THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2024 71 Yes, their lives are rich with other experiences that have molded them and made them, I’d argue, incredibly interesting people. And while they’ve had countless Instagrammable moments in locations from Athens to Reykjavík, this lifestyle comes with a cost, often in the form of consistency, stability, and traditions. Throughout all our moves, our evacuation from Ukraine, and the COVID-19 pandemic, one tradition for our kids has stayed constant: summer camp. Many friends have asked how we can send our kids away for so long in the summer. It’s not cheap. It means my summer trips to the U.S. involve driving thousands of miles up and down the East Coast. And yes, it means we’ve missed out on taking some summer family vacations. But what we get in return has been magical. Our kids have a community—a camp home—to which they will return for the rest of their lives. It is a spot on the map that is theirs and theirs alone. They have learned skills that we simply could not teach them on our own. (My daughter has learned to water ski—one sport that I swore off after a particularly bad day in the lake as a teen.) Camp has provided a sacred bubble for them to be children, completely divorced from the athletic and academic pressures that infiltrate most adolescent extracurriculars. And there is really nothing better than seeing them, so dirty and smelly, running up to embrace you on the last day of camp. A little taller. A little tanner. A little more confident. And, certainly, a lot more independent. n Life at camp is basic, simple, and blessedly tech-free. Traditions are passed down from one generation to the next. Arts & Crafts Boating Zipline Climbing Wall Archery Riflery Fishing Swimming CAMP SOLES SUMMER CAMP ACTIVITIES: AGES 7-16 WEEK LONG CAMPS @campsoles @campsoles Camp Soles STARTING 7/6, 7/13, 7/20, 7/27 & 8/3 Serving the greater Pittsburgh area since 1955 Email Us: fun@campsoles.org
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