stars and soldiers

Camp 2010

That was the longest bus ride ever. Even though it was only 8 hours it seemed like forever. Both ways. I slept 2/3 of the time. Overall the thing kinda sucked. We barely did anything, and I didn't get to talk to my friends a lot. Plus everyone was super unenthusiastic about everything. At least the food was good and the white water rafting went well.
To get to this place you drive through this little town that, like the rest of upstate New York is lost in this victorian age. There are quaint general stores, victorian era houses, 50's coin laundry and a more modern pizza place that's has good food. Turning down multiple roads that somehow amidst the simple and lost lifestyle are paved you will find a house. A simple white house, small and affordable, a pool in the back yard that was an endless overgrown field. Right beside this house is a dirt and gravel road and a sign welcoming in a foreign language. That road is the entrance to many of the best and unhappiest times of my life. In the end though those memories never cross my mind as we drive, I just try to remember the words of the song I'm listening to.
The place is quaint. A small amount of land with wooden buildings scattered on the property. I've spent 3 weeks for 8 summers there, and it's like a second home. I know it like the palm of my hand, and love it for the memories I have from multiple summers. But the best thing about this place is that at night, if there aren't any clouds you can see the stars. It's a dark blue black sky, covered in shimmering lights. I'm always reminded my first night. And I can never take my eyes off them. They're so pretty, I often forget how much I really miss seeing them. Cause here you can, just not too well. There's too much light pollution even in this place that isn't the real world. Also during the day there isn't a single airplane. It's lost in time and to the rest of the world.

This weekend was probably the worst time I've ever had there. I got to see my friends, but we didn't really do anything. Stupid talent show, a bonfire where no one sang, the dance; bad music, not enough slow songs, not enough guys dancing. I did get to see D.J. the guy I liked last summer. It made me kinda sad, cause I felt like we never really determined what went on and we never ended it, never said good bye. See he liked me too, but it never got past "Stairway to Heaven" and hugs. Fun times. We didn't get to say goodbye again. He had to catch his bus, back to NY city, but he gave me garlic powder....camp memories.
White water rafting aside from my friends complaining was fun. Pretty much we just floated down a river. We jumped off so many times even though we were told not to. The water was refreshing and clear. Big fish dodged our raft as we passed by. Giant cliffs with hanging trees and dragonflies.

We also wrote letters to soldiers. It took me forever to get started. I didn't really know what to write, so I wrote about the stars there. And what they looked like. I kinda hope they write back.

The weekend passed pretty quickly and I was glad to leave. Right now I don't want to bother with camp and that world. I want to focus on high school and that life. It's fun but complicated, being american and ukrainian. Two worlds that can barely overlap. It's strange...