Sleepaway camp. A place I was lucky enough to go to for 5 years and an experience I will never forget. I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to go away for 7 weeks and experience life away from my parents. The name of my camp is called Trails End Camp and is located in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania. It was my home away from home. Sleepaway campers have a saying  “10 for 2” and what it means is you live 10 months waiting to go back to camp for 2.  The friendships I made at camp will definitely last forever. The girls I have spent 5 summers with were not only my friends but my sisters.  We spent every waking moment together for  51 days each summer for 5 years. Those memories I made are ones I would never trade for anything. Oh I forgot to mention, there are no devices allowed at camp. Yes that's right no devices. No devices for some people my age sounds like hell. However, not having my phone for 51 days allowed me the opportunity to really enjoy everything camp had to offer.  For example, I actually had conversations with my friends and it gave me the ability to navigate social situations without depending on my device to escape those situations. This really allowed me to have deep meaningful relationships with my camp friends. I know I can always go to my camp friends and tell them anything without judgement. My camp friends and I keep in touch all throughout the year. I love hearing about their home life, and telling them about mine. My favorite camp memory was when we went to Niagara Falls Canada. It was so beautiful there and reminded me of the city. We ate good food, went on rides, shopped, and so much more. One of my favorite parts was when we went into the mists of Niagara Falls. It was so pretty and something I will never forget. 

The summer of 2020 was the first summer I wasn't able to go to camp. My camp shut down due to the global pandemic. I was devastated.  I had to spend the summer at home, something I hadn't done in 5 years.  I don't count that as a real summer experience since everyone was confined to their homes and I was only able to spend it with my family or those friends that we considered in my bubble. So when the summer of 2021 came around, the obvious decision was that I would definitely attend camp. I mean why wouldn’t I attend. However, in a shocking turn of events, I decided not to go back. It was a tough decision for me since Trails End is a home away from home.  So the decision not to go was especially hard for me, I hadn't experienced a summer at home in 5 years, it was definitely going to be weird for me AND let me tell you it was. I bonded with my home friends and saw them every night but the structure and adventures that I had at sleepaway camp were no comparison. I woke up when I wanted to and waited for my mom to come home from work. I would bike ride around town or go to one of my friends' pools. I didn't go on rock climbing adventures or camp trips like the one I spoke of earlier at Niagara Falls or have campfires like I did at camp. I wouldn’t have traded this summer for anything although I missed camp. I became way closer to my friends at home and made more memories. Trails End Camp will always be special to me because it brought me my best friends and taught me to be independent.