Interview with dani |
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LODGE |
As I had time to reflect on camp, I started to think about all of the places and things that make camp so special. I thought back to my favorite camper summers and immediately knew that I wanted to focus on the lodge. The lodge is a large building set up like a one-floor dormitory. Four to six campers live in individual bedrooms and counselors have their own rooms. Lodge one, girls going into ninth grade, live in one hallway and lodge two, girls going into tenth grade, live in the other. The two hallways are united by a giant living room perfectly designed to be the best hangout spot.
This past summer, I was lucky enough to be a counselor for lodge one. I could go on for days about how much I love the lodge, but I decided to interview my spirited camper, Dani, about her experience in the lodge and camp. Since Dani lives in Syosset, NY, I conducted my interview with her via videochat on a Tuesday night.
Rachel: What does it mean to be a lodge girl?
Dani: We get to lead the whole camp in cheers and it is very special because we get to learn so much more about camp like All Lodge Girls*, cheers, and alma maters. When you are in lodge one, you become so much closer with the girls a year older than you because you get to live with them for the first time. It’s so nice making twenty new friends six summers into camp.
*All Lodge Girls is a cheer that you learn in the lodge. It is sung at the speed of light and sounds like complete gibberish to anyone who has never been in the lodge before. Whenever the lodge girls cheer it in the dining hall, the whole camp goes silent to watch. Younger female campers cannot wait to learn the mystery of the lyrics of All Lodge Girls.
What were your feelings towards the lodge girls when you were younger?
I looked up to them and they were like role models to me. I always dreamed about the day that I could be in their shoes.
Now that you are finally a lodge girl, how does it feel?
It feels amazing. I feel so much closer with my division and the girls a year older. I can’t wait to become closer with the girls a year younger.
What is the one thing that you love the most about being in the lodge?
Probably getting to lead all of the cheers in Jack D. Gordon. I feel really important because we are the spirit behind all of camp.
Do you feel like your friendships grew in the lodge?
Yes, definitely. For the first time in my six years at camp, my whole division lived in the same building. We constantly stayed up late to hang out. Since we have the living room as a common area, we can all be together instead of squeezing onto a twin size bed like previous years.
How does your relationship with camp friends compare to home friends?
With my camp friends, I can literally be myself. I do not care what I look like around them. I can tell them anything and they do not judge. They just listen and try to help me out. Since I live with them for two months, it’s hard to be someone I’m not.
How do you describe camp to other people?
It’s so hard for people to understand. I describe it like a perfect place where you can be whoever you want to be with a sense of the ridiculous, no judgment, and you get to spend every day with your best friends in the whole world.
What makes Wah-Nee different from the other camps?
At Wah-Nee, we are a family. Everyone knows everyone. Everyone is so close, warm, and welcoming.
Why is camp your favorite place in the world?
What’s not to love? I just love everything. We make every activity fun and get so hyped up for everything. My best friends are there and I could not imagine my life without Wah-Nee.
After interviewing Dani, we discussed the differences and commonalities between my lodge experience and hers. It was so cool to see how deeply rooted the lodge is in traditions and how not much changes year to year. I am so grateful that I will be able to live in the lodge for the fourth time this upcoming summer.
This past summer, I was lucky enough to be a counselor for lodge one. I could go on for days about how much I love the lodge, but I decided to interview my spirited camper, Dani, about her experience in the lodge and camp. Since Dani lives in Syosset, NY, I conducted my interview with her via videochat on a Tuesday night.
Rachel: What does it mean to be a lodge girl?
Dani: We get to lead the whole camp in cheers and it is very special because we get to learn so much more about camp like All Lodge Girls*, cheers, and alma maters. When you are in lodge one, you become so much closer with the girls a year older than you because you get to live with them for the first time. It’s so nice making twenty new friends six summers into camp.
*All Lodge Girls is a cheer that you learn in the lodge. It is sung at the speed of light and sounds like complete gibberish to anyone who has never been in the lodge before. Whenever the lodge girls cheer it in the dining hall, the whole camp goes silent to watch. Younger female campers cannot wait to learn the mystery of the lyrics of All Lodge Girls.
What were your feelings towards the lodge girls when you were younger?
I looked up to them and they were like role models to me. I always dreamed about the day that I could be in their shoes.
Now that you are finally a lodge girl, how does it feel?
It feels amazing. I feel so much closer with my division and the girls a year older. I can’t wait to become closer with the girls a year younger.
What is the one thing that you love the most about being in the lodge?
Probably getting to lead all of the cheers in Jack D. Gordon. I feel really important because we are the spirit behind all of camp.
Do you feel like your friendships grew in the lodge?
Yes, definitely. For the first time in my six years at camp, my whole division lived in the same building. We constantly stayed up late to hang out. Since we have the living room as a common area, we can all be together instead of squeezing onto a twin size bed like previous years.
How does your relationship with camp friends compare to home friends?
With my camp friends, I can literally be myself. I do not care what I look like around them. I can tell them anything and they do not judge. They just listen and try to help me out. Since I live with them for two months, it’s hard to be someone I’m not.
How do you describe camp to other people?
It’s so hard for people to understand. I describe it like a perfect place where you can be whoever you want to be with a sense of the ridiculous, no judgment, and you get to spend every day with your best friends in the whole world.
What makes Wah-Nee different from the other camps?
At Wah-Nee, we are a family. Everyone knows everyone. Everyone is so close, warm, and welcoming.
Why is camp your favorite place in the world?
What’s not to love? I just love everything. We make every activity fun and get so hyped up for everything. My best friends are there and I could not imagine my life without Wah-Nee.
After interviewing Dani, we discussed the differences and commonalities between my lodge experience and hers. It was so cool to see how deeply rooted the lodge is in traditions and how not much changes year to year. I am so grateful that I will be able to live in the lodge for the fourth time this upcoming summer.