A long standing Waukeela tradition every Sunday night is to sit huddled around the campfire with your Waukeela sisters. The fire blazing, the New Hampshire stars shining down on you, the moon is at its peak, all whilst reflecting on the theme of the week and sharing your thoughts that surround that theme. No summer camp is complete without pre-camp and staff education prior to the campers arriving on opening day. But even without our campers, we still like to follow Waukeela routine. On Sunday night, our whole staff team sat in the bung (as unfortunately the rain ruled out the fire pit this week) to share their thoughts on the theme of the week – Journeys.
Reflecting with Staff Before Camp
Our 2022 staff team consists of Waukeela veterans who have been here since they were 8 years old, to first time international staff who were looking for a US Summer Camp experience before discovering Waukeela Camp for Girls in the mountains of New Hampshire. Each member of our staff has a unique and individual experience on their journey of finding Waukeela as well as their own life stories and personal journeys, which is what made this theme particularly special.
Emily Boyd & Mar Orozco – Junior & Senior Alley Head 2022
Here are some of our staff members thoughts around Journeys:
“I have often been guilty of caring more about the destination than the journey. Instead of giving myself time to appreciate where I am, I just want to be at the end, in the “perfect” place. Before the past few years, the only times I didn’t feel like that were when I was at camp. Of course I was excited for whatever was coming next, but I could also just look around at the trees and the lake and the stars and be happy where I was. I am so grateful that my own journey has brought me back to camp so many times.”
– Allie Liebmann
“I think a lot of people, myself included, like to think of their life journey on stages. Elementary school, middle school, high school, university. We like to think that we are a completely different person than we used to be in those stages but that’s not entirely true. I’m the same Sarah Grace Boyd that got her snow boat stuck in the playground in second grade, made questionable fashion choices in seventh grade and played the clarinet for four years. No matter how much I want to distance myself from these versions of myself. I’m learning how to love and appreciate the journey as a whole and be grateful for every decision that little Sarah made for getting me to this point.”
– Sarah Boyd
“The journey of life is the most complicated journey that we go on, but it is the one that we are going to enjoy the most. We have problems and we always will but life is a rollercoaster and some days you feel up and other days you feel down. In the end, what matters is knowing that all bad things come and go. After the storm, the sun will always come out.”
– Ana Pau Alvarado
“The journey of life is just that, a journey. All of the stops along the way are the important parts. I think it’s also important to remember that life is full of little journeys. The journey through school life, the journey you make from your bed to the fridge in the morning, the journey through puberty, to name a few. One thing that I have come to realize and learn is that no journey is insignificant. Each journey you make in life, no matter how chaotic or draining they may be, makes you who you are. And you are insanely beautiful, crazy and loved. I am blessed to be in the presence of all of you.”
– Makenna Barry
“When we used to go on long car journeys my dad would always get annoyed at people rushing. He said the journey is part of getting to the destination and it should be enjoyed along the way. This shows me that in life you should always enjoy the journey as well as the destination.”
– Tilly Fleming
What are some of your thoughts on Journeys?
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