The Sari Diaries- Thursday 8/3/17

Dearest Chippies,

I write to you this evening from Sari’s couch after a day that—once again—makes me proud to call myself a Chippewa Girl. I feel like I have been lucky this year in terms of the activities and events that have fallen on Thursdays. In previous summers, I have had to rely a lot more on random tangents and bad jokes. And while I still think I am just as funny as ever (funnier, even), I have definitely had less of a need for fillers… Which only speaks to how incredible this summer has been. Ask anyone—there is no ordinary day at Chippewa 2017. The air is filled with more excitement, happiness, laughter, appreciation and compassion than I have yet to see in my 14 years here. For real—it’s incredible! And today was no exception.

We awoke to a classic Kahuna Day wakeup, the captains and advisors cheering for their respective US Defense teams (Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines) over the loudspeaker. Everyone showed up to breakfast in their colors, sitting with their teammates and gearing up for the festive day ahead. The true meaning of the phrase “it never rains in Chippyland” became apparent this morning. It was cold and pouring, but you would have never known. The cheering, spirit and energy was out of control—the rain only fueled everyone’s team pride and enthusiasm for their activities. A very intense game of kickball erupted on the North Field, and there was definitely disappointment when we ended up cutting it short for a rain delay. That being said, when the rain did pause the day mid-first series (to be continued on Sunday), it certainly did not squash the positivity and excitement. I have to give a lot of credit to Eliza and Ari—not only did they put a ton of effort into the planning for today, they are wholly responsible for fostering this mood. They were true leaders, motivating everyone to go with the flow and enjoy the day despite the less than ideal circumstances. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that it turned out to be a memorable and incredibly fun preview of Kahuna Day. We are all anxiously awaiting part 2 on Sunday!

We finished the morning with a dance party, puddle-jumping, warm showers and cabin bonding. Tonight, we had Tan and White Skit Night. Following an afternoon of practice, Tan and White Braves, Hunters, Warriors and Chiefs ascended the stage to perform songs and skits. The Braves presented commercials for Tan-cakes and White-sies, products that were created to represent various integral components of what it means to be a part of the Tan and White teams, respectively (such as bravery, spirit and sportsmanship). There was a lot of talent up there on the stage and it was a lot of fun to watch. Both teams did great, but tonight the Whites came out on top.

In other news, today was Letter Writing Day and we had canteen. This is also my final rendition of #TSD2017. Crazy, I know. Yet again, another summer has flown by right before my eyes. It’s a blessing and a curse, summer camp. A place like Chippewa that pulls you in and forces you to become obsessed, but ends all too soon. You blink and suddenly it’s over. I wish there was a way to slow it down (can you get on that, Random House?)… But for now, I am just grateful that I get to call Chippewa my home and that I get to finish out this summer with 7 more days like today.

Sincerely,
Soph Aloaf