THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2024 69 Jessica Powley Hayden is a lawyer, writer, and Foreign Service spouse. She has lived in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Ukraine, and the Netherlands. She attended several summer sleepaway camps as a child, and her children have attended Camp Mowglis, Camp Horizons, and Camp Hi-Rock. A pack of shirtless boys emerges from the woods, carrying banners and chanting. Some are painted head to toe in blue, others in red. The older boys, decked out in blue, start a call-andresponse while the younger boys follow along. From out of a pine grove, campers are shouting so loudly, you can hear their voices start to crack: Down by the river Had a little walk Met up with Red Crew Had a little talk Pushed him in the river A Foreign Service spouse shares all the reasons she sends her kids to summer camp in the U.S. every year. BY JESSICA POWLEY HAYDEN Hung him up to dry We can beat Red Crew Any old time! It’s Crew Day at Camp Mowglis, one of the oldest boys’ sleepaway camps in the United States. Started in 1903 on the banks of Newfound Lake in New Hampshire, Camp Mowglis is steeped in tradition. The camp was founded with the aim to teach young men the lessons Mowgli himself learned being raised by wolves in the jungle in Rudyard Kipling’s classic, The Jungle Book. For more than 100 years, the typical day at camp hasn’t much changed. Boys wake up to the sound of a bugle and participate in colors, raising and lowering the American flag every day. Campers have daily chores, learn to use an axe and shoot a rifle, and take part in challenges like across-the-lake swims. The kids also row, sail, hike, and climb. Most importantly, they learn to rely on themselves and their fellow campers. Life at camp is basic, simple, and blessedly tech-free. Traditions are passed down from one generation to the next. Every summer for the last five years, our family has gathered at this camp to take part in Crew Day activities, one of the biggest events and camp traditions. The campers are split into one of two teams, Red or Blue. Alumni campers SUMMER CAMPS & PROGRAMS Campers row across Newfound Lake in August 2023. TRADITIONS AND COMMUNITY Summer Camp for FS Kids COURTESY OF JESSICA POWLEY HAYDEN
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