By Peri Leavitt, NFTY in Israel Madricha, Bus 8
After growing up at Camp Harlam, I finally joined the staff in the summer of 2015. Unexperienced and unsure, I was met with one of my greatest challenges to date: a group of spirited, opinionated, intelligent, passionate thirteen-year-olds. Despite my best efforts, I was assigned two other groups of incredible tweens the following summer, but I made sure to maintain my connection to my first campers. Last year, I applied to work specifically with these teens, and we shared an indescribable summer as they concluded their time as campers at Camp Harlam. This year, I continue to follow my campers’ journeys—all the way to Israel.
This is a trip that I never experienced as a participant. With little idea of what to expect, I sat in staff orientation and grew increasingly uncertain about my position here. What have I gotten myself into? Why am I here? Should I have just gone back to camp? In all honesty, I found myself feeling worse and worse. Then I saw the list of participants. All of a sudden, I found my enthusiasm for the trip. I remembered why I took this job. I remembered this unbelievable group of campers. The more I told my co-counselors about our chanichim, the more impatient I grew to see them, and the longer each day of orientation felt.
At long last, the day arrived. As we waited in the airport, I was bouncing off the walls—a fact which any staff member who saw my pump-up dances can confirm. “They’re almost here, they’re almost here!” I superfluously reminded the other staff members. My campers are somewhere behind that wall. I tried to peek at someone’s luggage tag to see if they had been on the flight from Philadelphia (to no avail). With each movement of the sliding door, I felt my heartbeat faintly hasten. Finally, the door opened, and I saw a family in very bold USA jackets walk out. Distracted, I speculated on the origins of these ensembles with my co-staff until I heard, “Hi, Peri!” Standing right in front of me were all of my campers. An assembly line of hugs commenced as we directed them to an open corner of the airport. Despite their exhaustion, their enthusiasm for the trip was palpable. In a new place with new people, their hugs and smiles provided me with the sense of home that I needed. After a long and challenging week, I felt ready for the job to come. Even though my unfamiliarity with the trip continues to make me apprehensive, I can ground myself in the knowledge that these participants make everything worth it. We will travel, experience, and learn together, and I am so excited for weeks to come.
