The Language of Camp

I am always amazed at what a conversation starter camp can be.  I think it is to be expected that among friends who have worked at camp--whether the same camp or different camps--that it would be a popular topic of conversation, as people who work at camp usually like to talk about it, and non-camp friends quickly get sick of camp stories.  Until this year, however, I've never found camp as a major connection point with complete strangers.  I think this might be due to the fact that I was in school, and so when introducing myself to people, I told them my name and that I went to Elon.  Now, the thing that comes after my name is that I work at a summer camp, and I have discovered that there are two types of people:  those who have some connection to camp, and those who don't.  

Those who have no connection to camp typically ask "so what do you do when it isn't summer?"  Those who have some kind of camp experience immediately share it.  Whether they worked at a camp, or just have fond memories of being a camper, they light up a little, and tell me about it.  It seems that camp is a kind of universal language--anytime I run into someone with a camp background, there is an instant connection, and it tends to be an enjoyable conversation.  Every time this happens, I am reminded of the incredible communities that camp builds, and amazed at how, even outside of summer, and outside of any particular place, camp keeps doing what it is best at:  building relationships.