Jeanne: Day 7 (Tamarack Farm, Vermont 2018)

These last few days have been my favorite and also my least favorite of camp.

My favorite because of the fabulous and incredible people of color (POC) support group meetings and finally feeling like I fit in with my own people. As a black person in a very white space, I felt alienated most of the time here. But, after the POC support groups, I found it easier to make friends with teens of color and build a community with my friends at camp. From our boisterous chants to just laughing about the dumbest things and finding ways to laugh about the injustice in our world. I’ve finally stared to love it here.

These last few days have also been my LEAST favorite because I’ve gotten sick. Last night was prom night and I wasn’t sure I was going, I felt horrible and weak. when I told my friend I was thinking about skipping prom, he shut me down so fast, and demanded that I go. like I said, I wasn’t sure but I agreed to try. I didn’t have the medicine I would usually take for my cold, but I figured some rest would make it better. so I got some! After my nap, I was feeling a little better; but not quite prom material better. You can imagine my surprise when I came back from my cabin to the farmhouse and was almost swarmed with people offering me tea, apple cider vinegar, cough drops and “anything else”. My friend had told people how sick I was, and now I was being offered remedies. I’ve never felt like I belonged somewhere more, and the people who were offering me medicine weren’t even necessarily my friends! Just campers who wanted me to experience camp to my best. I ended up having a great time at prom and dancing my heart away. I finally realized what people meant when describing NBTSC as a community for unschooling teens. I’m making plans to meet my friends again and camp isn’t even over yet. As a first year camper, I can definitely say that it takes time and willingness to go outside of your shell, but once you’ve found your camp family, it’s so worth it.