#campsick

So I thought long and hard about this, and I can't say for certain that it will get easier for you, though it did for me, but it will get different.

What I mean when I say different is the immense ache and hole in my heart left by leaving my CITs and the lake and campfire smoke and all that, that grew not more painful, but into other feelings towards camp.

It's a nostalgia, it's a bittersweet sadness, but it's also love. A love that I carry with me and (probably) always will. I know people in their 40s, 50s, 60s that carry this with them.

I couldn't imagine a day going by without missing camp. And I do still think about camp (not as much, but I do a lot). But now, instead of an ache, it's a smile.

Well folks, summer’s almost over, so here comes the annual Girl Scout camp quotes of the summer. Keep in mind, I was put in Brownie units most of the summer, so that explains the excess of pee. All names have been changed.

CAMPER QUOTES:

1. “So, honeybees are girls and bumblebees are boys?”

- “Yeah. The girls go out and do all the work and the boys stay home and are lazy like, every day.”

2. “I need more sunscreen. I got a fat face.”

3. “Your name isn’t Karen! My aunt’s name is Karen! And guess what? She has a fake tooth!”

4. “Okay girls, what should another rule for our community contract be?”

- “NO KISSING ON THE MOUTH!”

5. Camper: “Marbles! Is FUCK IT a bad word?”

Me: “uh, yes, why?”

Camper: “IT SAYS IT ON THE SIGN!”

Me, fully expecting it to be graffiti: “Okay, just show me where and I’ll cross it out.”

The sign: *FAUCET*

6. “Bob Ross is gay!”

- “And he kissed Marbles!”

7. “My mom has scary veins on her legs.”

8. “Person! PERSON! Are your moms lesbians?”

9. “Woah, my finger has abs!”

10. “Why do you keep calling me dude? I’m a strong independent woman.”

11. “I didn’t even kick her! I lightly tapped her with my foot!”

12. “Our porcupines can’t get married because they aren’t lesbians!”

- “WELL MINE IS!”

- “What’s a lesbian?”

13. “Guess what? My uncle has a butt tattoo! And then guess what? HE GOT AN INFECTION ON HIS BUTT.”

14. “MASSAGE THE MEATS.” *Starts massaging counselor arm* “Balooooooooooooooooooooooney......salaaaaaaamiiiiiii.....”

15. *making Mohawks out of pillows* “LOOK! I have a Seahawk!”

16. “My grandma makes special brownies. They taste like magic.”

COUNSELOR QUOTES:

1. Ladies, we can laugh about the yodeler after we cross through the silent bridge.”

2. “Please don’t squeeze the plants!”

3. “Sally, please don’t eat your shorts.”

4. “Jane, are you chewing gum?”

-”NO! IT’S A NAPKIN!”

5. “You can pee in the lake, but please don’t do it on your lunch or on your friends.”

6. “Jane, we do NOT eat chapstick.”

7. “Jane, we do not eat ice from the salad bar.”

8. “Jane, please stop barking at me.”

9. “Jane, we have asked you three times not to bird call at the people at the craft station.”

10. “When I said pee in the shower, I meant AFTER you turned the water on!!”

11. “Um, there’s a lady at the front gate perched on a stump like the Lorax singing opera at the top of her lungs and I don’t know what to do”

My school back pack has all sorts of odd things in it that are not at all related to school.

A small list:

A large bouncy ball Several granola bars (even though I have plenty of time between all my classes to eat) 2 different kinds of fidget toys A deck of playing cards A deck of uno cards A rubix cube A stress ball At least 3 different friendship bracelets in progress A whole tube of toothpaste??? A full can of YooHoo that has been in there for over a week 2 pairs of sunglasses 2 travel handsanitizers Phone charging cable Deodorant Lip balm 4 mini bottles of bubbles Markers of various colors

Hi friend,

That's such as tough one. I know it's been a minute since you sent this, but I hope that this can still help you. First, I very much empathize with your situation. When I left my last season at camp, as a seasonal staff, I had so many feelings, and it took me a little while to work them all out.

One thing I did feel was a sense of closure. I knew, going into my last summer, that it was likely my last. I felt a bit of peace at knowing that. It was also my time, it felt like, to move forward with my life.

I did ease the transition. I worked part time at a couple of jobs (young enough to be on my parent's health insurance) and then worked the fall season at camp until I got my current position. So while I left camp in a sense, I didn't in another.

I have a number of posts in the campsick tag that might help you. I love my self care for campsick staff posts as ideas of connecting to nature and campy things. Some of my favorites are:

Finding a volunteer opportunity with youth or the outdoors.

Journaling and reflection

Art and creative outlets about camp

Reconnecting with fellow camp staff

Time in nature, doing what you like best

Campsick is a word that we (as a tumblr camp community) used a lot when I first started this blog, and it means a sort of homesick for summer camp, or strongly missing summer camp. I don't see it so much anymore. I'm the last blog from that era, the last one posting that is.

Anyway, campsickness is an annual affliction, settling in once camp ends, usually mid August to early September. This blog was born out of an overwhelming campsickness, after the best summer I'd had at camp, August, 2015.

I think my biggest hint for campsickness is to listen to what you need, what you feel like would help you best. If it's sharing stories on tumblr, that worked well for me. If it's talking with your camp besties about your love of summer camp, that's a great way to stay connected. If it's getting out in nature, may your adventures be safe and fulfilling. If it's working fall camps, may your schedule allow you to do so.

I found that working fall camps was great, and so was this blog. I found a community that loved camp too. That community is gone, but new blogs pop up and new connections form.