If I had to choose one thing that I loved about J Camp it wouldn’t be the incredible journalists that come and impart their knowledge. It wouldn’t be the fact that tuition is paid for by the Asian American Journalists Association. It definitely would not be the humidity in Miami. And it most certainly wouldn’t be Chris Macias who knows more about music and has met more musicians than most people can imagine.

Although each of these things are incredibly cool, except for the humidity, and definitely add to my experience here.

Instead, the best part of J Camp is the luxury to read the paper every morning. I’m not kidding, most people I know never read the paper, let alone have an hour and a half to pour through it every morning at their leisure. I’m not saying that I never read the paper. I frequent nytimes.com daily but I have never been afforded the luxury of being required to read a major newspaper every day.

And I don’t mean just glancing at headlines. I mean actually reading the paper, taking the time to find page 11A for the continuation of a story on the front page, reading the side bars, looking at captions, and in the end just thinking about everything you’ve read and letting it impact you.

A few of the cool things that I’ve learned at J Camp just by reading the paper:

1. Aquafina water is also synonymous with tap water. Their water doesn’t come from springs in remote mountains like their logo may indicate.
2. A kid is in jail for killing a classmate. He also wants to kill everyone else on Earth and in the International Space Station.
3. NASA has allowed astronauts to fly while being intoxicated instead of postponing a mission and being subjected to criticism about high costs for delays.
4. Hillary Clinton showed a half inch of cleavage on C-SPAN2 and got a mountain of smack for it from the fashion police. There are people dying in destitute countries and this is what is filling the airways?!
5. The Navy believes that involuntary military service is an uncomfortable wartime reality. I feel a draft coming on…

The list could continue, but each of these issues definitely struck a chord with me and I just feel so much more aware about all the matters plaguing our society. Reading the paper is truly a great habit to get into and I am quite sure that I will continue this practice upon returning home.

P.S. My J Camp Playlist

1. E-40, “Muscle Cars”
2. The Who, “My Generation”
3. Kanye West, “Stronger’
4. Superbus, “Lola’
5. Blue Oyster Cult, “Don’t Fear the Reaper”
6. Timbaland feat. She Wants Revenge, “Time”
7. LFO, “Summer Girls’
8. Down a.k.a. Kilo, “Lean Like a Cholo”
9. The Raconteurs, “Level”
10. Lil Mama, “Lip Gloss”

–Shivani Khanna, J Camp Live! Staff Writer