That’s the thing I remember most. That long bus ride up to camp. My parents waving to me from the parking lot as I stare out the window and wave trying desperately not to cry. Then the bus pulls away and the world I had known is gone. New world has arrived. Camp world. There’s about fifty kids on that bus and a few hundred more on the buses following ours. The bus counselors check off our names on their clipboards while trying to get the kids under control. The bus meanders through some neighborhoods until it finally finds the entrance to the highway and pulls onto it. For the next three hours I sat on that long silver bus staring out the window and watching buildings and civilization give way to farms and open fields. Much like Mattie in the book “Summer Sleep-Away”, I felt alone and homesick and longing for my parents and friends back home.

Eventually, the bus pulled off the highway and a half hour later it entered the camp grounds. We got off the bus, listened for our names as they grouped us with our bunk and walked over to join our bunkmates. By the time our counselors took us over to our bunks I had already met some of the kids. We changed into our bathing suits and went down to the lake for a big swim. It was hot out, the sun was beating down and the cool water of the lake felt good. We spent our first afternoon at camp down at the lake and by the time dinner rolled around I felt like I had known my bunkmates forever. The world I had left behind seemed a milion miles away and I was very grateful to have taken that long bus ride to this new world where I would spend the summer.