This morning I was woken up by Syd and Syrus, I don’t remember what song they were playing. It rained last night, I went to bed slightly later then I wanted to, but the sound of the rain on the roof put me to sleep quickly and I don’t envy the people that slept in the field or Frida’s. Today is twin day! I’ve never had a twin before, seems strange considering this is my sixth session of NBTSC, but this year me and Graham decided to twin, we talked about it last night after the talent show because I realized we had similar pants. As I got dressed in my twin attire I chatted with my cabin mates, it was nice, I liked it!
After I got ready I walked down to the lodge and got myself some breakfast, eggs, potatoes, and oatmeal, my usual. I can’t help but be excited for breakfast tomorrow (we’re having pancakes!!). I ate on the porch of the cozy lodge in front of the one and only hammock, the lack of them makes me miss Oregon. Me, Owen, Oscar, Oona, Graham, and Juno all ate our food together, Juno is leaving today, I feel sad that I didn’t talk with them more. Tom walked in and out of the conversation and at some point Owen left to do dishes. The rest of us finish eating and talk some more, after a while mostly everyone but me and Oona have left.
The “bell” rings and me and Oona go inside to do our dishes before we check in and go to morning meeting. I’m checked in and sit beside my twin, Oscar sits behind me. Oona sits in front of me and asks me to, “Do something with my hair so it’s less… this”. I braid it as Brenna explains what’s going on today. I finish braiding Oona’s hair and lean back on Oscar as Oona lays on me, we stay like that for the rest of the meeting. (Camper) Will rips out Christian’s… heart? I think? He now knows the hug number, it’s five.
My hugs are given and the meeting is over, me and Oscar go upstairs to the library to look for Juno. No one’s sitting on the couch and Juno isn’t there yet, we sit down and wait for our advisee to start. People begin to trickle in and Owen sits on the couch (Tom) next to me. Phaedrus walks in holding a pitcher, he shakes it and I hear the sound of utensils hitting each other, the strange bulge in his jacket doesn’t lessen my curiosity. My attention is redirected as we start taking our covid tests before everyone is here, my nose hurts. We start our check ins, I listen to everyone talk, people are excited for Bonding Night, I’m excited too.
Everyone’s checked in, (Staffer) Will says Phaedrus has a treat for us. He takes a very large container of Nutella out from his jacket, the pitcher is filled with spoons, each of us are allowed one spoonful. The mystery is solved! Everyone gets a scoop and we sit back down, Will asks Syd to talk about being a junior staffer, I listen closely. My spoon is clean and I am happy, Syd tells us some gossip from her work, everyone laughs, so do I. We have a few minutes left of advisee time, Will tells us to stand in a circle, we put our hands in, and then take them out, in again, we shake it out. Other hand now, I feel silly, take it out, but my smile is wide, back in and shake it out. I think it’s over, right foot in, I’m giggling now, right foot out, right foot in and we shake it out. Left foot in, out, in and shake it out. Advisee is over now, I’m looking forward to tomorrows.
I start walking down to the lake, it’s swim time (I’m lifeguarding), I realize I’m not wearing “sit by the lake” clothes, I don’t care enough to walk back up the hill to my cabin. I set my things down on the dock next to the guard chair, I notice a boat with two people fishing across the lake. I walk to the building where the lifeguard things are stored and I get everything I need, and walk back, I sit down on the dock, no one’s here yet, I go on my phone for a while.
Brenna walks onto the dock, we wait for a minute and soon we hear the sounds of people coming down the hill, I get worried there will be a lot of people swimming, they’re all shouting something about a duck quest, it’s a workshop called Duck Quest, I think they’re trying to find ducks, I feel relieved. Christian walks down and goes into the building with the lifeguarding stuff, Owen and Oona walk onto the dock, they’re going to swim, I feel sad I can’t join them.
Christian comes back and I realize I don’t need to lifeguard if Christian’s there, I’m excited as I start the walk back to my cabin. I change into my swimsuit, it’s still wet from going in the lake yesterday, I don’t care. I walk back down and jump into the water without hesitation, I am engulfed by the cold water around me, I let the water take me back to the surface. We swim for the remainder of the workshop slot, it was so much fun, I look forward to lake day tomorrow.
Brenna tells us it’s time to get out and we do, Owen, Oona, and I agree to shower together, I dry off as best as I can before wrapping my towel around me, we start walking back up to the rest of camp. We talk the whole way up, we go to my cabin before we go to the showers, I get my soap and clothes and we head back down. We start planning a trip to Japan that will probably never happen, but it’s worthwhile to think about it now. It’s superhero time so we give them sometime to clean them before we get in, we sit on at a picnic table in the sun while we wait, talking and laughing is done as we do.
It’s been long enough and we go shower, the water is only barely warmer than the lake, it’s not saying much, I have yet to have a single warm shower in Vermont, I’m not sure if I ever will. I start singing a song to get through the cold, Owen and Oona laugh at me and I laugh with them. Our showers are done and I start heading back to my cabin to hang up my towel and swimsuit, I feel free and fulfilled, swimming does that to me, so does spending time with my friends. The walk is nice, it always is, at night it’s less nice but there’s only so much a phone flashlight can do about that. Leo is sitting on his bunk and him and Charlotte are talking, I greet them both, the lunch bell rings and Charlotte leaves, I want to talk to her more. I hang up my wet things and gather my things, Leo and I chat as I do, he seems cool, I say goodbye and head down to get myself some lunch.
I spy Teagan eating in the field and they tell me we’re having leftovers, I’m looking forward to lunch. I get myself a plate, Pearl gives me the very last of the macaroni and cheese, I’m grateful. I sit down next to Charlotte in the lodge, I almost forgot about Bonding Night committee and go to the cozy lodge instead. It’s not too late as they’re just getting started, Oona walks in slightly after I do, we eat and plan. Lunch is quickly over and we dip slightly into siesta before we fully end the meeting, I don’t mind much.
