Remembering the Summer of ’69

When the summer of 1969 rolled around, I had just turned 15. I vividly remember the day my mother came into my room and handed me a round ticket to Lausanne, Switzerland, to spend a summer at their International Teen Camp.

“There will be teens from all over the world,” she told me, “It will be good for you to get out of the city.”

When I asked how I’d communicate with everyone, she told me that many would speak English or understand it. She said I’d have the chance to practice my French which I had already studied in school.

My First International Trip Alone

It was my first trip overseas without my parents. My insecurity about the journey to Switzerland resulted in me wanting to take practically my entire bedroom with me. From the attic I fetched the largest suitcase I could find into which I took everything, but as my father said, “except the kitchen sink.” For teens, music is an essential ingredient to happiness, and I wouldn’t dare go overseas without my record player (long before CDs or iPhone), padded between my clothes.

It had been only four years since the Beatles were first introduced on the Ed Sullivan show, and their music was popular across all ages and nationalities, but most popular amongst teens.

The Beatles as a Way to Connect

There were a few of their songs from their first album that still resonate in my head, but the one that rings the loudest is “Let it Be.”

That’s the song that I played over and over again, blasting on the speakers in my tiny bedroom in Queens, New York.

The record, “Let It Be,” took the journey with me over the ocean and resonated from my dormitory room at International Teen Camp, which at other times during the year was a school called Ecole Nouvelle (New School).

What was nice about that song was its calming effect during the stressful time of being so far away from my parents. It was also a song that teens from other countries had repeatedly heard on their radio stations, so it served as a connection between all of us from many nations. What amazed me was how well the non-English speaking campers sung the words, although they had no idea what the words meant.

Now, this many years later, hearing the song “Let it Be” is still one of my favorites and conjures up images of that great summer – attending camp dances with teens from France, Kuwait, Italy and the United States.

A Major Event That United Us

The song also conjures up another important image from that summer. There was a major event in United States history. On July 20^th, 1969, U.S. Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong stepped out of the Apollo 11 lunar module. This was the first time human beings had set foot on the moon. I vividly remember all the campers and counselors gathered in a glass-enclosed meeting room. It was about 10:30 p.m., way past our evening activity. We scurried for a spot on the hardwood floor to share in the joy of this historical moment. There was a small television mounted on one corner near the roofline. By today’s standards, it was very tiny.

That night, the counselors let us stay up later than usual. We were glued to the television to witness the astronauts walk around the moon for about two hours.

Strangely, some campers who couldn’t care less were busy flirting with the boys next to them, while the counselors told them to be quiet. The news meant nothing to them. But, for the most part, the enthusiasm in the room caused a wave of awing. As one of a handful of Americans, I felt very proud of my country back then.

My Special Summer

That summer was one of the best of my childhood years, and sometimes I reflect upon those times and the sense of calm that the song “Let it Be,” brought into my life. Even today, now in my early 70s, I turn on the song when I sense trouble or turmoil around me – the soothing effects of those words will hum in my brain forever.

NOTE: I have written a lot about that wonderful summer in Switzerland. For more of my writings and articles, please visit my website.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Is there a particular summer that sticks out in your mind? What made it special? What favorite song can you hum at any time?