As an extra part of this site I thought I would write a short bit about what Jened means to me. The reason I made this site was to share my love and enthusiasm of camp with... everyone. So I think it makes sense to say how I feel aswell.

As any of you who know me can testify: I love Camp Jened. And no matter how tough the going gets; no matter how exhausted I am; no matter how many times I screech "I want to go home! I hate it here" - you will vary rarely (I am hesitant to say never), meet anyone as enthusiastic about camp as I am. I think I may even give some of the guests a run for their money in the enthusiasm stakes.

Camp is everything to me. It has so very quickly become one of, if not the important thing in my life. That's a weird thing to say. It's summer camp thousands of miles away from where I live. I've spent only six months of my 21 years there. It's only one part of my life. But I love it. It's the whole thing I love.

I love the place. Working there we forget to look and see how beautiful it is. The lake (good old Ida), the woods, the trails, the freaking platform tents! It's beautiful, dudes!

I love the people.

The Counselors - They're the people you lean on; the people you trust to get you through it all. They're the ones who clean up the sick; clean up the sh*t. They do the work that makes sure the summer happens.

The Activity Staff - They're the ones who make you do stuff. They suck! *lol* They're the ones who have to make a every day different for the whole summer. They keep us going. They keep it fresh. They keep it magic!

The Service Team - They work in the background and make sure camp keeps running. While we're singing and dancing and painting they're slogging their guts out. They're the unsung heroes of Camp Jened.

The Admin - the ones who see us through it. The ones who have been there, done that and bought the "I NY" t-shirt. When you're down and convinced there's no way out you talk to these guys and find out they've been through it too.

And above all:
The Guests - The real magic of Camp Jened. They're the reason camp exists. They're the reason we keep coming back. They're the reason you're reading this right now. They're the ones who, when you're at your lowest ebb and you just want to go home, will smile at you... and you're problems don't matter anymore. Because right then they're happy... and you're happy. "It's all good!" And it's magic.

Sometimes I try to look and see what I want out of my life: I look for love; for family; for a career; for a home; for a place to belong... I see Jened.

~emily (December 2003)