Its a hard thing to convey to people and even harder to believe it when they say they understand. I talk about camp a lot (some may say this is a massive understatement) but there's a reason. Tucked away in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, the Town of Becket plays host to a community that is at once global and local. Many of us have lived and/or traveled with each other to distant places. We stay in one others' homes where they and/or their parents and relatives take us in as surrogate family/children, making us feel at home because they know it will be reciprocated when they visit us. We crave spending time with each other, whether to hear about one anothers day, a good travel story, singing or simply sit quietly in each others presence while doing our own thing. Being together flexes a certain part of my heart reserved for my camp friends. Having worked at a camp like BCCYMCA, we know the value of teamwork, we are (in most cases) aware of our strengths and where we can improve and each adventure is not left for one person to plan and no job is done without the support of another. For many, we feel our second home is in the Berkshires, a physical place for us to get together, but in reality, we are each others' second home, spread around the world and waiting to welcome each other home.
These are a few images from when my Kiwi camp friends and I visited Australian and USA camp friends living in Merimbula, Australia. Most of us met at Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA in Becket, Massachusetts, USA.
