Jacob A. from PA
The grass whispers to you as you stride down the hill. When you near the lakefront, you hear kids yelling and laughing with joy. The wind whistles a happy song while the sun smiles down on you. You beam back up and you suddenly feel like playing a game of pickup basketball. Luckily, Camp Weequahic has this, which along with other activities, contribute to its perfection. With these activities come life-long friends and then everlasting memories. As you can see, Camp Weequahic is a place you never want to leave. After three to six weeks of spending time with your second family, your real parents are the only thing taking you back.
The first thing you want to check out once you arrive at Camp Weequahic are the activities. In the morning, you are tired, yet thrilled for the day ahead. Maybe a nice game of tennis or basketball will warm you up. During the first basketball league morning, you get evaluated. Then after the draft, you split into teams and see if you can make it into the playoffs. You want to play in the league so much that you are bummed when you realize it’s only every other morning. But as the sun starts bearing down on you around midday, you want to go snag your bathing suit and cannonball into the waterfront. As you plunge in, the cool water lazily glides over you, soothing the effect of the warm summer day. Your friends jump in and you realize you never want this to end. What with the perfect-temperature water and the incredible experiences, who would? After splashing around and scuffling to get to the top of your favorite floats, it’s time to get out. When you do, the warm air rushes back to meet you. Springing along with your friends, you race to put on your towels and crocs, then to get back up to the bunk. As the day comes to a close, the realization comes that you need to get as many competitions in as you can. Everyone races to behind the boys’ cabins to play mini basketball hoops, ping pong, taps, and kickball. I wonder who will win!
During all these remarkable activities, you meet and make new friends around camp and in your bunk who you’ll keep in contact with for years. For example, JP is one of my best friends. I met him at Camp Weequahic, and we talk and text all the time. When you have your bunkmates, all the activities suddenly seem more fun. Plus, your friends will always be with you: When something sad happens, who’s there to help you through it? When you hurt yourself, who’s there to comfort the pain? When the best thing ever happens, who’s there to congratulate you? The answer is indefinitely your friends. They are the ones you can depend on to have a good time. At lunch, it won’t be fun dancing by yourself to the music; you need to have other people there jamming with you. I mean what’s better than dancing to your favorite song with your chums as the sweet buttery dinner aromas flounce around your nose? But when you sit down as the mouth-watering crumble-in-your-mouth brownies are finally being served, you realize there are also friends you make who aren’t in your bunk. When you are playing a game or taking part in an activity without your cabin, you’re going to have to hang out with other people. You can embrace this during Tribal Wars. Depending on what tribe you’re on, you will be with different campers and counselors. For example, on Seminole (the tribe I was on) was this kid named Spencer. He wasn’t in my bunk, but we still became friends.
With friends come tons of exceptional memories that will never leave you. There are bound to be times where you win your football league or water ski with your friends. And if not, there is always the Camp Weequahic dance, eating ice cream in the enormous trough, and MTV night. The best part about these valuable memoirs is you get to share them with those around you. When you are at MTV night, I promise that you will never forget that moment where you are singing and dancing to a song with your bunk. But strangely, no matter how embarrassing and awkward, you will always have fun. Another great experience is Tribal Wars. Even though through these three tremendous weeks you may be against your friends, it is also one of the more exciting parts of camp. When our co-director suddenly stops the Weequahic Play with a blazing torch in her hand, you know you will never want to go; you never want this to stop. You are only waiting to find out what tribe you are on for about fifteen minutes, but honestly, the suspense kills!
In conclusion, Camp Weequahic is a place you might be nervous about going, but terrified of leaving. Once you arrive, you know you are in paradise and you’ll never find another place like this even if you devote your entire life to it. Once you start engaging in the activities, you make new friends with whom memories are made. After your session at camp is over, you’re begging your parents not to take you away. You try convincing them about how it’s so great. They finally drag you out but you only have one thought in mind: Camp Weequahic is a place you never want to leave.
