Camp Woodland Blog
Alumni Tidbits!
We are fortunate to have guest writers contribute to the blog this summer. This Week’s Alumni Tibits comes from Alice Decker Burke. Alice currently lives in Chicago with her family and clerks for a federal Judge. Alice wanted to let parents know if this is your daughter’s first summer or 5th summer, they are having a blast!!!
“I first went to camp when I was ten years old. With ten more summers to follow, that first summer is now a blur of happy memories. I went to camp that first year on recommendation of a girl friend who was returning for her third summer at age ten – so everyone knew her. But she was the only person I knew. An only child, I was terribly worried about whether I would make friends, and whether I could live with other kids. I needn’t have worried. I loved my cabin from the minute I walked in, even though the returning campers groaned that they got hilltop. I loved the bunks – an only child never gets bunks! And there were lots of new kids, all nervous just like me.
And from there, we were off and running. I remember loving riding. I remember the envious sighs that I passed out of swimming in just one session, followed by the giggles that anyone could be as bad as me at tennis. I remember sliding down the hilltop hill in a rainstorm, hilariously muddy. I remember my cabin mates begging for me to eat faster so we could get dessert, so my counselor Rachel drew awesome cartoons to distract everyone while I ate. I remember group groans for woodland wear – the infamous yellow and brown. And I remember my parents coming up at four weeks, and asking if I wanted to stay the last three (yep, I’m old enough that I was in the seven-week generation). Did I want to stay? Who wouldn’t want to stay? And stay I did. For year after happy year thereafter. “