Scott Sweatman (2004)

Scott Sweatman
Senior
August 20th, 2004 – SJC Session 2

This past week has flown by so fast, as time tends to do when you’re having fun. I guess it’s impossible to turn seconds into minutes and allow us to capture every moment we’ve spent here. This is why I can’t stress how important it is to keep coming back and live every second to the fullest.

I’ve been coming to Sae Jong Camp for 6 years now, and every week seems to go by faster as we reach the end. I do not consider this the ultimate end though. I’d say it is the end of one chapter of my life, and the beginning of a brand new chapter that will have as many opportunities and possibilities as its predecessor. The time I have spent here at Higgins Lake and Camp Westminster have been truly amazing. The relationships I have built and the memories I have made are priceless.

I still remember every cabin, counselor, CIT and crush I’ve ever had here at camp, and every paper plate award I’ve ever received. I remember my first time at SJC all those years ago when Victor was my counselor. I find it amazing how he is now the camp director and I’m here standing before you at my last closing campfire. I look back and don’t know where the time’s gone. I still feel like the same little sixth grader full of excitement every time August rolls around and camp is just a few weeks away.

The slight crash of the waves and the cold air in the morning remind me of camp as much as my first year in identity or being nervous before my first camp dance. I remember playing gotcha hug and watermelon football, and a certain camper desecrating the boy’s greenie one year. I will never forget Adam’s late night endeavors into the lake and Chris’ midnight conversations on andromeda and whatever random astrology information popped into his head. I may be getting a little off topic but my point is that memories made here certainly don’t stay here, they are carried with you long after you leave.

This camp is so much more than we tell our friends about. It is more than a week of learning about the language, the history and modern state of our homeland. It is even more than gaining insight on how to deal with racism, and issues on adoption. This is the place where you make friendships that last a lifetime, and memories that you will never forget. Camp is too meaningful to put into words completely. It is bigger than any of us as individuals and I hope we never forget that.