When I am sitting at lunch with my friends, chatting about my summer, the question “Why do you miss camp so much?” seems to surface. Even if I had all the time in the world, how does one describe the feeling of finding your people, only to have to leave them behind?
Each summer, I go to sleepaway camp; a “canon event” for many young Miamians. I spent two months of my year living with my “21 sisters and 18 brothers,” as we like to say. This is because, come the end of summer, we have built familial bonds that no other connection can replace.
Any teen who goes to camp can tell you they live 10 months at school, just for those two blissful months of paradise over the summer. But what happens once summertime is over?
In the blink of an eye, I went from sharing bunk beds and late-night whispers with my best friend in the world, to being separated by 1,300 miles and conflicting schedules. A quiet ache comes with missing someone who feels at home. No one ever talks about how hard it is to not have a best friend at your disposal any time of the day.
Missing my best friend has made me hone in on the little things I took for granted. Waking up extra early to get ready, laughing until 2 a.m., and even just walking to lunch together, never made a huge impact on me at the time. I would have never assumed that those little moments were the ones I would yearn for the most. It is bittersweet to cling to these memories. Every time I do, the harsh reality sinks in, that I will not get to see her until summer returns.
Of course, like any teenage friendship, I am constantly Snapchatting, texting, calling and sending funny TikToks to my best friend. But nothing feels the same. The screen makes everything feel even further away, and I am forced to get accustomed to a few pixels on the screen. What am I supposed to do when the person who can read my emotions just by looking at my face suddenly turns into a few snaps and a voice note? It is sad, but it is the kind of pain that reminds me how special the bond is to me. It brings our friendship closer in my mind, but also reminds me of how far she is.
No, we do not go to each other’s houses after school, and we will not be able to walk the graduation stage together come senior year, but it is okay with me. I know we will be holding the bouquets at each other’s weddings, and will be the cool aunts to each other’s children.
To my 18 brothers and 21 sisters – thank you for the unforgettable memories, the inside jokes and for showing me what it means to love people so much that no amount of miles can break the bond. Camp has taught me how to be a true friend, a leader and an independent person. It showed me the best version of myself, gave me my best friend and taught me the true meaning of sisterhood. My sisters have shaped me into the person I am today, and I am eternally grateful for them. They truly embody the meaning of how distance means nothing when someone is everything.