I bus my dish and head to my cabin, with how many times I do this walk everyday I’m surprised it doesn’t feel longer each time. I put my things down on the floor of my cabin and start writing this very blog, I wanted to get as much done as possible before the bell rang. I had barely finished the first two paragraphs before the bell rang… I didn’t let that stop me. I left my cabin and went back down to the rest of camp, I had forgotten to take a name out of the Fairy Godparent bowl so I did that then. The first piece of paper I had picked up was my own, I found that funny. I drew someone else’s name after that, I’m very happy I got who I did!
I wanted to go to a workshop called Sitting in silence, I went up to the library and I think I was the only one in attendance. Owen sat beside me on the couch for a while, I was grateful for the company, I started writing about my day in this blog. I don’t remember how long I sat there for, must’ve been something close to an hour, I got a lot done.
At about five thirty I got up and went to the kitchen, I still needed to get my worktrade hours in. I put on my apron and washed my hands and I started cracking four dozen eggs for breakfast tomorrow morning, I then learned we were actually having cinnamon rolls for breakfast and not pancakes. As a lover of cinnamon I’m not beat up about it in the slightest! We had shepherds pie for dinner, I ate in the kitchen, I made Caitlin White do a jig for seconds, it was a good jig. I stayed in the kitchen until well after dinner, I helped put everything away and didn’t leave until the check in bell rang. I took off my apron and washed my hands and got checked in.
I sat down next to Oscar and Graham, Owen joined us. The meeting started and I cuddled up with Graham, Bonding Night committee was called up to talk about the event, Syrus and Oona did a good job with it. The meeting was quickly over and hugs were given out, then it was time to start setting up for Bonding Night, I started ushering the people still in the lodge outside. We started moving the benches into place, Vinny helped, Syrus and I started sweeping. Oona found some waterfall string lights and we started untangling them, after we got them untangled and put up and plugged it we realized it was too bright, I unplugged them. We went over the plan for the event and then it was time to actually start it.
The bell was rung and we started to circle up in the field, it took a bit for everyone to move over from the front porch of the lodge. Syrus and Rowen gave out hand sanitizer and then it was time to sing, we invited the culminators into the middle with the committee to sing.
“You are my family and you are healing me, you are my family and you are healing me,
you are my people, so be as one, be as one, you are my people, so be as one, be as one,”
We repeated it a few times before spreading out into the circle, everyone joined hands and Zoë began to spiral us into the lodge. I regret not learning how to do it from them, I hope I’ll get another chance to. Still singing, everyone slowly filled the lodge, the spiral slowly stopped moving as everyone found their spots against the benches we had set up earlier. Everyone stood for moment as we sung a few more rounds of the song, Zoë stopped us and welcomed everyone to Bonding Night, she then turned it over to Kiran.
Kiran led the eye contact and question portion, Beatrice played a piano note to signal when it was time to open and close our eyes. I was partnered with Charlotte for the first round, thirty seconds of eye contact go by and I take in her face, I know she’ll go far here. The piano is played and we are asked the first question,
“How have you changed?” I answer first, a minute goes by and the piano is played, Charlotte answers, I admire her. The piano is played again and we switch partners, I am now with Oona. Thirty seconds of eye contact, Beatrice plays the piano.
“What are you scared to confront?” I go first again, once again a minute goes by and the piano is played, Oona talks and I listen, another minute passes and we are told to switch partners again. I am with Zoë, thirty seconds of eye contact, I wonder how much her face has changed since we first met, piano, question.
“What in life is beautiful to you?” Zoë wants me to answer first, I say music without much thought, piano, I agree with everything Zoë says. The piano is played and again we all switch partners. I am with Sophie, they’re in my advisee, eye contact, I notice how much they look like Eliza, piano, question,
“What is something you would like to accomplish?” I go first, a minute, piano, Sophie talks, they remind me of myself, piano, we circle back up around the room this time.
Syrus leads us in You statements, the idea of them is to say something to someone else that you would like to be said to you. Syrus starts us off and we slowly join hands as we move around the circle, I don’t remember what I said. It’s over quickly and we move onto the final part of Bonding Night, Unconditional Love. (Staffer) Will splits the room and soon I stand with everyone else spread out in the room with my eyes closed and we wait, I am hugged again and again and I feel so glad to be here, I feel that way every year. Soon we switch rolls with the other side of the room, I hug everyone at least once, I am even more glad to be here. Soon that part is over too, I close the event, a round of snaps is started and is soon ended as everyone disperses through the lodge.
This is why Bonding Night is my favorite event at camp, you connect with people, fellow campers and also staff you might not have gotten the chance to before. Everyone understands that we are in this place together, you are allowed to love plentifully and that love is returned to you. Anonymously you wait and touch someone to ask silent permission, if you get a yes you give them a hug and say nothing, no small talk, no deep conversation, just physical connection, it will be over before you know it.
I spend the rest of my night with Oscar and Owen, we drift between groups of people and soon we sit in Frida’s. I am whole. We decide to sleep there all together after Solomon and Zachcome to set up their own bedding. We gather up ours separately and then settle into bed, it is an easy night, I am sure I won’t envy my cabin mates in the morning.
My name is Paige, or Ben, or Geode, I am sixteen and I use any pronouns, this was my first time writing the blog! I’ve been coming to camp since 2022, my first session being in Oregon, this is my sixth session and second time at the Vermont session of camp. I saved my introduction for last as it felt less important than time spent at camp, I hold a deep love for NBTSC, I hope that is reflected in my writing <3
