Summer of our discontent

Each summer my mind wanders back to the Catskills. The summer I spent at Omega changed me in many ways. Freshman year of college for many teens is shocking. My shock was not in the lack of structure or rules. I was used to that after years of living with my dad. I always managed to wake myself up, make my lunch and attend school. After classes I studied and filled my time with extracurriculars. I continued this in college and discovered I could make good grades, volunteer, and participate in dance and yoga. I struggled with the social interactions. I was isolated at home. I moved in to a dormitory filled with 500 other girls. I had no idea how to embrace that. I struggled socially through the first year. I made a few friends and spent weekends in the suburbs with my boyfriend. In the spring my mother asked what my summer plans were. The notion of returning to my father’s house was abhorrent. I applied for a seasonal job at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies.

Omega was several hours drive from my childhood home. The job was rudimentary work in the kitchen. It was part time employment and required living in a tent for the season. After a sigh, I accepted and packed camping gear into my geo storm. Mom offered to drive with me and help me settle in. I knew nothing about camping, so I consented. As we pulled up a brawny man with an unkempt beard stood at the entrance. My mother rolled down the window and said “My daughter is here for the work-study, man. Can you hook her up? She’s kind of shy.” I grew red with embarrassment and wondered why I brought her. He directed us to our destination as it began to pour rain. Great.

After the tent was assembled and my mom left I looked around in the rain. With tears in my eyes I realized I was alone. I went to the dining hall and began eating by myself at a large circular table. In a few minutes a bouncy girl my age approached me. “Anyone sitting here?” She asked. Without waiting for an answer she sat down. We had an intense conversation about freshman year and vegetarian cooking. As time passed, others joined us. Suddenly I was not alone. People flocked to Omega for different reasons. One girl recently lost her brother. One was hitchhiking across the country and needed a place to stay. Others, like me, sought refuge from the depersonalization of a large university.

Over the summer there was drama. An 18 year old began dating a 40 year old cook. There was a ban against skinny dipping in the lake. A staff member contracted Lyme disease. We all decided to vigilantly spend evenings in the sauna to sweat off ticks. I grew to love having friends drop by my tent without knocking or invite me on meaningless errands off campus. The Omega staff were proud of their eccentricities and soon I was too. I returned to Pittsburgh in the fall with a new lease on life. I was ready to open up, to lead by example, and to choose my own path.