This essay written by a soon-to-be second year camper pretty much says it all. Enjoy:

Imagine you’re looking through a window. What do you see, and why is it meaningful to you?

It’s early August 2014, one of my last days at Kingswood Camp for Boys in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. I’m looking out the window from the game room building. From here I can see a panorama of the waterfront, the beautiful crystal-clear lake, the dive tower, the mess hall, boys playing Frisbee on the field, the sleeping cabins, mountains in the distance, and more. It’s a great view on what has been a great summer. There is nothing that I see in any direction that does not remind me of something that I enjoy. The game room is bathed in natural light and I feel happy thinking back on my time at Kingswood.

I am reminded of how much I enjoy playing outside in a beautiful setting and being with a community of boys who love to do the same thing. Although I love technology, it was great to be living out in nature and not tied to electronics for a few weeks. I can see the fields where there were plenty of sports and games going on every day, including many games with rules invented at Kingswood. I loved getting to play hard for hours, including some sports like soccer that I don’t usually love. If I squint, I can get a glimpse of the baseball field in the distance where I remember earning a three-hit game. And I can see up into the White Mountains, which reminds me of some beautiful and challenging hikes. Across the lake, I can also see a faint white line along the shore, which is a rope swing. I remember the day we took a trip there and the joy of swinging out into the water.

I am reminded of the new things I tried and the skills I learned. When I look out at the lake, I think of trying both sailing and waterskiing for the first time. I was able to gain certifications in both. When I first tried waterskiing, I could not even get up on the skis! But after a couple of days more effort I was able to do it. And by Friday of that week I was certified! I can also see a spot out on the lake where I got stuck against a fallen tree branch in a “plyak” with my friends. I was able to park the plyak and walk out onto the branch without falling in. I can also see where the life jackets are stored and I can see the cleats on the wall. This reminds me of how I learned to tie a “cleat knot” in my sailing class, something I had never done before (I didn’t even know what a cleat was). I can see people in sail boats capsizing on the lake, which reminds me of how I learned to recover from capsizing – a useful skill to have when the time comes! Looking out at my cabin where I slept each night, I can hear morning reveille that wakes up the boys who want to take the polar bear plunge. Maybe the skill of liking very cold water is one I’ll pick up next summer!

I am reminded of the good feelings I had when something I did or something about me as a person was recognized in a positive way. I can see into the mess hall where flags from countries all over the world are hung from the ceiling. Since I was going to be the first camper born in Vietnam at Kingswood, the camp director added a flag from Vietnam before I arrived to make me feel welcome. That was a very kind gesture of inclusion. Seeing into the mess hall also reminds me of the two times I received “kudos,” which are given out at meals. One time was for a play I made in baseball. The other time was when a counselor named Spanky accidentally hit me in the ankle with a pitch and I shook it off with good humor. Spanky spoke up in the mess hall later that day and gave me kudos for being “tough as nails.”

I am reminded that when I arrived at Kingswood less than three weeks ago, I knew only two people and everyone else here was a stranger to me. Now, I know every single person in my age group and many counselors I see out this window. This experience has given me confidence that I can enter a new environment and make friends. I think that starting at a new school will be a similar experience. I feel confident that I would be able to fit in and be part of a new community.