The days at Chewonki are long and packed with activities. Most nights my cabin and I go straight to sleep after getting ready for bed because we are all too exhausted to talk. The one exception is Friday night, AKA “game night”.

This past Friday, Orchard cabin participated in a heated game of spoons, but with a twist. Instead of having the spoons in the middle of the circle for people to grab, one person hid them around the cabin. As we scurried around the cabin looking for the spoons we transformed our once semi-neat cabin into a complete mess. Our trash can and recycling bin were both knocked over, beds were torn apart, playing cards scattered all over the floor.

The funniest part was how competitive everyone became. Soon we were boxing each other out as if we were playing basketball, trying to trick each other by giving false hints, and yanking the spoons out of others´ hands. None of us could stop laughing, it was the best time we had had together as an entire group.

Although these moments may seem small at the moment, a memory to look back on and giggle at, they really portray what is at the essence of Chewonki’s mission: building community. Every interaction, big or small, works toward establishing meaningful connections, and I feel as though Orchard cabin has become a lot closer since our last game night.

-Ines Rudenstine, The Dalton School, New York, NY