School starts again in two weeks and I just had the greatest summer of my life. I got a job working at Camp Jordan, a summer camp in Ellsworth. I was the Arts & Crafts director, meaning I made lesson plans and had a staff. I sat outside of my own building every day, making cool stuff with amazing kids. We did abstract art, we wrote songs, and best of all I would get a cast of amazing kids each week for movie class. The movies were hilarious and adorable, starring kids ranging in age from 8-14. They loved coming up with the scripts, choosing the perfect music, having starring roles, setting up the shots. As a Screen Studies major, I could not have asked for a more rewarding job. I made amazing people from all over, including the Czech Republic, Colombia and the U.K. My camp name was Gonzo (no counselors use their real names) and I now respond to that more quickly than I do to Gretchen. I've always had trouble becoming close to people, and I had campers for a week that I absolutely fell in love with. The first week of the summer was the most incredible, because that was Camp Rainbow, a camp for kids and the families of kids who have or had cancer. I met the most inspiring people of my life there, and will surely never forget them. I had three girls from Quebec, all 14, in my cabin for a few weeks (kids can choose how many weeks they'd like to stay out of the six we offer). I absolutely adored the three of them and (not to sound full of myself) they in turn adored me. I never predicted that I'd cry when any of my campers left, but on the day they did the entire cabin was in shambles. Not a single dry eye. I got a letter a week or so later from one of them, saying I was the only counselor she'd ever left crying and that I was like her mom for the three weeks I'd had her. I instantly teared up, with a good combination of sadness and happiness. The other two sent me a joint letter that I received a few weeks later, with a pillow case on which they'd decorated for me and written messages to me. It's strange how the smallest things can mean so much to you. I'll certainly be working there again next summer, and will see all the kids again, which will be wonderful. I see campers around every now and then, and ask to see how their summer's been after camp. It's always the same: "Summer's good, but I miss camp." I constantly ridiculed my roommate last year for being obsessed with camp, but now I understand why. I can honestly say it was the single most rewarding experience of my life, and I'm now a life-long camper. Now that it's over, I have no idea what to do with myself. I sit at home waiting for bells to tell me when to go to meals or change classes. I want to sing the closing song of each night, but no one knows it. So I suppose I'll just leave it here. My friends, I will remember you, think of you, and I'll pray for you. And when another day is through, I'll still be friends with you.