This summer I went to a summer camp hoping I was going to change peoples' lives but what I didn't realize was how drastically my life would be changed. I worked at Wonderland Camp which is a camp designed for people of all ages with disabilities. I met over one thousand incredible human beings. My coworkers, the campers and the families of the campers changed my life for the better.
I did things I have never seen even imagined myself doing. I laughed. I smiled. I cried. It was not easy and I'll never tell you it was. This job required me to move two and a half hours away from my family two days after I graduated high school. It was the farthest I have ever driven and I had no idea what the job was going to entail. Being away from home and my family the summer before I moved away for college was not easy, but the experience was incredible.
I got to go on boat rides, dress up, go to a dance every Thursday, and make life-long friends. I learned life lessons and was involved in some of the longest days of the shortest summer.
This job made me a part of something bigger than myself. I became a hygiene expert in three days. I learned how to brush others' teeth, shower people from head to toe, and shave another girl's legs. I became a DJ. I got to download a bunch of music on my phone and blast it in my cabin at all times. I became an artist. I made awards weekly to show my campers how much they mean to us and let me tell you, I pretty proud of some of my awards. I became even more of a photographer. The amount of pictures I have with my campers could fill three scrapbooks easily. I became a security guard. I learned how to have fun while keeping 10 campers safe at the same time. I learned how to be flexible. Camp taught me that plans can change in two seconds and you just have to go with the flow. I became a cheerleader. I can't even count the amount of times I had a sore throat Thursday mornings from screaming at the talent show Wednesday night. I became a best friend to so many people. (Thanks Amanda and LT for these job descriptions)
After so, so many weeks of debating whether this job was the greatest idea, I am so happy I showed up that Sunday for training. It was the best decision I've ever made. The people I met and the memories made are absolutely incredible. The name of the camp I worked at for eleven weeks was Wonderland Camp and let me just say, it definitely is Wonderland.
