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A Camper’s Favorite Place – U. Talia Oknayan

Why AYF Camp Haiastan is My Home
By Talia Oknayan

Every year around the month of July I look forward to going back to the place I call home, back to AYF Camp Haiastan. I count down the days and prepare myself for the best two weeks of my summer.

Some people don’t understand the reason for somebody to call camp our home, but to me it’s very simple. The counselors are there for me just like my parents or an older sibling would be. And then you have your cabin mates who treat you like your brother or sister along with the rest of the campers.

Every day I wake up with a bigger smile on my face because I know that I’m going to have a blast. From the movie nights to the hours on Uncas Pond and even Olympics at the end of the session, I enjoy every minute I’m there and never want to leave.

I’m so grateful to be given the opportunity to be a part of something like the AYF and to be able to attend AYF Camp Haiastan. I have met many of my lifelong friends and other great people at camp, and wouldn’t replace those two weeks for anything else.