The count down begins

Yes, two weeks from tomorrow morning I will be on my way up to camp. This is my sixth summer in camp and my fourth as a counselor. Yet this summer is going to be an adventure. I am going to have three new campers (after having the same three + a few extras for the past three summers), and three new co counselor who are straight out of sem.

To tell you the truth I am a little nervous bec. Although I had to get to know one or two new campers each summer, I have never felt more like a rookie then I will this summer (ok besides my first summer when everything was new). Not only that but very few of my friends are going back. Heck, I am the only one I know (besides head staff) who have been in camp for more then the past three summers (and there are only about three of those). And even most of my most recent friends aren't going back. I love camp, I love the challenges and the campers. I love the head staff (well most of them) and the camp as a whole. But camp barely resembles the place I fell in love with six summers ago. For one thing, the camp has gotten a whole lot lower functioning (I don't know if any of my kids are really verbal this summer). For another thing, the staff has been getting increasingly younger every year. My first summer there were a whole bunch of fifth year counselor in their mid twenties. This summer there are about four fourth year counselor (with me being the oldest) and possibly one fourth year counselor. I would say 70% are first years and maybe another 20% are second year that is pretty scary. Cause it is really the vets that get the ruach going, they are the ones who are ready to let loose and really get in to things with there kids.

I can remember my first day at camp six summers ago. I came in to camp in the middle of the summer and my friend was going to show me around (I knew nothing about the place and she was leaving the next day). As we walked up the front gate she turned to me and said "I just want to warn you sometimes the counselor really get in to it with their campers, like getting on to the ground with them or running in circles or playing with bubbles or whatever and it takes some getting used to." Well as I walked in to what was then the central hang out of the camp (the front lawn) I saw exactly what she was talking about and you know what it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I fell in love with Camp HASC right then and there. But you know what camp isn't like that anymore. Ok that is not totally true, some people still get in to it but most people are too scared if they get messed up they won't get the shidduch they came to camp to get (you do know what HASC stands for don't you) and you know what that is so sad cause that is not what camp is about.

Ok, I will stop ranting and lamenting now, because even though some people come to camp for the wrong reason they are still doing a great mitzvah so I really should not complain. I just hope that this summer is as wonderful as the past five have been. Because I really hope that this is my last summer as a counselor (I have been saying that for two years now, I don't think any one believes me anymore-too bad).

So I guess for now I will go back to counting and packing and leave the worrying for when I get there and get to see my Chani. For, I know at that point all I will have to do is look in to her mischievous eyes and remember why I keep coming back.

Though I never will forget my Rochella (who is moving on to Sternberg) and my Esti (who is spending her summer abroad with her mother). I love my Rebitzen and the Dutchess. Who is going to tell me not to talk to the boys (nist Tznius) and then introduce me to all her boy friends (not for Zaidy to know about) and who is going to wake me up on my days off and tell me sing off key to MBD...Time to create new memories and at least my Chanala will keep me on my toes (although I have less hair for her to pull).