The picture above, is a long-haired, younger version of me. I was 18, just graduated from high school, and in the middle of my first summer at Camp Bishopswood. Many people who know me are also aware of the fact that for the last several years, I have worked at summer camp. When people ask, I often say something like "I work at a really great camp called Camp Bishopswood, it's right outside of Camden, Maine." When I give this answer, I always feel as though I am doing the greatest injustice to an incredible camp.
As a young kid, the only camps that I ever attended were soccer camps. I was in love with the sport and wanted nothing more than to become a professional when I got older. I was also the kid who would go to a sleep over and when bedtime came closer, I needed to get out of there and back home. It took a long time for me to become comfortable with sleepovers (unless I was with cousins, those usually ended up going pretty well). Due to these factors, I never pushed my parents to let me go to a traditional summer camp. I was very content spending my summers with my brothers and friends.
It was not until the winter of 2008 (my senior year) that I really became interested in working at camp. At the time, I worked at a seafood restaurant as a waiter. The job was definitely rewarding financially, but there was just something missing. One night, some of my friends (one of whom played a big role in getting me to camp, I'll get to that later) who had worked at Camp Bishopswood were going back and forth with stories from the previous summer. As I listened, I wanted more and more to be a part of this. When I got home, I just wanted to learn more about camp.
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I cut my hair mid-summer |
My first summer was an absolute whirlwind. I knew a couple people on staff the first summer, but for the most part I was pretty disconnected as far as camp was concerned. As I arrived, I was greeted warmly and introduced to people. As a shy person by nature, I do not think that I would be characterized as a typical "camp person." The first day was not an easy one for me. I went to bed thinking "did I make the right choice coming here?" and "I hope that they like me!" As staff training progressed, clear effort was made to incorporate the new staff members, so I progressively felt a greater sense of belonging. As I was going to bed on the second night, a guy named Cullen came in the cabin and told me that a bunch of people were gathered up the hill and that I should come along. I was so happy to be included! Cullen and I became fast friends and from that point on any thoughts of doubt that I had were swept away!
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B-Wood Staff 2008 |
1. Slackers will be exposed
At camp, unlike some jobs, you can't have a bad day. When I was in high school, if I woke up feeling under the weather or lazy (which happened a lot as a senior), I could mail that day in and coast through with minimal effort. Being a naturally intelligent student, I didn't always have to try super hard in order to get reasonably good grades in school, so unless I was challenged by a teacher, my efforts were often sub-standard. Once I got to camp, this changed dramatically. I wanted to be the best counselor I could be, so I pushed myself to create fun, engaging activities for the kids. If I had offered an activity without any prior planning, the campers would have known. I finally had a place where I was held accountable for my efforts and because of that, I was able to thrive in that atmosphere. This preparation and dedication to my work, carried over to college, where I was able to apply myself and have great success in the classroom.
2. Camp is a place for my best self
In a place where I felt so much safety from my peers, I was able to loosen up and take chances that helped me learn about my best self. At camp, I was able to learn to become more outgoing, responsible, and respectful of my co-workers and the campers. As an athlete in high school, I felt that there were expectations of my actions, and lived my life very much according to those imaginary guidelines. While I was at camp, I was able to reflect on some of those behaviors and change myself for the better. I was able to use camp to solidify my goals as a person and make safe decisions in the future. I give camp a lot of credit in helping make me the person that I am today.
3. It's a place for everyone
This is one thing that I loved (and still love) about camp. Our new camp director often says "there are two types of people, one person is great for camp and for the other, camp is great for them." In either part of that scenario, as long as someone is at camp, they are bettering themselves. At our camp, we stress the fact that all kids (and counselors) are able to succeed. We have had campers from all types of religions and backgrounds, and for the most part, they leave camp with an amazing experience. I really love that we strive to achieve high levels of inclusion whether it is playing sports or having a conversation at the dinner table. I have gotten to meet kids who don't have the best school experience (which is really sad) and arrive at camp each summer and because there are people making an effort to get to know who's inside, they reach rock star status. Watching timid campers grow in confidence throughout the summer is one of my favorite things to witness.
4. Friendships last forever
Bishopswood people are an amazing breed. My first summer on staff, I made friends with several people who had a long history at camp (making the progression from counselor to camper). The values that camp instilled within them, makes them such great friends. I still maintain contact with many of the people that I worked with seven years ago and in fact, spend a lot of time with a few of them a lot outside of camp. In September, I was at a birthday party for one of my close camp friends, Ben, with a number of old and current staff members. I never had the chance to work with some of the people there, but having camp as a common ground was a great ice breaker. Whether we know it or not, the things that we have learned from camp have translated through generations of counselors.
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Generations of Camp Staff! |
When I first got to camp, I was concerned that I would miss the things at home too much. I thought about my friends and family, and all the things that they would be doing over the summer that I wouldn't get to be a part of. At first, this was difficult, but as I got more comfortable with camp, those thoughts were pushed further and further into the back of my mind. At camp, I got to play sports every day, eat amazing meals, live on a beautiful lake, and make sensational new friendships. Once I leave camp, I get to hear the stories of the summer from my friends, and I am sad that I missed out, but I also know that I love what I do at camp. There are few things more rewarding than being able to lift a camper's spirits or teaching them new skills. Campers need great counselors, and there is not a place (in my own humble opinion that has better ones than Bishopswood). I relish my minimal amounts of time off during the summer, but I love what I do in the summers and am so grateful to have such a wonderful second home.
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Pretty gorgeous, huh? |
Until next time!
*For those of you who are wondering, Amy and I made it through that first summer and are currently happily dating. There are so many great things to say about her, that she will have her own blog soon!
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