beans and rice with sauces and salad and toppings galore. The Gunch tears dressing is top tier.
I sat with Leon at lunch, and they showed me Roblox movies they had made and we giggled. Then I chatted with BellaSky and Natalie D before it was time for last-day-camp-cleanup; I was on bathrooms crew and made up for missing my superhero by helping make the laurel bathroom spick-and-spam.
I then packed my bag, gathered chairs, and stood by the lost and found and admired all the things I wanted. I found my headband and my sandals.
Then I chatted about TV shows and reminisced about when Netflix used to deliver DVDs with Bellasky, Aiden P, Emmett D and Lucy by Forest Dell. We tried climbing the corner of it for some reason.
The day was slowly yet rapidly coming to a close at this point, and I have to say I was scared. All I could think about were all my lasts. Nonetheless, I looked at salamanders and caught water skimmers with Mooney by the creek at Siesta. The water was lit by the sunlight and felt cold and smooth. I named one salamander Gerbert.
We had dinner afterwards. I slipped into the end of Jenna’s collage workshop and made a little bit of art. I love the art I make at camp.
Evening meeting was absolute chaos. Let’s just say it involved staffer Andy in a chicken coop and many people getting thrown into the creek (consensually).
The last night of camp is always so special. It’s when the spirit of camp really comes alive in all of us. Closing ceremony was bracingly beautiful. After I showered the creek off my wet clothes, we spiralled into the lodge for closing ceremony. The culminaters’ speeches were truly remarkable. We all stood in our circle singing “All I Ask of You”, and you couldn’t look around the room without seeing wet eyes. I’m not a culminater, but this is probably/most definitely/AHHHHHH my last year, and when that’s the case you get to share one parting sentence—my sentence was… “At camp, I know people here are for me because they feel like home. Out of camp, I know that people are for me because they feel like camp.” I feel like that really embodies what camp has taught me these past three years.
I couldn’t participate in the hug circle after closing ceremony due to being icky sicky, but I got to make meaningful eye contact and, you know, eye contact is scary, but it was just as intimate as a hug in many ways.
I then took a fat nap on the lodge couches because I was so emotionally drained from closing ceremony. It was by far the best nap all camp.
When I woke up, I found my friends in the Dogwood bathrooms having a bathroom ramen party. It was also sort of a speakeasy. I got a cup of ginger tea and played a game of faux throwing axes in the showers.
Then I went into the lodge and signed a loooot of directories. I probably still missed tons. Then I ate a brownie and danced in the kitchen with some staffers and a bunch of my friends. Me and Jazzy had a really good dance. I had some good conversations in the walk-in freezer. I sat on the counter while Ginger Staffer Kai served mac n’ cheese.
Then a bunch of the older campers played hot seat in the woods. Hot seat is basically just a game where someone sits in the “hot seat” and everyone gets to ask them whatever questions they want. It was fun but also not really what I was feeling at the moment. I went back to the lodge and had a nap. A very, very short nap. I hung out with Elijah and Leon afterwards. It was around four in the morning at this point. Everything from there on out was delirious laughter about nothing and seeing the darkness fade into light dawn.
Leaving has been so hard, but utterly worth having been here. The last day is always such a magical one, and this year was no exception. I love you all.
Jane N, camper
