There is one thing that I truly believe is the hardest part about working at a summer camp. It's not the long hours or the days without sleep, it's not the days where everyone is grumpy or when it does nothing but rain. It's the day coming up when camp end. The time when we all have to say goodbye is the hardest day by far.
When you work at a summer camp, you get really close to those you are working with. You really can't help it because there are things that happen day in and day out that only your fellow staff members will understand. You've been living in the same area with the same people for 10 weeks and it is so hard to say goodbye. Non camp people say I talk about camp way too much but all my camp friends know that it's hard not to get carried away.
There are some staff members that you know you will see again. Maybe they live near you and go to school with you, but a lifestyle you have shared together will soon end. Sometimes there are international staff members, and for me those are the hardest goodbyes. When I think about the last day, it's hard not to cry. I have no idea when I am going to see some of the best people I have met again.
It's hard to leave the people who have learned to understand your body language. We might have a camper who is having a bad day and I can give my co's one look and we will all be on the same page. There are so many inside jokes about camp that won't be as funny without your fellow staff members. Who will laugh with you about the time a camper said something that didn't make sense? You definitely miss the camp staff.
You also loose the people who understand the dilemma of showering or sleeping. The one who will know why you chose to go to bed instead of taking your hour break. Camp has a very different lifestyle than the real world and it is hard to transition. Sometimes, I just want my camp friends because they know the lifestyle and will not ask questions.
I do not want to think about the end of camp. I make it a goal not to cry but it's the toughest part. There have been bad days at camp and there have been days where we all hate each other. However by the end there is a bond that is unexplainable and I know I'm going to miss the people I've spent the whole summer with. I've never been great at goodbyes and camp goodbyes are some of the hardest. We have hopes of traveling and seeing each other again but the truth is that no one knows what the future holds. So to all my fellow staff mates- know how much you mean to me and how much I will miss you.
