Every summer a flock of college students heads back to their hometowns to get a job to earn back all the money they spent on late night Cook Out trays and milkshakes.
Some go back to their high school jobs, some get internships and remain poor and some, like myself, become a camp counselor.
At first I was very unsure of myself; I’m not usually a big fan of kids. I attended this very camp as a child and applied to the job on a whim while applying for a million other summer jobs and internships. Some little voice told me that I should apply. I filled out an application, sent it in, got a phone interview (which I completed on Sanford Mall because I had nowhere else to do it). On April 20th I was sitting in my friend’s room and my phone rang. It was the human resources head from the camp. And I got it.
Now, going into the first day of training, I wasn’t entirely sure of what to expect. My co-counselors were either veterans from the year before or new and huddled in the corner like me, terrified. Training entailed not only how to lead arts and crafts, but how to get picky eaters to try new foods, dealing with homesickness and killing the occasional moth in the outdoor bathrooms.
Before my first campers came, I was convinced I was going to kill them all on accident, but I didn’t.
After that first group, I was a pro. I felt prepared for most scraped knees and crying eyes. What I wasn’t prepared for was children waking me up at 2 a.m. to ask if they can use the bathroom or the fact that I would fall in love with not only camp life and campfire cookouts, but the kids I met every week at the start of a new session.
Every counselor has a child, or two, or three that impacts them in a way that gives them hope for the future generations and makes them feel they have become a camper once again. I owe these girls my summer. I felt carefree away from cell phone reception, my school obligations, and my usual group of friends. These girls reminded me of why I loved camp so much as a kid and why I was back.
The end of my time as a counselor met me with some strong emotions. Despite all the bug bites I got from the super-mosquitoes, I learned more about looking into myself and just being one with the world and people around me.
I was able to unplug for the summer, something I’m not sure I’m ever going to be able to do again. I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity I had and the people I met. I don’t regret one thing, not even the lack of sleep.