Ben R. People ask about Explo and I always tell them it's like a fun summer school. You get to choose what you want to do -- it's not just academics. And even when it is academics, they teach it in a fun way.

Sanna. When people ask me, I say it's kind of like a small version of college. We're independent but there's all these things we get to do. I don't think 'camp' really explains it; if you think of camp, you think of being out in the woods and stuff like that.

Ben L. It's kind of hard to explain. You learn things, but it's not like a school. And you have a lot of fun, but it's not like a camp. It's a good mix of the two.

Sanna. When I came back home, I noticed that I felt more independent. Even my mom noticed. When I got home, I did more stuff on my own, and it felt more natural. You feel older almost.

Ben R. Last year going to Explo made me realize that you have to be responsible for taking care of yourself. Like, when you have free periods, you have to get yourself to dinner, and if it's your day to do laundry, you have to get your laundry done. So, you have to take control for yourself.

Nora. I'm kind of shy, actually, and I found that, yeah, people will come up and talk to you, but you also have to have the courage to go up and talk to people. So, when you leave, I found that I actually gained some courage where I could go up and talk to people.

Ben L. This is my sixth year, so I've been at Explo for the entire time -- first as a day student for two years at the Junior Program and the rest as a residential. And I just keep coming back because it's fun. I mean, I'm not really sure what else to say; it's just a really fun place to be for the summer.

Ben R. I came back, first off, because I have a lot of friends who came back. And I had such a great time last year that I thought, "If I could have half as good a time as I had last year, I'll still be really happy the entire time."

Sanna. Same with me. I just thought about how much fun I had here. There aren't too many other places I'd rather be than here, it's so much fun.

Nora. When the summer was over, I thought I wouldn't come back because I worried that I wouldn't have as much fun, and that would maybe ruin my memory. But, you know, you can't really have enough of Explo. I mean, during the year, I always wish that summer would come quicker because you can't really have enough of Explo. It's, like, addictive.

Ben R. Like, in my performance art class, we rapped the "Sponge Bob Square Pants" theme song. And we did other types of songs using only what we had on ourselves as instruments. So, that experimentation and getting to try new things -- stuff that back home your friends would look at you and be like, "What are you doing?" -- here there's no judgment.

Ben L. A lot of the things you do here, it's hard to explain to people who haven't been here. They're like, "Oh, it doesn't sound that great," but once you experience it, it's just a really unique experience that's really hard to replicate.

Sanna. I think the cool thing about Explo is that what's fun here is different than what's fun at home. Your version of fun at home might be playing video games or something, but here classes are fun. It's the kind of fun you don't experience at home.

Nora. I don't think of the classes like a course. I mean, you are learning stuff but it's so fun. Here, you actually get to experience it. Like, with "Cooking with Chemistry," they could've just said, "If you do this, you'll get mozzarella cheese," and that's what they do in school, but here you actually get to try it, so you get more of an idea.

Nora. I think the difference is you actually have fun doing it, so it's a good memory that you want to remember it. And since you want to remember it, you do -- it always kind of stays in your mind, which makes remembering it easier than if you just read it.

Ben L. It's like, if you wanted to learn how to play baseball, are you going to learn by having someone tell you the rules, or by going out and trying to hit the ball and throwing it? It's the hands-on experience that really makes it.

Sanna. I think the difference is that instead of gaining knowledge about something, you gain experience. That's something you don't get at home.

Ben R. I like the friends. Some of the bonds you make at Explo can last an entire year, couple years, or more. I've met people who live in Kuwait, people who live in Jamaica, and people who live practically in the town right next to me. So, it's really fun to see how we all get connected by one place.

Nora. My favorite part of Explo is that when you come, you know that no matter how you act, people are going to accept you for the way you are.

Sanna. This kind of goes along with that. I like how diverse everyone here is. At home, you've known the people for so long -- and they almost get boring -- but here you meet people from everywhere, and I think that's really cool. Also, I really love the courses -- you have so many options. There's a lot of stuff that you wouldn't do in school, but you can do it here. There's really nothing to stop you.

Nora. I like that the staff is so involved with the whole Program. Like, in school, there's almost a tangible barrier between the teachers and the students. There's like some invisible line that you can't go over or otherwise you're going to get into trouble. But here, the teachers are so involved that they almost seem like students themselves because they joke around and they play and they do silly things too. It's nice.

Ben R. I really like the atmosphere. Yesterday, when we were doing rock songs, my group did "We Will Rock You" and I sort of got forced into singing. I'm not very confident in how I sing, but when I actually was up there performing, the fact that we were in a safe space and no one would judge me for it just made it that much easier to get up there. Like, you do things with results you never would have expected.