My first summer away from home was in 1992. I was eight. You think my parents wanted to get rid of me? Well, at least I wasn't five like my dad was when he spent his first summer at Camp Mayfair. My parents sent my brother and I to Camp Saginaw in the mountains of Pennsylvania. It was, as most, a typically Jewish overnight camp with many kids from the Philadelphia suburbs. There were Friday night services and forced athletic activities. Not exactly my thing, even at eight years old. I remember the horror of swimming in the lake and my utter disappointment at my mom for making me let my recently pierced ears close up just because I would be away from home. I can still picture the bunk and the bathroom. Oh god, a nightmare. Color War was the camp Olympics, and I remember singing some form of "La Cucaracha" to represent our fight song as Spain. For that summer, and the following one, there wasn't too much I really enjoyed about being away from home. For my brother, who was 11 and 12 at the time, there was a lot of trouble. The camp didn't exactly take care of the problems in the upper bunks, and, after two years at Saginaw, we moved on.
Our parents did a lot of research on camps. We often received brochures and videos from various places. This time, there were a few different camps they explored in upstate New York. Because my brother and I were both very into performing arts and music, it seemed going in a different direction was the answer. Again, I hated going, but knowing my brother was around made the summers a little easier. This time, we were bound for French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts in Hancock, NY. What's funny to me now is that the video we were sent featured an Entertainment Tonight clip about the camp. Who would've thought?
Over the years, French Woods was home to plenty of notable alumni including Jon Favreau, Adam Levine (Maroon5), Zooey Deschanel, and David Blaine. None of this information - had I known who these people were then - could have made my experience any more enjoyable. I was 100% that kid that wrote letters home stating things like, "I hate this place. Come get me. I don't like anyone." Though I made friends with kids in the bunk, I dreaded visiting day because it only meant my parents would leave me there all over again. My homesickness was such that I couldn't wait in those lines to speak to my parents once phone calls were allowed. My brother was given a list of things I wanted him to tell them, and that was it. My communication with anyone was left to letters and the occasional care package.
For three weeks one summer and six weeks the following two summers, I spent most of my time rehearsing for various musicals - Nightmare Before Christmas, Redhead, Starting Here Starting Now (worst crap I've ever heard in my life) - and sitting by a pottery wheel. I ended up with weird craft items like needlepoint pillows, woodcarving names, and leather bracelets I stamped. Though I took my swim test every year, I couldn't bring myself to swim in the lake and usually spent swim activity time sitting on the grassy hill. I rarely went to canteen at night to get junk food and instead chose to return to the bunk and take the longest shower possible while no one was around. Luckily the theatre kids' version of Color War was something called SING, a vocal competition, and the camp had activities like Rock Band concerts and circus performances. While it all sounds fun and completely entertaining to me now, I never ever wanted to go back there by choice.
After three summers are French Woods, I was to return for a six week session all by myself when my brother decided not to go. Figuring I'd rather stay home for the summer heading into 8th grade, I was no longer an overnight camper. When I went to see a bunch of my friends perform in Summer Theatre's "Schoolhouse Rock," the 1998 summer was already decided... And then came Godspell. Oh, the memories.
I often vow to my mom that I will never send my kids away to camp. When you think about it, I went to camp and hated it. I went to school in Miami and moved back. I moved to Los Angeles and returned after a while. I guess it really is true that home will be where the heart is. And where my heart is, is where my parents are.
"Camp is very entertaining, and they say we'll have some run if it stops raining."
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