Before Mayim Bialik was known for her roles on Blossom and The Big Bang Theory, she was just a regular 10-year-old girl who was miserably homesick at sleepaway camp. Kveller had the chance to chat with the talented actress-author-neuroscientist and founder of media site Grok Nation about her summer camp memories.
Where did you go to camp? For how long?
I went for one miserable week to Camp Swig in Northern California. I was 10. It was a lovely camp, I was the one who was miserable.
What’s your most embarrassing camp story?
I peed my bed more than once. Cried so hard for my parents that the counselors removed me from the cabin so the other kids could fall asleep. I sat on the porch of the cabin with a counselor and cried my eyes out looking at pictures of my parents. When they sent me mail, that made it worse.
Mayim with the doll she got for going to summer camp
What do you remember about camp food?
I liked eating breakfast cereal that had sugar since my mom never let me have that at home.
Did you have a camp romance?
There was a boy named Josh R. I can’t recall how I snagged him since I basically remember crying all of the time. Maybe he was into that?!
Are you still in touch with your camp friends?
No. I hope everyone forgot how miserable and sad I was. Until this interview.
Why do you think so many Jews love camp?
Because our parents think they can teach us independence and how to be mature, but if we are made to be codependent like so many neurotic first-generation Americans raise their kids to be, it’s impossible to force me to try to disentangle at 10!!!
Camp Kveller is our series dedicated to all things summer camp.
