The Camp Chronicles (Part I)

During the summer of 2008, right before I became a junior in high school, I went to a weight loss camp in the Poconos. It was called Camp Pocono Trails, and I was there from June 28th to July 25th. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I remember the first day I got there. The air smelled so different than Jersey air. It felt thick and cold, which made me nervous. As I looked around and saw how many campers were actually there, I was shocked. As soon as my mom left, I felt completely alone.

My cabin was smaller than most others. Once you went up the creaky old steps to the porch and opened the worn down screen door, there was a long isle with four beds on either side. Next to each bed there was a large cubby with a bar to hang your clothes on, and shelves above that. At the very end of the aisle, in the back of the cabin, was a bathroom. When you walked through the doorway there was a sink to the left and what looked like a protruding closet with a toilet in it. To the right there was a curtain concealing a double shower. I chose the bed right against the wall with the shower on the other side because I love to fall asleep to the sound of a shower running. It’s very soothing to me.

Anyway, two councilors were also bunking with us, and they slept closest to the door. They were both short, skinny sorority girls. They both greeted me as I settled in. Bre had blonde hair and a squeaky, mouse-like voice. Catina had brown hair and appeared very feminine and timid. I looked around to see that two other beds had already been claimed, but the girls were nowhere to be found.

As I began to unpack, one of the girls entered the bunk. She was a short, chubby girl with shoulder length scrunched hair. She introduced herself as Katie. At first I didn’t get the best vibe from her, so I steered clear. Shortly after, another girl entered. She was a bit shorter than me and had thick black glasses. Her hair was brown and pin straight. When she spoke, she revealed her braces and somewhat nasally voice. Her name, as I came to find out, was Alana. She had a unique style. Sort of a feminine, punk look. She was very quiet for the most part but seemed to have a bit of an attitude.

I continued to unpack, as did the other girls. I could feel the busyness around me. Outside the bunk, parents walked their kids to their bunks, friends rejoiced in their reuniting, and counselors tried desperately to get a hold of things. Another girl came in, short and thing with an exotic-looking face. She was definitely Russian. Sure enough, her parents followed and spoke with Russian accents. Her parents seemed to linger for a long time, but eventually left. The girl’s name was Aleks. We spent a long time discussing the spelling of her name, believe me. She had a strong accent, and she could speak fluent Russian. She seemed very shy, so I didn’t really make conversation with her.

The next girl that entered was Kelsey. I later found out I should have locked the door when she got there. Kelsey was chubby and had greasy blonde hair. Her voice sounded like a 10-year-old and her clothes looked like something out of the children’s section in Walmart. Of course she picked the bed right next to me, and she would not stop talking as soon as she got there. This helped me to quickly realize she had ADHD and was apparently a little slow. Mentally, she was at the level of a 10-year-old. I could not stand her, and I let her know right off the bat. Some think it cruel to be snotty to someone like Kelsey, but you wouldn’t understand unless you met this girl yourself.

All of the beds were full now except the one across the aisle from me. We went to dinner and I had my first taste of what the food would be like at this camp. Not bad. Not good, but not bad. We all wondered who the sixth girl in our bunk was. Later that night we all sat in the bunk playing truth-or-dare and other clique summer camp games. Finally, at around 8pm, Tipper arrived. She was a little taller than me, with brown hair and an oversized, navy blue t-shirt on. She was a lot heavier than me, and her style seemed to be a little, shall we say, “gangster”. She was very friendly right off the bat. She told us she was from Florida and that her flight had been delayed this morning. That’s why she was so late. She joined in the games and our bunk immediately started bonding.

The five of us, excluding Kelsey, became very close, very fast. I got to know Katie and learned that there was no cause for alarm. She was a very nice person. And Alana’s attitude seemed to turn into a sick sense of humor. She could sure make me laugh. We all shared secrets and protected each other from the vicious girls in the bunk next to us. I could tell it would be a great summer.