Did you ever go to a summer camp when you were a child? (1 Viewer)

[Magician]

I remember that I always wanted to go to a summer camp whenever I saw them in american movies.

 

[StrayMixx]

Oh, lots! In fact, one camp I went to (one that catered to blind kids like me) was the reason I stan the Backstreet Boys. It was the last night of camp and we were having a dance party; one of the campers had requested As Long As You Love Me, and... oh. my. girl. Nick's voice was so angelic - still is, 24 years later! lol but this isn't a BSB forum, so I digress. lol

Anyway, other camps have been a camp for the deaf (I'm legally blind AND hard-of-hearing), regular day camps held at schools, another one held near the local aquatic center (and we ALWAYS made a pool trip at the end of each day), and even a sleepaway Christian camp.

 

[Michael]

 

[blueberries]

Multiple times, mostly religious ones though as church was keeping them

 

[eclipsoul]

yes and it was one of the worst experiences of my life, would never do it again

 

[StrayMixx]

yes and it was one of the worst experiences of my life, would never do it again

OMG spill the tea!

 

[Handcrafted]

I never did nor did I ever hear about any opportunities for it.

 

[eclipsoul]

OMG spill the tea!

sure, it's been years so now i can look back at it as a joke

• the food was absolutely tragic - the soups were often cold, meat tasted like flat tires (not like i have ever eaten a tire but that is what i imagine it would be like) and there were very limited options to what we could eat. i have always been an annoyingly picky eater though so i didn't go to anyone complaining, i just bought my own food instead
• we stayed in normal rooms where we even had a tv we could watch whenever we stayed there but some said they were too lazy to walk up the stairs so after 4 days they relocated us to rooms which barely had clean water, dead mosquitoes on pillows and the walls had curse words written on them (we were 8-10 years old)
• the kids were absolutely terrible to each other and the teachers (it was organised by the school i went to) did nothing about it. many of them made fun of my naturally curly hair and were threatening to cut my hair off in my sleep so that i would look normal (i had sleeping problems even as a kid so it wouldn't work out anyway because i'd simply stay awake lmao). a group of 14-15 year olds also broke one younger girl's very expensive glasses for no actual reason.

 

[StrayMixx]

sure, it's been years so now i can look back at it as a joke

• the food was absolutely tragic - the soups were often cold, meat tasted like flat tires (not like i have ever eaten a tire but that is what i imagine it would be like) and there were very limited options to what we could eat. i have always been an annoyingly picky eater though so i didn't go to anyone complaining, i just bought my own food instead
• we stayed in normal rooms where we even had a tv we could watch whenever we stayed there but some said they were too lazy to walk up the stairs so after 4 days they relocated us to rooms which barely had clean water, dead mosquitoes on pillows and the walls had curse words written on them (we were 8-10 years old)
• the kids were absolutely terrible to each other and the teachers (it was organised by the school i went to) did nothing about it. many of them made fun of my naturally curly hair and were threatening to cut my hair off in my sleep so that i would look normal (i had sleeping problems even as a kid so it wouldn't work out anyway because i'd simply stay awake lmao). a group of 14-15 year olds also broke one younger girl's very expensive glasses for no actual reason.

oh, WOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW that sounds horrible! It reminds me of a camp I went to once for the blind (not the same one with the BSB song - different decade, different state).

• Whenever it was time for PM meds, the nurse would literally barge in and turn the light on just so he could give them. They did change plans after the first couple nights, but WHO THE HELL BURSTS IN AT LIKE 12:30 IN THE MORNING AND TURNS THE FUCKING LIGHT ON??? Night vision - GET SOME!
• Instead of counselors, they had volunteers. I wouldn't have minded, but they treated me like absolute shit! I used to have a bowel disorder, and one girl sat me on the toilet and basically MADE ME sit there all night so I could poop.
• They also wouldn't listen to ANY of my concerns. I had a concern about a blind camper accidentally taking my things, and I literally got cut off mid-sentence.
• They put me with the ten-year-olds. I WAS FOURTEEN!!! And several of those ten-year-olds made it an absolute point to bully me for my boy band obsession. In fact, you know how Show Me the Meaning by BSB is about Howie's late sister Caroline? (okay, maybe not - but it is) Well, one girl added "damn" to EVERY. SINGLE. LINE. so that it went "Show me the damn meaning of being lonely / Is this the damn feeling I need to walk with..." Ugh, the DISRESPECT! I tried to report it, but all they told me was "Everyone has different tastes in music". Um... NO SHIT, SHERLOCK!
• And lastly, the talent show. Ugh, THE TALENT SHOW! They thought they could pull an American Idol and judge every last performance. And guess who one - I, who had sung AND done choreo to I Want It That Way WITH the music in the background? NO! It was the director's nine-year-old granddaughter, who literally stood there LIKE A STICK, singing "Sixteen Going On Seventeen" with no melody whatsoever.

So yeah, your experience makes mine look freaking heavenly!