Mary Elizabeth Williams (or M.E.) is the daughter of The Banyan Odyssey creators Bill and Jane Williams. She is also a Camper from Camp Banyan who has taken the value of Hospitality to heart! Full interview with Jane Williams below:
Jane: Why don’t you introduce yourself to us?
M.E.: Hi, my name is Mary Elizabeth Williams and I love it here.
Where are we?
We are at a coffee shop.
Do you like to go out to eat and things like that?
Yes I do.
When you’re in the public, how do you treat other people?
Nicely, not meanly.
Do you remember from Camp we learned about Core Values?
Hospitable. It’s like a good thing to be nice to friends and meet the people that we don’t know – shake their hands.
Yeah! Why do we treat people that way?
Because we don’t want to hurt their feelings.
Yeah we want to make them feel…
Happy!
And like they are…
Kindness!
Yeah! I was pushing you to say… make them feel at home.
Yes!
That’s what hospitality is about right? Is that your favorite Core Value?
Yes.
You have put it to good use!
You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
Last summer, what did you and the campers call sour people?
Vinegar.
What did you call nice people?
Honey.
How do you explain that?
Like… vinegar is like Squidward. He doesn’t like someone.
Yeah, Squidward is like a vinegar person on Spongebob, who would be a honey person?
Spongebob!
Anything that you want to tell about Camp that you’re looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to going on field trips.
Which date does Camp Banyan start on?
June 12th!
And what is Week 1 all about?
Summer!
Thank you, Mary, for your time!
You’re welcome – how did I do?
Very well!
“Hospitality is, you know, something that just comes natural after you’re just kind to everybody.” – Constantinos (after he held the door for us!)
“People will have a good waitress and you’re nice and then they want to tip you more! If you’re a bad waitress… you just want everybody to leave here in a good mood.” – Ashley (Waitress at Maggie Mae’s on the Bluffs)