Late To Camp, Right On Time

Growing up, I never went to a summer camp, not because I didn’t want to, but because my family could never have afforded to send me to camp for a week. I did want to go to summer camp; however, I accepted the fact that I would not be able to do this.  

Last summer, after a month of working in a restaurant, I was very unhappy and did not want a repeat of the miserable, sweaty summer like the year before. I started looking into jobs that are meant for college students with a background in childhood education because I knew that this would ultimately make me have a good summer while also making money. 

Some of the jobs included daycare workers, afterschool teachers, teacher aids, and daycare aids, all of which were far away from my tiny little town. Then I saw summer camps listed as a job that would be beneficial to a college student majoring in education. However, this was just a day camp and not a sleepaway camp and putting all those miles on my car was not going to be worth it.  

I started researching overnight summer camps and applied to a few, some that were pretty far away and others within close proximity. Within a few days, I heard back from Cradle Beach, a summer camp on Lake Erie, in Angola, NY, that was intended for kids with disabilities. 

I had an interview on Zoom and was hired at the end of Zoom; however, the starting date was a week and a half away, and I hadn’t even put in my two weeks’ notice’ from my other job, honestly, probably because I did not expect to get hired so quickly. I knew this was going to be a problem.

After talking to a few people about my options of either staying at the restaurant that made me miserable or starting to work at the summer camp with less than two weeks’ notice, I decided to do what was best for me and take the summer camp job. I knew it would be better than working in a restaurant. But what I didn’t know was that this camp would change my life for the better. 

I spent the days finding sea glass on the beach with kids, swimming three times a day, playing on the playground, listening to music, doing karaoke, and creating memories for the kids that I never got to experience as a child. I now know the reason I never went to camp as a child was because of my calling to be a camp counselor that all the kids would enjoy being around. 

After spending eight weeks at the camp, I created long-lasting memories with other camp counselors as well as memories that the kids will never forget. Looking back now, I do not feel bad about leaving my job earlier than two weeks’ notice because I knew the choice I was making was the right thing for me to do. So, if you are reading this and torn between two decisions, go with what your heart desires because if you don’t, you might just regret it one day. 

• #beach
• #camp
• #Friendship
• love