Monday 27 August 2018
Lessons I Learned as a Camp Counsellor
Because two months in a log cabin teaches you a lot.
Kids are great.
Even though I have grown up surrounded by children, the
thought of having to look after a bunch 24/7 was pretty intimidating. I didn’t
know whether I’d have the knack for it. Turns out I needn’t have worried. Over
95% of the kids I looked after at summer camp were great and really, I didn’t
have many problems at all.
I looked after some of the brightest, funniest, most
friendly people ever and I feel lucky that I got to meet them. They say the
weirdest things and are open to new experiences and really do try hard to make
you proud. Those spontaneous hugs and silly laughs make each day even more
special than the last.
But kids can also be
really hard work.
You can kid yourself and pretend you’re prepared but,
believe me, those kids will wear you down. They refuse to sleep at night and
then refuse to get out of bed in the morning. They won’t eat a vegetable but
won’t stop asking for sweets. Some days are harder than others; some kids are
harder than others. It is as stressful and as frustrating as it is fun – and no
one is denying it. That leads me onto my next point!
You can handle
anything.
Not to sound dramatic but when you’re isolated in the middle
of the woods in the piss-pouring rain for the eighth consecutive day, times are
going to get tough. Kids will cry, co-counsellors will moan and everyone will
hit lows you never thought possible. But…you get through it, simply because you
have to! Camp pushes everyone out of their comfort zones and you learn to cope
with anything and everything: from mice in the bunk to sleepwalking children.
You feel the fear, confront it and move on. Your CV says you’re a good
problem-solver? Mate, talk to me when you’ve worked at summer camp.
Americans eat some weird
food.
Cereal with marshmallows, chicken with waffles, donuts in
all sorts of shapes and colours. Standard fare in America. PS: everything comes
with cheese *ew* and that is a fear of mine I am still not ready to confront
(SCRAPING IT OFF DOES NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE!)
Americans take a lot
of drugs.
The Health Centre became ‘the spot’ at camp, and the queues
for the nurse for “Mealtime Meds” would stretch right around the dining hall.
Most of the kids would be taking some kind of vitamin or upper/downer
concoction each day…all swallowed with a spoonful of applesauce. “Rit-get
it-alin” – good one, America!
You never grow up,
not really.
You can never take yourself too seriously at camp, whether
it be on the tennis courts or down at the lake. No one bats an eyelid at your
blue/white painted face and singing and dancing all the way around camp,
looking absolutely ridiculous, basically becomes routine. Why grow up when you
can roll down a hill and throw water balloons and glitter? Who wants to grow up
anyway?
‘Thank you’ will
become your favourite word to hear.
A little gratitude goes a long way. Being a counsellor is not easy; as fun as it may be the
majority of the time, it can also be stressful, overwhelming. Even when you’re
exhausted and in desperate need of a break, though, there are glimmering moments
where you see your campers catch onto a lesson you’ve been trying to pass on,
or they recognize your hard work, and that suddenly make it all worthwhile. When
you hear the “you’re my favourite counsellor” or “you’re like my big sister” or
even something as simple as “thanks”, you remember why you are doing what you are doing. Be mindful of your
appreciation; it goes a long way!
