Well school is approaching soon and I am feeling a little more prepared than I was. I have all of my supplies and my sexy new shoes. So in that department I am feeling ok.

Emotionally though, I'm not too ready. My heart and head is still stuck at my 2nd home. Crane Lake Camp. After the mandatory skip year following your Olim summer (the oldest unit on camp. Olim 06, a family for life.) You are asked to come back as Machon.

What is Machon you ask? Well, Machon is the hebrew word for institute (or something along those lines), and what is is... is a CIT. A counselor in training for those who were never blessed with the camping experience. What they are: the awkward kids on camp who aren't campers because they are working here, but also aren't counselors because they paid to come. They are not to be touched by any counselor (although we tend to break the rules ) They can't leave camp unless accompanied by 2 senior staff members, nor can they go to town if it is dark. But yet, they outshine the staff in every way possible and make better counselors than the lot of em. Very fascinating creatures indeed.

For the first session of camp, you have positive leadership meetings, set up evening activities for the campers, host a banquet lead a service and a few camp wide activities. But, in all honestly, you sleep a lot. You're in a bunk with all of your friends, and no counselors, you do what you want with your free time. It's mainly sleeping. You don't have to be in your bunks till 1 AM. (Because every night first session is your night off.)

During first session, you also shadow counselors, and bunks. At least once in each unit, then a specialist, then you are allowed to preference two units for the last two shadow days.

In the beginning I detested the idea of having Chaverim. (The 2nd two oldest units on camp. Lover Chav going into 8th grade, and upper Chav going into 9th.) I felt that girls so old didn't really need an extra counselor or two. My first choice was the lowest unit on camp; lower Nitizanim.

But as it all panned out, I was given upper chav, the oldest unit available for Machon to be in. On top of that, two other Machon were in the same bunk as me! That made 6 in bunk counselors all together. But as iffy I was about having girls only two years younger than me I put on a happy face. But as I got to know them, I fell in love with each and every one of them. Each one of them, although they all had their own little quirks (a pathological liar, bipolar disorder, seizures, general awkwardness) I loved each one of them, fully and truly.

I never thought that counselors developed such a connection with their campers. But I truly feel it now. Not only because I have made that connection with my first campers, but now that I am friends with my former counselors who remain staff members today.

I don't just miss Crane Lake because it was my way of getting away from home for 9 weeks, I miss it because it truly becomes your 2nd home. My friends there are a family. And although your Olim summer is supposed to be the best summer of your life, Machon 08 has been a close 2nd.

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."