Campo Emilia has blessed me with the best summer of my life: lasting friendships, eye opening experiences, and a million memories.
I cannot begin to describe how the connections I have made with my host family and fellow campers have impacted me and my future.
They have showered me with love and I am grateful for each and every one of them.

Every day was packed with activity and I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed it until the middle of the camp stay.
Even when everyone was only semi-conscious and running on 3 hours of sleep, I have never enjoyed a group of my peers more.
My only regret is that I did not connect with my campmates sooner, and enjoy more days of laughter and sharing.
I learned so much from all of them and their different personalities, backgrounds, and cultures, but the most shocking thing to me was how similar everyone is.
I never would have guessed that I share childhood games and memories with girls on the opposite side of the globe, or that boys make the same dumb jokes no matter what country they come from.
Campo Emilia helped me realize that our world is both bigger and smaller than I thought.
I have friends thousands of miles away and I never would have thought I would miss them so much.
However, I realize now that it just means I have a lifetime of plane rides, foreign travel, and visiting, that language isn’t an insurmountable barrier, and there are people out there I am destined to meet.
I couldn’t have asked for any more than this camp already gave me and I can’t wait to see all of you again!
Grace Groh, Wisconsin, U.S.A.