I never went to any of my high school or college reunions. There are a few people I wouldn't mind hearing from, but I have really no interest in most of them. (Actually, one friend hunted me down on the internet and we've been emailing each other, so I'm up-to-date on him and some other peeps.) But I'm not really interested in a reunion. And I still talk to some folks from college who keep me abreast of the other folks, so I don't really need to schlep down to DC for a school-sponsored game of Jewish Geography*.

But the other day, I went to my camp reunion.

I went to an 8-week sleep-away camp in The Berkshires for 5 years, from 1983-88. I started when I was 9 and left when I was 14. I hadn't seen these people in 18 years, but we all shared such strong memories. Even the people I didn't remember or hadn't known at camp had the same warm feelings. We remembered the same songs, laughed at the same sayings, and made fun of the same things, like the murky lake we all had to swim in.

A lot of kids don't like camp. They're homesick, they don't like the activities, they don't get along with the other kids. Whine, whine, whine.

But I loved it. I was in a play every year and performed in gymnastics and talent shows (and got a standing ovation once, thank you very much!),






and learned to play tennis and kickball




and tetherball and golf, and went camping, and went on trips to local theatres and visited the baseball and basketball halls of fame. I worked on the camp newspaper and made jewelry, and played ping-pong, and ran a marathon (and no, I didn¹t come in last), and made ceramics, and gambled for stationery and gum with my bunkmates.

We also had special events like costume parties and barbecues and Latke Olympics and Carnival and Gold Rush and a special banquet at the end of the summer.

We also sang songs every morning, which taught me about great music like the Beatles and Harry Chapin and Simon and Garfunkel and James Taylor and Kenny Loggins, and countless others.

I think every kid should go to sleep-away camp, even if it's only for a few weeks. It's great for learning important skills (i.e., shaving your legs), hobbies (i.e., blackjack), and independence (i.e., getting away from your parents for a few months).



*Jewish Geography, noun. Game consisting of naming people one knows from a certain region, i.e. the Tri-State Area, in the hopes that the person with whom one is conversing knows some of the same people. Also see "small talk."