We still can’t believe that Summer 2021 has already come and gone. Tonight is the first Shabbat In 8 weeks that our sanctuary spaces aren’t full of campers, staff, and faculty singing our favorite camp tunes. We will miss seeing the orange sunsets as we head into Friday Night song sessions and hearing the wind blowing through the trees as we take collective deep breaths to prepare ourselves for a weekend of rest and kesherim (connections).
This year the theme of our summer was #BackToByfield. When we say, “We made it back to Byfield!”, what we mean is we made it back to exploring our biggest questions, back to being together, back to being celebrated for our full and authentic ourselves. Sci-Tech isn’t a physical place, it’s a community. Whether it was someone’s first time at camp or their fifth summer, we all made the brave and incredible choice to be back in community after spending so many months apart.
Now we all are going back to our post-summer homes. Returning home is bittersweet for us all. There is the joy of seeing our home friends and family again, there is the sadness for leaving our beloved summer home, there is the exhaustion after the many late nights talking to friends in our halls, the rush of energy after our first home shower and night’s rest in our own beds, and everything in between. When these happy emotions mix with the sad ones, the return home can feel a little overwhelming for everyone – whether you have just spent your summer at camp or you are welcoming your child home from theirs.
On top of the transition back home, there is the transition back into the school year. In the blink of an eye, the curiosity and exploration of the summer is coming to a close. There are so many thoughts and memories running through our minds, and feelings to identify within ourselves.
When we packed our bags to return home from camp, we packed our pillows and linens, we packed our hats and water bottles, we packed our clothes (and some of our friends’ clothes), but on top of it all, we packed up our experiences. We packed the friendships that we made, we packed the discoveries and answers and questions that we gained, and we packed up from a COVID-free camp bubble that we successfully created during an unforgettable summer like Sci-Tech has never seen before. We are still trying to figure out how to adjust to not seeing the people that have been around us for 24 hours a day for the last 2-8 weeks.
Now, it is time to unpack. It is time to do the 10 loads of laundry that we all have, it is time to scrub the dirt off our shoes, organize our Magic the Gathering cards, and take nice, long, warm showers at home. It is time to smile through all our favorite memories, and it is time to look forward to the year ahead of us and finding new and incredible ways to #LiveOur6 all year long. Just because the summer is over, we know that we will all be together soon. As Dr. Seuss once said, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”
Sci-Tech will see you soon and we can’t wait to welcome you #BackToByfield with open arms and high fives!