Autumn is here, the trees are looking magnificent, and a cool breeze has begun to blow across camp. Two months after the end of Summer 2024, we find ourselves knee-deep in school work, sports, and extracurricular activities. Throw in a couple High Holidays (Shana Tova!) and camp seems like a distant memory. What you may not realize, however, is how the lessons learned at camp are relevant in your everyday life — making that inexplicable camp feeling accessible from anywhere and everywhere, all 12 months of the year.
At camp, the Unit Leaders wake you most mornings at 7:45, rousing you from your cozy slumber with alt-pop-rock blasting from the Pyle speakers. You are then required to roll (or climb) out of bed, brush your teeth, and make your first big decision of the day: What will you wear??? Although you may ultimately choose to remain in your pajama bottoms for line-up, you are still demonstrating independence by choosing a shirt from your cubby and (preferably, ahem) a new pair of socks and underwear. Many of you did it for 7 straight weeks this summer, so there’s no reason to believe you aren’t fully capable of selecting your daily fit once the school year is underway.
Morning line-up at camp gives you even more opportunities for decision-making. Will you sign up for Intercamp soccer? Will you go on a waterskiing trip? Do you need to remember to attend play practice during 2nd period? All of these choices you make at camp on a daily basis may seem insignificant at the time, but you are learning time management and prioritization. One of the most unique aspects of attending camp at Lake Owego is the abundance of choices you get to make for yourself. Sure, there are bunk periods and instructional swim built into the schedule, but sprinkled throughout the day are choice periods which allow you to advocate for yourself without an adult telling you where to go or what to do. And that’s pretty significant.
At camp, there’s no one asking what you would like to eat for dinner. There’s just dinner. When you’re at home and you don’t love what’s being served in your kitchen, remember that you survived all summer by learning to try new foods. And you didn’t starve! Maybe you tried your first green vegetable on Greek night. Maybe you started eating pasta with red sauce, or realized you really do like hamburgers — the point is, you learned to expand your palate and to respect that your bunkmates may not like the same foods as you.
Speaking of bunkmates, one of the most worthwhile lessons you learn at camp is how to coexist with a dozen or so “roommates.” You are sharing your personal space with your Owego brothers for an extended period of time — some for as long as 7 weeks! You sleep in the same room, share the bathroom, and learn to tolerate everyone’s quirks. There are good days and not-so-good days. You learn to sacrifice certain things for the benefit of the group. Is your flashlight keeping everyone awake? You will have to put down the book and go to sleep. Does your “upstairs” neighbor snore like a locomotive? You’ll have to accept it as a minor inconvenience and figure out a way to sleep despite the noise. All of these little compromises make you more flexible and more tolerant of others’ differences. This will serve you well as an adult, when the world refuses to stop turning just because you’re having a bad day.
While many of the lessons learned at camp come from positive experiences, like learning how to paddle a canoe or how to cook over an open flame, the most beneficial lessons are happening when you find yourself in more challenging situations. Whether you are missing home, struggling with a friendship, longing for your favorite foods, or stressing over a missing pair of sneakers, you are learning and growing. These are the life lessons that develop us into well-adjusted adults.
We return to camp year after year for the fun and excitement, for the lifelong friendships, and for the really big bonfires. In the midst of all this merriment, however, we are learning to become the best versions of ourselves. Camp gives us a safe space to make mistakes, get messy, and try again. We are learning to be good humans. And that is the most valuable lesson of all.
