Laila B., Oakwood High School
Home
April 30th, 2020. 7 weeks since school shut down. I am sitting at my makeshift online school space compiling an essay about an event that changed my life forever; writing about my home-away-from-home. Goldman Union Camp Institute (GUCI), a four-week Jewish summer camp, the one that makes me feel safe - happy - and the home of life long memories, friendships, and connections with my siblings. I have gone to GUCI for five years, and even though I am only there for one month each year, the memories I create positively influence my life year-round. However, I had no clue what would walk in that door in fifteen minutes.
As I read over my work, my mom approaches and says with a quivering voice, “Camp is cancelled.”
“What?” I respond in a heart-broken whisper. I felt myself tremble like one of the leaves I heard rustling through the wind outside my window, trying to hold its place.
Near the beginning of the pandemic, I had a feeling that camp would be canceled - I knew it would not be safe. However, hope deluded me, imagining the crunch of the gravel as the heavy tires rolled over the path on opening day, staying up all night talking, hugging, crying, and laughing with my best friends, or hearing all of camp’s voices harmonize as they sing “Happy Birthday” to me each summer. No - none of that will happen.
It’s over, I thought. Accepting the reality took days as I spent hours mourning the loss over facetime with my camp friends.
Then one day, I saw a quote that changed my perspective: “Every time you look back, you miss an opportunity.” So, I decided to make the best of the situation. Even though GUCI and other events were cancelled, new ones were created due to the pandemic. For example, my school friends threw a virtual birthday party for me and put gifts on my porch. In addition, my family and I participated in the zoom programs GUCI provided. I am able to spend quality time with my siblings and parents, securing more cherished family time;as well as, participate in a summer workout program provided by my school so I am in shape for the field hockey season. Most importantly, I learned how impactful GUCI is in my life. I realized that I have been taking GUCI for granted. Going to summer camp is a privilege and although it is comforting to have a place where I can escape from the daily stresses, I now understand that part of growing up is learning to take care of myself without relying on a mental reset each summer.
Overall, I realized GUCI is not the location, and I can do things year-round to feel that sense of safety with regular facetime calls, putting my mental health first, and participating in Jewish community activities. So, even though I am disappointed by a summer not at GUCI, I learned other ways to connect to my home-away-from-home, at home.
