Submission # 3

Summer Camp, one of the most exciting times of the year, in fact for some people it is the most exciting time of the year. The exuberant emotions of campers and counselors are collected within oneself throughout the school year, waiting for that one day in June where everyone gets to go to camp and become a completely different person then who they are during the school year.

In the podcast "Notes on Camp" the first act is following the life of Mr. Popular, David Himmel everyone's favorite counselor at camp, illuminating the importance of summer camp to some people and part of what makes summer camp such an everlasting experience. David Himmel has gone to camp as a camper and is now a counselor at the same camp, staying at the same camp throughout one's life is something a lot of people choose to do because of the tradition held within each different summer camp. "Camp is just number one with everything I do," says David, "I would not be who I am if it wasn't for camp," illustrating the importance of summer camp to those diehard summer camp goers. Camp helps one find them self, at summer camp one can act as who he or she truly is and does not have to pretend to like the hottest band or latest television show, he or she can love NSYNC instead of Gaga and not feel ashamed of it. Everyone at camp can sing at the top of their lungs no matter how bad their singing voice is and not be judged, the people at camp aren't just friends that surround you, the people at camp are your family.

Another act of this podcast episode is about the color wars that take place at summer camp. Color Wars of this particular camp in Michigan play into the idea of tradition at summer camp. “Once you are assigned a team, the blue team, or the black or red for boys, you will stay on that team for all your years at camp,” demonstrating how important tradition is to the people of the summer camp and the bonds that are formed through the intense and fun filled days of the color wars. “It is not normal if you don’t lose your voices,” this being said by one of the recently appointed captains of color wars. Color wars may not seem like a big ordeal for people outside of camp but to most people in camp it is one of the most anticipated times of the summer. The oldest girls in the girl’s camp are eligible to be color wars captains and the array of positive and negative emotions are spread far across the board. In the early morning when all of the younger girls are woken up to go to the ceremony to find out who the captains will be for the year the older girls haven’t slept. The older girls filled with anticipation and anxiety but the girls are ready to find out if they have finally been able to become color wars captain. The ceremony seems as if it is the most serious time of the summer, there is no talking allowed. The only sounds heard on the way back to the cabins that night are of muffled crying, either of joy or sorrow.

Between the two different segments within the podcast episode there are several different tones set. In the Color Wars segment there is a great seriousness then there is in the Mr. Popular segment. The girls repeat in this section, “I will be silent,” underlining the solemn tone in an odd way; it seems so serious but in a very exciting way. In contrast with the Color Wars act of the episode the Mr. Popular act seems so much more moving from talking about how camp made David who he is and from the love that is clearly shown to him as a group of thirteen year old girls have made up a song about him revealing their true love to the so called “Davey.”