The 5 Best Things about being a Camp Counsellor
The Parent Trap, Wet Hot American Summer, and Beaver Falls: summer camps are something so unique to America that it intrigues the rest of the world so much that they need to make films and TV shows about them.
This summer, it intrigued me enough to venture 3000 miles away from Scotland to Maine, USA to work as a camp counsellor at an all-girls summer camp. From the constant sunshine to the seaside day-trips, I have finally managed to compile my experience into five of the best things about working in a summer camp.
#1 You get the honour of shopping at Walmart
I know that a supermarket probably shouldn’t have made such an impact on my experience so as to make it on to this list, but Walmart is definitely an exception. You can literally get anything you want there, from steak to laptops to camping equipment. I once saw a 2kg bag of pretzel M&Ms.
It’s not just a shop, but an experience.
(https://www.businessroundtable.org/policy-perspectives/energy-environment/sustainability/walmart)
#2 The food is amazing
Every Monday we got Dunkin’ Donuts for breakfast and every Saturday we got S’mores on an open campfire; the food at camp was so good!
From Taco Tuesdays to Sundae Sundays, food was definitely part of the culture of the camp. I tried everything from sloppy joes to corndogs: American food did not disappoint.
(my own picture)
#3 You meet amazing people
Camps require literally hundreds of people to make sure it runs smoothly for the summer – my camp consisted of approximately 300 people. You interact with so many different ages and cultures and genuinely make life-long friends there. I’m hopefully going to visit one of my best friends that I met there in Australia next summer.
There’s no point in denying that some days can be tough, especially being so far away from home. But camp has such a strong support network that I never felt alone, there was always someone to speak to, or always something to do to cheer me up. The people that I worked with and the kids that I taught genuinely made the experience for me.
#4 The weather
Most summer camps tend to be in the north-east of the USA and therefore have a pretty warm climate. I loved being at camp because I was able to be outdoors constantly, and do activities such as paddle boarding on the lake or water-skiing (also the tan was amazing).
(my own picture)
#5 You get to visit America
The sadness of leaving camp is quickly replaced by the excitement of exploring the rest of America after you leave. Most summer camps are in the north-east of the USA, so New York, Boston and Philadelphia were just some of the main cities that most of us visited. With the J-1 visa, you have a 30-day grace period after you finish camp to travel.
(my own pictures)
Camp not only lets you experience living in the state that you’re in, but also gives you the opportunity to travel and try so many activities that I wouldn’t have been able to do here. I highly recommend doing camp to anyone who wants to experience a summer camp, travel the USA, and wants to push themselves outside of their comfort zone: it’s an all-round amazing experience!