Transformational is the word

Posted by Elise Gold on January 31, 2016

July 2013

Good morning Maya,

As I write this, you are asleep in a tent with Tuli. We’ve been here on the Cape for about a week, with another four days ahead. We are just loving the rhythms of this vacation, as always. And as always, things change from year to year. This year, you tapped into the social scene. You spend hours hanging out at the rec hall and playground area with new friends. I just love knowing that you are at peace with yourself enough so that you can be on your own, make friends and meaningful relationships. This is all on the heels of your camp experience at Rowe.

You spent three weeks at Junior High Camp. “Transformational” is the word you use. Life changing is the feeling you experienced. To some degree, you are still integrating what you felt, and you’re not even sure what that looks like. There are parts that you can articulate and yet some other parts that you’d rather keep private. A few things that you’ve shared include:

you are less self-conscious
you feel more free saying any word (including curse words and body parts), providing these words are not used in an offensive way
you don’t feel the need for shoes

One of your closest friends at Rowe, Porter, is a boy. It is very clear that you are just interested in friendship with him. You wonder why in this culture, people make assumptions about deeper (more romantic) relationships when a boy and girl are friends.

I love that Rowe offers you a safe place to be who you are and to explore in a profound way. The challenge is now to find a way that you can bring the new Maya into your life. To me, it seems as if it has been a bit difficult. I felt a bit of distance from you initially. You are now coming around. I want to support you through your changes. We will find a way.