Over the past two years, I've had the opportunity to be a camp counselor for kids between the ages of 6 and 15. And I love it. I really do. But, as with everything in life, it isn't easy. There's a lot of pieces to it. And there's a lot of parts no one understands unless they have lived it.
1. Getting used to being called a different name
This is one of the most out of body experiences out there. It's not only jarring but soon enough you get used to it and your actual name sounds weird to your own ears. In many ways, it feels like losing who you are and taking on the counselor persona. Plus there's the fact that you often don't know the actual names of the people you work with day in and day out.
2. When a kid wakes you up at 2 a.m. to go to the bathroom
Sleep? That's for the weak, right? So you give them a couple of minutes to run to the nearby cabin bathrooms and pray you don't fall back to sleep. Although I've been told it is worse with young boys in the middle of the night. God bless my male colleagues.
3. When your voice cracks from practically singing silly songs all day
Sometimes, even when you use your diaphragm, your voice still gives out from yelling 'Little Red Wagon' and 'The Ratlenbog'. And the kids, of course, giggle from the cracking. Time to pound the water, right?
4. Wolfing down your meal in under five minutes
Constant supervision means you hardly get to sit down and there's even less time to actually eat healthily. Which is completely inconvenient because being around germ-ridden kids is a breeding ground for illness.
5. Always carrying a med-kit in your bag
Kids plus the woods and play equals injuries. Thus counselors are trained to do most superficial first aid. And in this line of work, bandaids go fast.
6. Always having a knife in your back pocket
For me, this is a recent investment, but boy has it really come in handy for all manner of day-to-day occurrences.
7. Always having a Sharpie on you
Or any writing utensil really. Sharpies are just more bold and apparent to whoever you're sending a message to.
8. Sporting a variety of camp gear: buttons, hats, t-shirts, stickers, etc.
Because who else is going to advertise your camp? And also, there's a certain dress code for this job that these sorts of things fall under.
9. Drinking loads of coffee, tea and water
Coffee for caffeinating. Tea for bolstering the immune system. And water for hydration.
10. Getting up extra early to shower and get ready
Becuase only then do you have a few blessed moments of quiet while the kids are asleep and you have to time to get ready and prep for the coming day.
11. Telling stories to get the kids to go to sleep
Kids always hit their second wind after campfire. So how do we get them to sleep? Usually telling stories or singing soothing songs in hopes they'll calm down.
12. Trying a bunch of different hairstyles to keep life interesting
Ponytails, braids of every kind, updos and just about every hair accessory known to man was probably invented at camp out of boredom.
13. When another counselor accidentally name drops you
And after finally getting used to your nature name or whatever, your name slips out of a colleague's mouth. Whoops. And the kids catch on. Sometimes a fellow counselor is able to field questions or maneuver the situation but more often that not, your secret is out.
14. Evading millions of personal questions from campers
You don't realize how many questions kids ask until you become a parent or a camp counselor. And they are so curious. Are you married? Do you have kids? How old are you? What's your real name? Where are you from? It's almost like speed dating except you can't answer all the questions.
15. Looking forward to the weekend for some blessed alone time
But then the weekend arrives with promises of sleeping in, introvert time, and wifi. Hallelujah!
While I do love this job, it will always be an adventure that no one else could understand unless they've lived it.
