For the past four summers, I have been under the sun and running up hills being a squirrel. Yes, a squirrel, because at my camp, each group of kids is named after a wilderness animal and I happened to be the counselor for the 7 year old squirrels.
In my hometown, this camp that I have gone to since I was a child has been a staple for the kids around me and is the coveted summer job once you turn 16. After 11years spent there and the summer quickly approaching us, I reflect on the many lessons I learned while being a counselor.
Lesson 1: every day is different
My camp has had the same schedule everyday since I began going there all the way back in 2015. With this simple routine, you would expect the same things would happen everyday. We would start the day with swim lessons, then go to assembly, head over to some activities, see all our friends at lunch, take a midday nap in the cabin, go to two more activities, and then head home for the day. Yet even with this routine that I can easily list right off the top of my head, it is not as simple as that because there is always a surprise. One morning, my group got pranked with water balloons, so we begin to create a plan to get back at the mischievous older kids. The next day, we went on a treasure hunt because someone left a mysterious clue in our cabin.
But, even with all the rapid changes happening throughout the day, not all your campers will adapt as smoothly as you will be able to. That’s where I think the most important skill you can have as a counselor comes in: Patience. And lots of it. Sometimes, you will have to be compassionate to a camper who misses their older sibling or is scared to try and play basketball with a new group of friends because they don’t think they are good at it. As a counselor, you have to be there for every single one of your campers and build a relationship of a trust with them from the second they step on the campground. Being able to adapt to the good and bad moments in the safety of a campground strengthens you as a person far beyond these small scenarios because you will gain the ability to overcome challenges, solve problems, and think on your feet, from the most simple to the most daunting challenges that come your way.Â
Lesson 2: The counselors will be your best friends for life
Amy, Zoe, Haley, and Maggie.
Amy, I met when I was 11, sitting at the arts and crafts table making string bracelets. Maggie, I knew from preschool, and have gone to camp with her ever since. Zoe, I met through learning our drama dance when we were 12. And Haley, I met when I was a first-year counselor because the sessions we went to as kids never overlapped.
These girls I met either as a camper or as a counselor have become irreplaceable people in my life. I know I can always go up to them when I need help dealing with a tough situation or go and grab ice cream after a long muggy day and tell funny stories about our experiences, or dance in the rain when the thunder gets loud. We make sure to stay connected during the times we are not at camp, by going on trips, baking cookies at one of our houses, or FaceTiming while we are at our separate colleges. The bonds you create with people you work with at camp are relationships that are truly unique, and I would never trade the experiences and memories I’ve had with these girls for anything in the world. Â
Lesson 3: The magic is within the campers
As we grow up, we start to look at the world differently, and I sometimes feel that I have lost the magic of wonder and awe of the world we live in. Our camp is no castle — it’s a few old cabins in the woods along a large, sloping hill. When I wait along the side of the pond to catch a frog with my group of laughing and smiling kids, I remember that these small joys of finally catching those slippery frogs or being able to skip a rock three times is what makes up our childhood, and we shouldn’t forget these small moments and victories as we enter adulthood. I’ve learned to always try to find the good in every day at camp, and I try to continue that when I am no longer on the campground.Â
As the semester winds down and the trees begin to grow leaves, the world begins to show that summer is almost here. That means the campers will be racing out of their parent’s cars as they get dropped off on the first day of the summer, excited to be back at a place they call a second home. Even my fellow counselor friends and I will be jumping out of our seats, excited to be back at a such a special place in our hearts, where summer lives on forever.