Around this time last year, a friend from home texted me about a summer job; she asked if I would be interested in lifeguarding with her at a summer camp. I think my exact response was "haha, yeah." I never went to this summer camp when I was a kid, I knew some of the previous lifeguards and figured I had no chance of getting the job, and so I really didn't take her offer very seriously. Later in the year, I decided to apply just for the heck of it. I had more realistically been planning on bartending and lifeguarding at the good old YMCA as I had the summer previously. I actually got a phone call back, and was able to set a date for a phone interview, as I was at college. I didn't think the interview went very well, and so I was very surprised when a few weeks later, I received a call that I got the job. My friend had also gotten the job, and we decided to do it. I figured, why not? I never would've been able to guess how important that job could be to me. After one summer at camp, I fell in love. So to encourage others to go out of their comfort zones and go to camp and dream big, here's a list of my favorite things about camp.
1. The kids love you.
Seriously, kids look up to camp counselors/staff so much, it's amazing. From the babies who came with their families to the boys who were seniors in high school at their last year of camp, they all enthusiastically enjoyed spending time with us. I had a 3 year old secret admirer who made me a giant cookie, which I ate for breakfast the very same day. What is better than the love of a child?
2. The views are amazing.
From someone who has stood on top of a mountain in California and looked at all the glory of the world, I can honestly say that there are few places as beautiful as a summer camp. When you're sitting on the dock after a big storm watching the sunset with your coworkers, and the sky is everything from pink to yellow to orange to red, there are limited competing sights.
3. Staff bonding never ends.
When you live on an island for a summer, you spend an entire summer with your coworkers. Literally 24/7. While some people would think this sounds like a nightmare, it's actually pretty amazing. Being able to spend that much time with people forces you to get to know them, and I can bet that 9/10 times you'll be pleasantly surprised. I mean, where else can you jump into a lake in your underwear after knowing your coworkers for less than a week?
4. You get the best bosses there are.
Camp people are never the "same person" because they are all so unique, which is what makes it such an experience. This summer, I had about five bosses/superiors who were on the island pretty frequently. Being at camp, you go from being complete strangers to, as one of my bosses would say, "a slightly above platonic relationship" very quickly, because you'll find yourself sitting around until 3 am on the lanai talking about everything from ghost stories to where you most want to travel or what you want to do with your life.
5. You meet some of the best people there are.
When you're given the age range of less than a year to 80 some years old, you're likely to meet a variety of people. From grandparents to toddlers, I definitely met an array of people, and I can't believe how lucky I am to know them all. When you spend a week continuously with the same people, you can learn a lot about them. I did everything from playing poker until 5 am to waking up at 6 am to do some yoga on the dock, and in all of that time I met some of my favorite people. Maybe camp encourages people to be more outgoing, or just simply lets people be who they are. Whatever the reasoning, I think some of the best relationships in my life are from my summer at camp.
6. You learn to focus on the moment.
When I was at camp, my phone was on my bed, in my cabin, where I spent relatively little of my time ( I really just slept and changed there). Save for a few occasions where I carried my phone on me (like the time there was a giant storm and they had to take a tree that was about to fall on our cabin down), I never even thought of who was texting me or what was going on beyond camp. The independence of not carrying my phone with me allowed me to totally live in the moment. Seriously, I don't think I've ever been so into the present and unconcerned about the future. It's amazing. The release of technology and social media made me focus on the people who were around me and the place I was, and I believe that is true freedom.
7. You learn a new way of life.
While for some people camp is just a place, for me, it was a way of life. I feel genuinely changed for the better after my summer at camp. Camp to me meant going beyond who I normally was and reaching my full potential. At camp, I felt like I was increasing my opportunities for things I could do. Not only was I a lifeguard, but I became a friend, a real, lifelong friend.
I can never put into words how lucky I am to have spent my summer at Camp Onaway. I believe that every child/person should have the opportunity to participate in a camp setting to some extent. This is a thank you to everyone who impacted my time at camp, and a thank you to the island itself for being my home. "I'll be back someday, up to Onaway..."
