I am typically someone who will spend most of my time by myself rather than with other people, not because I'm anti-social but more because I don't feel like I relate to others in many ways. This camp has always been the one place where I’ve felt like I can be a part of a community that I care about. I remember way back during my 2nd or 3rd year of coming to this camp after I finally got used to the idea of being away from home for periods at a time, that I finally started to indulge in actually getting to know those that I was spending a lot of my time around. Up until that point I had gotten comfortable just being by myself but when I began using my time with people I liked instead of being alone, it changed my experience entirely. My perspective on camp quickly went from one where I spent a few weeks during the summer essentially being a lone wolf to one where I had a lot of fun in the company of others.
Making new friends gave me a desire to come back to camp just to see and spend time with the people I met and have a good time. I started by using all of my hours doing activities that I tried to make all about myself but having companions helped me indulge more in the activities that I enjoyed. Now instead of just spending my time alone in the riflery or archery range, I brought my friends down to host small competitions with them, going down to bounce on the water trampoline at the waterfront, climbing at the challenge course, and more activities that were made so much better with other people. The good memories I make with the people I meet at this camp became the main reason that I come back year after year, always anticipating the moment when I get to see them again and spend another amazing summer here. To me, companionship is the most important thing to have here at camp and makes the experience worth it. It's now my 9th year being here and my view is still strong as ever.
