Summer camp: Bugs, nature, loud kids, relieved parents, staff, bonfires, s'mores, rain, heat and no air conditioning. Even though these words are not what the actual definition of camp is, this list encompasses what most people think about when they think of summer camp.
What people do not take into consideration is that it is actually the greatest thing. Some people are just not outdoor people. They would rather stay inside maybe with a nice book or movie and be content. I am one of those people. Except at camp.
I am a camp counselor and have been for two years now. It has been one of the most challenging and yet rewarding things to happen to me. There are the weeks where you are dreading counseling and you just might break down and there are the ones that you look forward to all summer. There are kids you can't wait to see and others that challenge you all week.
Two problems arise as a counselor of a summer camp. One, you get burnt out. You are there for the whole summer. You have to give as much enthusiasm to the last week as you did the first week. It is one of the hardest things to do when all you want to do is sleep.
The people that come to camp are expecting a great week and you have to provide it. The energy of the volunteers that show up week to week and also that of the campers. They are the greatest motivation to be enthusiastic.
The second challenge: going and doing. It sounds easy enough, however as a counselor, you get thrust into the spotlight more than most. Campers look to you for something to do, advice or even as a mentor. Being the person that gets to do something first is not the greatest place to be, but you just have to let go.
If you look foolish, it might make that shy 12-year-old a little less worried about how silly they will look. No one really likes to be embarrassed especially in front of people they just met.
The experience is great and I love that I get to handle situations that demand more of me than I thought I could handle. The best part about summer camp though is the campers. When you can sit and have a conversation with a 16-year-old about their life and find out what makes them happy and unique and just an amazing person, it is the greatest thing.
When you can help a person with disabilities accomplish a goal or even a simple task, it is the greatest feeling. Because you have an impact. It shows them that someone cares, that someone has a genuine interest in them and sometimes that is all anyone needs. The knowledge that they are cared for and that they matter. They do not know how great they are yet, and they might not ever know until you tell them.
Being tired just goes with being a camp counselor. It is the nature of the job you entertain, interact with and generally lead campers eight weeks of the summer. It is a 23-hour-a-day job. It will get tiring. It will feel like too much. The campers are what push you through, though. They are the ones that keep pulling me back in, because it is the hardest thing to not be pulled into their excitement for camp.
