My camp experience.

Four years ago, when I first stepped foot on the woodsy acres of Phantom Lake YMCA camp (PLYC), I had no idea that it would soon become what I consider to be my home. The person that I was before attending camp at Phantom is a total blur to me, and maybe it's better that way, because thanks to my experiences at PLYC, I now know exactly who I am.

The first camp session I went to was between my sixth and seventh grade years. It was an all-girl's week, and man was I nervous. I brought a friend with me, but I was still in an unfamiliar place with people from all walks of earth. I had no idea what to expect. I remember so many specifics from that week of camp, but what I remember most was the drive home. As we made our exit off of the beloved YMCA Camp Road, I found myself in tears. I hadn't realized just how great camp was until I had to leave it behind. If I had any idea how to even begin to describe the feeling you get just being at camp, I would. There's no way to describe the lifelong, trusting friends you meet, or the counselors that become like big brothers and sisters, who promise to have your back forever. I'm not a quiet person, but I honestly think that was the first time I talked for two straight hours. I was so enthusiastic about all the staff members, and the memories of talks that changed my perspective on myself and life in general. I'm not sure if my mom could even keep up with everything that I was telling her, but the statement that I remember saying over and over was, "It was the most amazing thing ever!!"

When I try to explain camp to my friends from home, I almost give up, because in all sincerity, words don't do justice for this camp. I could talk and talk for hours about the staff shows, the meals eaten without forks, cheering so much that you have no voice by the end of the week, the laughs, the tears, and the not-so-restful rest hours, but you wouldn't truly understand unless you experienced this place. If someone had told me before I went to camp that there was a place where you could just be a kid, a place where you are loved by everyone around you just because you're there, or a place where you have the freedom to be whoever you want to be, I wouldn't have believed it. It seems so unreal. Sometimes, I'll be at home looking through pictures or talking to camp friends on the phone, and I have to take a second to try to understand how such a place could exist. But somehow I always manage to stop myself, and instead of trying to comprehend it, I just remind myself how lucky I am to return there over and over again.

Being a camper at PLYC has led me through the craziness of adolescence, and without it I don't know where I would be. Being around the many phenomenal people that work at and attend camp has shaped me into the girl I am now. The same goes for thousands upon thousands of past, present, and future campers, and no matter where any of us end up, we'll always have the Phantom spirit with us. Even if we can't see it or be near it, we all know it's there, and none of us will ever leave it behind.

Kizzy Marco is a camper from Phantom Lake YMCA in Mukwonago, Wisconsin.