Meet Rachel
A Day in the Life of Teenside
with Rachel, a typical 3-year camper
Rise and shine!
The five campers in Rachel’s cabin wake and stretch. Rina, their counselor, waits outside to accompany them to the dining room. Breakfast starts at 8:15am.
Breakfast
Rachel and her friends eat breakfast at their round table, where chocolate pancakes await so they can serve themselves. Rachel goes over to the Breakfast Bar for oatmeal, her favorite alternative, available every morning. Before the meal, the whole room says the motzei blessing, and afterwards the bierkat blessing, just like for every meal. When Rachel came to SLC three years ago for the first time, she learned the words, and now she even sometimes finds herself saying them at home.
Morning Activities
After breakfast, everyone heads back to their cabins for cleanup and to get ready for the day. Rachel and her friends grab their water bottles and closed-toe shoes and towels. First up is Soccer, where the new Soccer coach has her group playing in a scrimmage. Then Arts & Crafts, where she’s glazing a pinch pot that was fired in the kiln last night. Her third activity of the morning is Instructional Swim. Rachel is going to take the American Red Cross Lifeguarding class next summer, so she’s really working on her swim skills.
Lunch
The Waterfront Director makes sure to end swim with enough time for the girls to head back up to their cabins to change out of their suits before lunch. Today’s lunch is pizza with Caesar salad, everyone’s favorite. Rachel and her friends love to try out different toppings for their pizza. Today it’s black olives and hot sauce. The salad bar always has great options for the campers to choose from. Fresh mixed greens, assorted vegetables, tofu, beans, sundried tomatoes and all the dressings you could want! Lunch ends with ice cream sandwiches for dessert, and of course the bierkat blessing.
Rest and Relax
After lunch, it’s back up to the unit for some down time, called hafsakah. Rachel hangs out in her bunk and plays cards. One of her bunkmates practices her guitar, another rehearses her song for the All Camp Show, and another heads to the street hockey rink for practice with her team; they’ve got an inter-camp tournament coming up. She’s a little hungry again after all of that time on the rink, so she runs into the dining room to grab an apple to snack on. There’s always fresh fruit available in the dining room.
Afternoon Activities
At 3pm, it’s back down from their cabins, ready for an exciting afternoon. Rachel’s group has Boating where she can’t wait to try her new skills on a Stand-up Paddleboard, and then General Swim to cool down in the lake with her “sibling” unit. Luckily there’s a snack in between those activities because she’s working up an appetite from all this fun she’s having. When it’s all over, there’s time for a shower so she can clean up from the day and get ready for tonight’s activities.
Dinner
6:15pm finds Rachel and her counselor and group-mates enjoying roasted chicken & potatoes with a side of asparagus, one of her favorite camp meals. She makes a big salad at the Salad Bar, too, where she loves the different options always available.
Evening Activity
Tonight’s evening activity is one that she and her friends can’t wait for: a Teenside Scavenger hunt, where the winning group gets an Ice Cream party at the canteen. The kids have been talking about it all day and are really hoping they win! They run all over Teenside, gathering their items as fast as they can. Finally, all of Teenside gathers on the Basketball Court (where counselors make sure everyone is accounted for) to find out the winner. Not Rachel’s group this time, but they came close!
Open Curfew
It’s 8:30pm and time for Open Curfew, a Teenside privilege. She and her friends love the downtime and the chance to hang out with their friends from other units, play basketball, listen to music and just chill. Rachel knows that if she needs a counselor they are posted all over Teenside. But she’s too busy having fun, laughing, singing and talking about the trip they’re taking out of camp tomorrow. Rachel is looking forward to her first time going to Lake Compounce and riding their roller coasters! The oldest Mainside campers, the Seniors Unit, will take this trip with them so that everyone starts to get to know each other before the Seniors join Teenside next summer.
Cabin Time and Lights Out
At 9:30pm, Rachel and the others head back up to their cabin to wind down for the day. She thinks she might get to read a few pages of the book her parents just sent her in a care package, but she’s too busy chatting and getting ready for bed. Lights out at 10:30pm! Rachel falls asleep moments later, already dreaming of tomorrow.
Journey Over to Mainside
Experience a Day in the Life of first-time camper, Nathan.
