KATIE JANE: NERD CAMP

around january my mom mentioned a prestigious camp called "governor's honors academy" and suggested i apply. it supposedly built character, plus it came with a sick scholarship, so i summoned my inner yolo child of 7th grade went for it.

after a grueling application process, (lets just say there was an essay)
i was surprisingly accepted! (lets also just say my essay sucked)

in my head, i fully expected everyone at this camp to be complete nerds. don't get me wrong, i don't have anything against nerds, i just don't know enough about coding to keep a conversation going for very long. nevertheless, i refreshed my knowledge of harry potter and headed to governors honors academy, or rather (as i had labeled it in my head),

nerd camp.

looking back, i realize i was only 50% right.

i was right about most the people there being freaking genius and the rest of them being undeniable quirky, however, i was DEAD WRONG, about thinking i wouldn't be able to connect to them.

I HAVE NEVER LOVED PEOPLE SO MUCH IN MY LIFE!!

from sam, who firmly believed that communism was our future, to makayla, who writes poetry so deep it gives me the chills, to heston, whose swing dancing skills still got me dizzy.

you don't necessarily have to have anything in common to connect with people.

connection is about stepping in someone else's shoes and walking around in them, and if you're really feeling it, maybe even taking a light jog. it's about seeing things from other people's perspective.

it's about not just tolerating other people's perspectives, but accepting them.
not necessarily agreeing, but accepting.

this week also reinforced my belief that PEOPLE ARE SO FASCINATING.
i had the opportunity to meet 61 of the most passionate kids in the state of utah, and just thinking about it inspires me. PASSION IS CONTAGIOUS. whether you're passionate about the biological arms race between pac rats and rattlesnakes or the NBA finals, passion spreads like a freaking disease.
HAHAAH alright. one example of passion is seen in my good friend heston. the third day of camp he told me he was going to marry me. i assumed he was joking, right? soooo i told him i would marry him if he could learn "bust a move" by young MC by the end of the camp (which by the way is literally impossible, it took me almost a whole summer to learn it). but he actually tried to learn it!!! the more he came up to me and started rapping it, the more i was afraid that i had unwisely secured my future. i mean, i'm a girl of my word! the kid learned like 2 whole verses!! he didn't quite reach the goal, but hey thats dedication! shoutout to you, my almost husband.

and now, i'd like to introduce you to some of the characters that i met this week.

heston: the man, the myth the legend.

gavin: plays guitar like a boss, which is v attractive. also, his dad is the lt. governor.

ethan: the epitome of the song "humble and kind" by tim mcgraw.

my "personal development group" aka my family for 9 days.

ammon: genuinely the funniest man alive. also, he was my counselor but that's just a minor detail because we were bffffs.

william: funniest kid. on. the. earth. enough. said.

jaaaaames: another counselor/ homie.

makayla: poetry wizzzzard!!! she is seriously the next robert frost!!

noah: well i went to fiji with noah last summer so we were already pretty tight.

wyatt: a classy mix between a genius and a gentleman. i sat by him during the shakespeare play and asked him what was going on every .5 seconds

corbin: he can do the entire "paper people" poem in a british accent. that is a long poem guys. it's insane.

and now..

introduuuuciiiiiing....
MCKELLLLLL FROST!!!

remember how i said i didn't have a lot in common with most of the people there? haha PSYCH. me and my girl mckell literally had everything in common from our hobby of videography to our brothers coming home from their missions the same week to being lactose intolerant. it was insane.

she is my souuul sistaaa to the max.