Hello everyone!
I would like to introduce to our Guest Blogger for today… Emily Madison. Emily is a local girl from Medford and has gone from Camper up the ranks thru our C.I.T. and L.I.T programs to become an amazing staff member. Last summer Emily was Matolly’s Land Sports Director and has accepted the duty of being our Boating Director for the summer of 2012. Emily is currently in her first year at Clark University but we can’t wait to get her back home to Camp this summer!!
Without further ado… here’s Emily on friendships created here at Camp and continued beyond these sandy trails…
During the summer, staff members go from maybe barely knowing one another, to becoming best friends. After spending basically 24 hours and 9+ weeks together, it seems like they are almost apart of your family. When the summer ends, some of our staff flies back home to England, Australia, or New Zealand. Getting to talk to each other is tough with busy schedules and time differences so we try to communicate a little differently than the rest of the world!
Throughout the school year, we send postcards and quirky letters to each other so our friendships stay strong. Some of them may have beautiful pictures on the back of their country, funny animals, or completely strange sayings or interesting people. The writings usually consist of your typical “I miss you SO much,” or “I cannot wait to see you in 5 months” or some strange inside joke that we still cannot stop laughing about. These postcards are so more than just a piece of paper to us. They show how much we truly value each other, and how friendships that form at camp can never be broken.
There is nothing like forming a friendship at camp. Being at college has made me appreciate these friends more, and how they truly care about you. When you take about five minutes out of your life to write someone to ask how she is, it can brighten a day thousands of miles away. Just by showing you care, it means so much. There are so many small actions we as humans can do to make another feel valued and loved. The postcards we send to each other remind us of just that.
The most interesting thing I have found is that even when we have technology like Facebook and Twitter, us camp girls resort to snail mail. In the summer, it is one of the most exciting moments when you receive a letter from your parents or friends asking how you are. We want to continue that excitement when camp is over! Instead of sending a Facebook message to someone you haven’t seen in a while, consider sending a letter to him or her. It brings a lot more magic than you would think.
(Thanks Emily!!)