The Sari Diaries- Thursday 6/29/17

Dearest Chippies,

Good evening from the Office at the Top of the Hill. I write to you tonight from Sari’s couch, tired after yet another action-packed day at CRC. Yes it rained, it was a little on the chilly side, and some activities couldn’t run to their fullest extent… But where the sun and warmth were evidently lacking, enthusiasm certainly was not. It’s ironic, actually, because it’s days like today that in hindsight remind me most of what’s so great about a place like camp. When lousy weather strips away the ability to climb the wall and waterski and play tennis, it forces you to look past the activities and take notice of other elements of the camp experience. Don’t get me wrong—I do appreciate that camp isn’t camp without the activities and programs that literally fill our days here. But at the end of the day, camp is also just as much about the laughs and spontaneous sing-alongs and random in-betweens that couldn’t seem more insignificant in the moment. Every year when I watch the previous summer’s reunion video, I find myself in awe of how many moments I under-appreciated; how many of those in-betweens are overlooked as they are happening, yet are so important and hard to miss on the big screen… So where am I going with this? Yes—I loved shooting archery with Blackfoot and playing basketball with Chloe C. yesterday. But I also loved helping Circle C practice their card trick act for the Camper Talent Show and swinging on the swings with Trailriders and chatting in the office with the Lakeview girls. These might not be the landmark moments that build resilience and confidence and leadership, but they are the interactions that create the foundation of the Chippewa community. So let it be noted: my goal of the summer is to not take anything for granted. I hope to watch the 2017 reunion video and have no regrets. Will I be successful? Only time will tell. Stay tuned…

So now that that is out of the way, I would love to take a brief moment to reflect on some of the more specific events that made today the great day that it was. Most of Colt Village ventured out of camp on various trips, and I can say with confidence that they are all having an awesome time. The trippers are incredible and have done a great job creating a Trip Program that gets campers excited about and learning the ins and outs of pitching tents and building fires. I can’t wait for them to get back tomorrow so I can hear about all of the fun they had!

Tonight the campers who weren’t out on trips played a game called Paparazzi. Each camper had a photo of themselves around their necks, and they ran around camp trying to steal other campers’ photos while also protecting their own from getting stolen. The ultimate goal of the game is to collect all of the photos. Congratulations to Cami W., Chippewa’s very first Paparazzi victor. You are a mastermind!

And with that, I bid you all a fond goodnight. It’s time to turn in. Thanks for reading, talk to you next week!

Sincerely,
Soph-Aloaf