For the past five years I have grown to love, not a person, but a place very near and dear to my heart. This is a place I have shared with my best friends, support system, family and many many little sisters. I have countless memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. My mother led me here with stories of her time spent enjoying summer on the lake and making lifelong friends. It sounds so cliche but the quote “From the outside looking in, you can never understand it. From the inside looking out, you can never explain it” describes it to a T. Looking back, never in my wildest dreams, did I expect this place to mean so much to me. Yet here I am, five years later, home from camp thinking of the millions of ways vega has impacted my life. The motto is “the most exciting thing a girl will find at vega is herself” and I find that more and more true each day.
It would be an injustice if I said I only found myself there… I found so much more. I learned to appreciate the beauty and wonder the outdoors has to offer. I made the most incredible friends from all around the world. I took on new responsibilities and quickly realized how much I’m capable of. I met hundreds of bright young girls and watched as they grew into beautiful young women. I worked along side some of the most inspiring people I have ever met. I went to surprising heights (literally) to be there and only cried a little. I’ve had my patience tested, my limits pushed, and my boundaries broken. I learned to love and wore my heart on my sleeve. I did it all and I’m so happy that I did. Without it, I know for certain I wouldn’t be the person that I am today.
Hold on, to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
And although this wave is stringing us along
Just know you’re not alone
‘Cause I’m going to make this place your home
Settle down, it’ll all be clear
Don’t pay no mind to the demons
They fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down
If you get lost, you can always be found
Just know you’re not alone
‘Cause I’m going to make this place your home
Phillip Phillips
This song, every single time I hear it, makes me feel like I’m back there. I can picture each of the bunks, the waterfront, the dirt road. I can smell the fresh grass and pine trees. I hear the sweet echo of the lake below. No matter what life deals us, we always have this special place to call our home and that to me is magical.
Five summers ago I was given a bunk of 11 girls, around 12 years old. Little did I know I’d be back with them every year after that. I was beyond lucky enough to spend their final summer with them as their counselor and make it the best yet. That year I had 39 girls in my bunk along with 3 outstanding co-counselors. Those 39 young ladies are what made camp so special to me, so to say they have my heart is the understatement of the century. I will forever be indebted to them for all the love and happiness they have given me over the years.
Coming back for my first year apart from them, was unbearable at first. It’s difficult to imagine summers without them near. I was reminded quickly how incredible each and every camper is, and they surprised me with another unforgettable summer. I saw girls stretch beyond their comfort zones, make new friends, achieve goals that seemed previously out of reach, push their limits and watched as their personalities came to life. Having the privilege to see all of that each summer is a true gift that I treasure dearly. I’m not quite sure how to describe it other than say it is the most rewarding feeling in the world.
I consider myself quite lucky to call a place such as vega, my home. A home where I feel prettiest in jeans, a white t-shirt and no makeup. Where I work 24/7 everyday but never once thought of it as ‘work’. Where I feel most comfortable in my own skin, and don’t need to change a thing to be accepted. It is without a doubt my favorite place in the world, and I’m so lucky to have it.
So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you vega for all the lessons and blessings you have given me over the years. Thank you for irreplaceable best friends from near and far that I know I’ll have for many years to come. Thanks for trusting me to teach hundreds of young girls how to cook and feel confident in their abilities. (I haven’t burnt the building down yet!) Thank you for giving me the most extraordinary group of girls to look after, they are the reason I fell so in love with camp and for that I can never repay them. Thanks for giving me this home where I am my happiest self. And most of all thank you to every staff member, department head, group leader and every single camper who has ever stepped foot past the vega gates. Without you vega simply would not be the same magical place we all hold so dearly, you make it the wondrous utopia that is is.
I titled this ‘a love letter’ because that’s really what it is to me, a letter expressing my strong love for a place that means the absolute world to me. The ordinary world can never come close to the truly extraordinary world that you always have been and will continue to be. Vega, you are a true paradise. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love you. Goodnight. XOXO
simply kelly 