By: Jaime Reich, alumna

I spent a total of 7 summers at Camp George, 1999-2002, and then a 4-year hiatus, followed by another 3 years, 2007-2009. Summer 2009 was my last summer at Camp George. While I already knew then that friends from the first summer at camp would be lifelong friends, I didn’t think friends from my last summer would be too.

Camp is a place where I did so much of my growing up. Most of that had to do with the amazing people at camp, both those in leadership positions, and friends, many of whom are an incredibly important part of my every day life 20 years later! I feel like every year that I went back to camp I continued to grow and that last summer was no exception.

I didn’t think I would end up back at camp for summer 2009, but in an amazing last-minute turn of events there I was, back at camp as Rosh Anaf arts, and it was extremely challenging and rewarding at the same time.

A lot of my close friends weren’t back at camp that summer, but I was excited for the opportunity to take on a new role and challenge myself. I knew I would make friends because everyone at camp is friends, but I didn’t think I would make friends that were so much more than friends. I started that summer with roommates I already considered as friends, in the way that everyone at camp is friends, and ended the summer knowing were so much more than camp friends. They were my confidants, my shoulder to cry on, my lifelong friends, my family!

Camp is a crazy intense environment; a day feels like a week and a summer feels like a lifetime. When a day feels like a week, even a few minutes spent being silly with your roommates is a good thing! My roommates were both unit heads and if I thought my job was busy, it was nothing compared to theirs. From the second they woke up to way past any camper’s bed time, they were “putting out fires”- comforting homesick campers, planning programs, and everything else that went into running a unit. I learned so much from my job that summer, from my staff and from all the amazingly talented and spirited campers, but I also learned a lot from my amazing roommates. I learned about empathy, I learned even more about camp, and I learned about friendship!

I have so many memories of our time together as roommates and the events, big and small that brought us together. Camp friendship is moving the clock forward by a minute every day so your roommates aren’t late for breakfast (don’t hate me!), getting to be the maid of honour at your roommates’ fake camp wedding (and kvelling at the other one’s real wedding years later) and having to be really sneaky to plan birthday surprises for both of your roommates who shared a camp birthday. There’s truly nothing like camp friends, no matter how many years or cities or miles are between you, and no matter how much or how little you talk. It’s like camp is a different language that you speak with your camp friends.

While summer 2009 was my last summer at camp, it was also one of the best, because it gave me some of my best friends! Jane, Laura, Jules (honorary roommate) and I still see each other often and speak even more often. No matter what happens, no matter how many years pass I know that these friends from summer 2009 will always be there. I will always be grateful to camp because of that fateful summer on Maple Lake.

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