Once upon a time, I wanted to go to summer camp, but my family couldn't afford to send me. So I found a way to go on my own: as a unit aide.
What I didn't know was that I wasn't just a camper with some power. Nope - I was staff. That week as a 15-year-old aide was one of the worst of my life. But the power of summer camp drew me back in for a second summer, and it became one of the best weeks of my life. The next two summers after, I was full-time paid staff. Seven and a half weeks of pure summer fun.
Giant Slip N Slide, 2012
Sure, there was a manual where I could find emergency procedures, how to identify poison ivy and ticks, etc., but there were also the things no one told me explicitly - things I had to learn on my own; things I am going to share with you now.
1. For staff, it's no sleep city.
Sure, your campers are in bed by ten. You, however, are debating with yourself on whether or not to finish your friendship bracelet, organize your stuff, or take a shower. Either way, though, you have to wait around for your supervisor to come around and change the battery on your radio (For you non-camp people, that's the kind you communicate with, not listen to music on). Sure, not everyone has to wait around for the battery, but you all do, out of kindness and respect for one another. Then, in the morning, you're up by five or six so you can start getting campers up at 6:15 (at the latest!) so you can be at your pre-breakfast activity by 7 a.m.
2. You will learn to eat things you don't like
Don't like chicken patties? or biscuits and gravy? Well, suck it up buttercup because those hours between meals are gonna be pretty darn torturous if you don't fuel up now. Yes - a sunbutter (PB made of sunflower seeds, not peanuts) and jelly sandwich is always an option, but it will inevitably start a chain reaction of every kid at your table wanting one, which will turn you into the SB & Jelly chef which will lead to you trying to scarf down your own sandwich while everyone else starts to clean up. (This doesn't always happen, but it was often a risk I was not willing to take unless a camper was going to hungry without one)
Charlotte-Davis Lake, 2013
3. Your attitude is everything.
If you start cook-out night with the attitude that trying to teach a group of 7-9 year olds how to start a fire and cook English muffin pizzas over it and get it eaten and cleaned up and everybody to the fire circle for the all-camp activity on time is going to be impossible - you're inevitably going to be late for the activity and still have some dishes to wash when you get back. But, if you think about it as a fun challenge that will be a good bonding experience for you and your campers (both with you and one another) then it will most likely turn out that way.
Camper (and staff!) chalk creations, 2014
4. It is the hardest job
You have to somehow manage to control a classroom-sized group of kids and get them from points a to b while making sure that one isn't being a bully and this one isn't homesick and no, even if you insert bodily harm here we will not send you home, and yes, you need to drink your water or you'll get sick in this heat, all while trying to take care of yourself in these aspects too! Hence why it is a total team effort - if you're short even one staff member, it's noticeable. And like I said - you're running on a max six hours of sleep.
5. It is the best job ever
You are going to be exhausted, frustrated, mosquito-bitten, possibly sunburned, and just overall not in a great situation to be in a good mood. But you will be - because aside from all of that, you're spending 24/6 (if you also have Saturdays off, as I did) with people who started as strangers but turned into your family. You're surrounded by kids, and kids are often so funny, so upbeat that it's hard to feel anything less around them. There may be times when you're thinking about how grossly underpaid you are, but mostly - you'll be incredulous that you are lucky enough to be paid to have that much fun.
