The Campers Have Arrived!

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day for the first day of camp.  The sun was shining, the temperature was comfortable, and shortly after lunch camp was filled with smiling faces and excited voices.  The campers were finally here!  Shouts of joy rose from the waiting counselors as the buses made the turn off of Buckatabon Road and into camp.  Campers old and new exited the buses with huge smiles and quickly found their friends and counselors.  Everyone is excited and looking forward to an amazing summer! 

Naomi Z. (Nivonim):  It's really exciting to be at camp, on the Givah (the Hill) for the first time and going into the cabins because it's been building up all the years we've been campers.

Sophie (Nivonim):  The school year went really fast this year but we're all really excited to be home. 

Ben Davis (Rosh Nivonim): It's very exciting to have all the campers here.  We've been preparing for a long time and we're just really happy that they're finally here and we can get the summer started together.

Julia S. (Nivonim):  I'm really excited to be back at camp.  I don't know what to expect, but I'm sure it will be really fun and amazing. 

Cheryl O. (Nivonim):  I'm really excited to be back at camp because it's been a really long year and I need to be back with my best friends and just relax and have a really awesome summer.

David Werner (Music Staff, living with Garinim):  I'm really excited the campers are here.  I've had a great chance to get to know all of them and meet them and see who they really are. 

Daniel S. (Garinim): Camp is a lot of fun.  I've been waiting for it since February.  I've been waiting for this.  I've been very excited.  I really like the people here.

Adam G. (Solelim):  Camp is awesome.  The counselors are really nice. 

Danny K. (Solelim):  Camp is awesome because you get to make new friends and do a lot of stuff that you like.

Joel A. (Solelim):  I love this camp.  We're just making our beds right now and I hope to make lots of new friends this year. 

Jonah Newman (Senior Counselor, Solelim):  Camp is so much more exciting and interesting and I feel like the summer has finally started now that the campers are here.  It's great.

Ari B. (Solelim):  So far for the couple hours I've been here camp is awesome.  We have an awesome cabin.  All my friends are here and I'm having a great time. 

Benji F. (Bogrim):  We just got to camp and we're unloading but it already seems like it's going to be a fun summer.

Paul S. (Shoafim):  I'm really really excited about the new bathroom. 

Benji F. (Shoafim):  I agree that the bathrooms are really nice.  I also really like the atmosphere and all my cabinmates.

Danny Robinson (Sports Staff, living with Shoafim):  This is my first year on staff and I'm really excited to see all the campers and I'm looking forward to having a great summer with them. 

Jonathan Z. (Tikvah):  My favorite part of camp last year was just hanging out with my friends and doing cool stuff, like sports and swimming.  I'm looking forward to doing a lot of stuff this year for my second year.

Daniel Olson (Junior Counselor, Tikvah):  During staff week there's a lot of talking about what camp will be like but it feels empty because none of the people and none of the programs that we're talking about are happening in camp.  Now that the campers are getting here it finally feels full.  All the hard work we've put in during staff week is finally being implemented and executed every day.

Emile K. (Machon):  Camp is awesome.

Aaron S. (Machon):  I like everything about camp. 

Eli Temkin (Senior Counselor, Machon):  It's so exciting to see the campers finally get here.  We've been preparing for this.  Seeing everybody come off the bus and into the cabins, we just can't wait for the summer.

Sarah S. (Solelim): Camp is really fun and I was really excited to come back this year. 

Rachel K. (Solelim):  Camp is awesome and I'm glad that I was able to come back this year.

Abbie S. (Shoafim):  So far camp has been really fun.  The bus ride was fun and my cabin is really great and I think it's going to be a really great summer. 

Rachel B. (Shoafim):  I really think camp is fun and I really love my cabin and I think it's going to be a great summer.

Elana K. (Shoafim):  I think camp has already been fun.  Our cabin is really nice and I'm with a lot of great friends and the summer's going to be really awesome.

Abby Drazner (Tikvah Vocational Staff, living with Shoafim):  I'm really excited that the campers are finally here because camp is really empty and boring without them.  I can't wait for a great summer.

 Stephanie B. (Bogrim):  I've only been at camp for like two hours and I already love unpacking.

Lauren P (Bogrim):  I love Ramah because it's like a family.

Kayla S. (Bogrim):  We just got here a few hours ago and it's so much fun unpacking with everyone and getting to see everyone again.

Hannah G. (Machon):  I love seeing everyone that I haven't seen for a year and catching up with old friends and looking forward to an exciting summer.

Talia K. (Senior Counselor, Tikvah):  We've been waiting all day for our campers to arrive and finally they're here.  It's really exciting and we can't wait for the summer to get started to be able to do all the amazing programs and activities that we have planned for them.