Falcon 2002: Part 1

Eleven years ago, I headed to Carrollton, Ohio, for the start of my first summer as a four weeker at Falcon. This would be my third summer, so I was familiar with the place, the activities, and even lots of the people. I didn't know it yet, but something big would happen this summer. This summer I would become friends with Elizabeth (name changed). (Actually, several big things happened, but I want to talk about one specific thing. We'll get to the next one in Part Two.)

Let me tell you where this story is heading--at the end of this summer, my 14th at camp, I'm going to be in Elizabeth's wedding. 

That summer, Falcon 2002, I arrived and moved into my cabin. Elizabeth was already there, had already been there for four weeks. She had been coming to camp for a couple years longer than me, and stayed for six weeks each summer. Although she was only a month older than me, the year before she had been a cabin above me. Sometimes things work out this way because of a large number of a certain age. Because of this, I didn't really know Elizabeth, except as the cool girl who had been coming to camp forever and was friends with The Twins (the two coolest girls (in my mind) from the year before). 

But Summer 2002 threw us together. Needless to say I was a little intimidated. Elizabeth and I both have pretty strong personalities, so this was either going to result in something great, or Clash of the Titans. Of course, as a 13 year old, I didn't really comprehend any of this. 

By day three or four of my time, nothing had happened. We were supposed to go on a canoe trip. For different reasons, neither Elizabeth nor I was excited. Our counselor told us that we could go in the motorboat, but we should keep in mind it would just be us, and we should figure out how to help each other. We spent the next 45 minutes before evening activity talking about everything. Why we were upset, what we liked to do, how annoying our counselor was for making us do this. But if that night wasn't turn out to be a huge turning point, then I'll eat my hat. From then on, Elizabeth was one of my closest friends. When something was wrong, I talked to her. When we were bored, we found each other. Luckily, we were the kind of campers who loved our individual activities enough that we didn't just go where the other person was.

When camp ended, the hard part started. I lived in Chicago, Elizabeth in Cleveland. But two weeks at camp was all it took to know this was someone I wanted to be friends with forever. So we talked on the phone every day. I remember one month (and I'm guessing this happened more than once) when I had to pay my part of the phone bill because we talked so much, and it was over $70. 

I would visit Elizabeth every winter break, and when my whole family went to Cleveland for Passover, I'd talk myself out of as many family obligations as possible in order to hang out. Keep in mind this would be Passover so I couldn't eat any non-Kosher-for-Passover food. The first time this happened we went to the mall and wanted a snack. After wandering the mall for a while searching, we came up with deli pickles and Diet Coke, and paid for it with mostly coins (remember, 13 year olds!). To this day we joke about this delightful meal. 

Finally, it would be camp time again. Camp was a short couple weeks that felt like eternity of eating pretzels dipped in frosting, playing games, and talking late into the night. And Elizabeth was the person to do it with. We only spent 10 weeks total together at camp over 3 summers, but that was all we needed to form the basis of a true and strong friendship. At camp, making friends is different. You're living together, sharing everything from experiences to bedspace. You also have to figure out how to navigate the things that aren't as easy: arguments over how something happened to misplaced items and more. Counselors mediate differently than teachers or parents do, allowing and sometimes even pushing campers to figure out how to work things out mostly by themselves, with the older presence ready to step in when needed. I know most campers, counselors, and alumni would tell you that they have forever friends they made at camp, and for a lot of them, the number of weeks they've actually spent together there is limited. 

When we were 14, I met Elizabeth's boyfriend. With a 14 year old's naivete and confidence about love, I wrote her a letter telling her how awesome I thought this guy was, and how I was sure he was the one and that I was excited to go to their wedding many years down the road. Like I said earlier, in August I'm going to be a bridesmaid in Elizabeth's wedding. To her boyfriend from when she was 14. Who I predicted she'd marry. Am I saying I have great instincts about love and/or can see the future? No, but I'm not denying it either. 

I'm so excited (and honored!) to be a part of her wedding. It's been a lot of years, many ups and downs, some periods of more or less closeness, like all friendships. But I'm so glad to know the kind, smart, amazing person that is Elizabeth, and I owe that to Falcon 2002.