2 months later it seems nearly everything has changed. Currently sitting on the top bunk with the sounds of ropes course and guitar lessons fluttering outside my cabin, I feel pretty distant from the last time I wrote. Throughout the summer there were moments I actually thought of this simple blog- I wanted to share the experience, describe everything I was seeing and essentially give you a taste of this place I’ve grown so attached to.
This summer has been so different from last that I’ve stopped comparing. My activities, the people, the feelings and more are as if I’m at a different camp altogether. I like it that way- it preserves what was last year and creates something completely new for this summer. Some memorable highlights have been working on the ropes course, becoming a sailing instructor, learning guitar, singing on stage and creating/writing the camp blog. It’s been a much more active summer filled with testing and challenging myself while getting that golden tan I dreamed about all winter.
I’ve gotten so close to all my friends here. I’ve adapted the Aussie lingo and know that I always have a place to stay in Scotland, England, Georgia or I’ll always have a traveling partner since everyone here is so ambitious and anxious to grab life’s next adventure.
I suppose the biggest change of the summer is my post camp plan. Clearly I have dreamed of living on the east coast, particularly NYC, for quite some time now. In high school, I covered my walls with images of Boston and applied to 9 colleges 3,000 miles away from the golden coast. When it came time to pick a college, I fell head over heels in love with Boulder and never looked back on my decision- I knew I would always move east afterward. When afterward became the present tense, I narrowed my mind to Boston or NYC. With my dear friend Hannah on my side, NYC won and thus began this long journey and plan to move to Brooklyn. When people kept trying to tear me down about NYC, I got defensive and it made me want to go even more. However, part of me always felt like I had left Boston out. Thus began a battle- was I allowed to change my mind? I’ve been telling everyone NYC for so long it just became the plan. Could I change the plan?
Boston came back into the picture when I realized I don’t want to jump right into the world. Here at camp I’m surrounded by adventurous, spontaneous young people who really live life by the edge. Some people are going to Canada to work or traveling Europe or working in ski resorts for the winter. No one has set plans forever- they are willing to change at any moment. They are taking advantage of this time in our lives- of being young and free. So why was I sitting there worried about starting a career and being a full blown adult? There is so much I still want to do- so many places I still want to travel and so much to experience while I’m just 22. I will still move to NYC. I will still take the subway to work, go on runs in Central Park and ice skate at Rockefeller Center for Christmas. I’m just putting that on pause and I can’t tell you how good it feels to know that it’s ok to admit that.
Taylor, Joanna and I have fully planned out our roadtrip. We are leaving August 24th from CA and plan on making it to Boston by August 30th. When we get to there, we are possibly staying with Joanna’s cousin or maybe a friend from college but we’ll be apartment hunting and starting to discovery this city I’ve dreamed of since 10th grade. There is so much unknown and so much to learn. There are so many opportunities just waiting for me to grab. I’ve begun the job hunt, had a phone interview and scored another one when I get to the city and most of all I’ve started taking all the weight I personally placed on my shoulders and starting breathing again. I’m not worried at all. So my plans have changed- I’m a roadrunner and filled with faith. I can’t wait to walk the cobble streets and embrace the history that sweeps throughout Boston. I can’t wait to roam the east coast for the season change and experience it all.
It will help that I have a friend returning with me to Boston. Not only are Taylor, Rebecca and Joanna sharing the same zipcode but someone who started as a camp friend and is now so much more will be returning to his home town. I’m used to the snickering by now and the questions of if I’m following him. Clearly I am not but having Kevin in Boston will be such a bonus. Not only does he know the city, the coast and more but I’m not ready to end this journey we’ve started together. Of course leave it up to me to find another fairytale romance but this one is something different. This one has left me without questions or worries. This one has shown me the good ones are worth the wait. Lucky for me we aren’t forced to say goodbye but rather hello to the new and exciting experiences that we can’t wait to start together.
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