The Second Summer

Hello to all of my fellow camp counselors!

As I have stated many times in this blog, I just finished my second summer as a counselor at the same camp. During my interview, I was told that it would be a challenge. I was warned that it would feel weird. I was promised that I would compare, and it wouldn't seem to match up. But, of course, I did not believe them AT ALL. 'It's not even really my second summer, technically it's my eleventh. And besides, last summer was a huge challenge, this one will be a breeze. They don't really know'. Boy, was I mistaken.

The second summer was a hundred times harder then the first. This was despite the fact that the staff, as a whole, were much more cohesive this year. But for some reason, I couldn't stop comparing. So that's my first bit of advise, try not to compare. Each year is going to be different, so take them each separately. Your new staff family will not be like the previous year. There will be new faces, new personalities, and new drama. Be open to all of it, and don't get hung up on the differences. Also, constantly talking about the past summer with returning staff really feeds this problem. You get sucked into the problems of the past, instead of being a part of the successes of the present.

Once you've stopped comparing, if you're like me, you might still not want to let go of "how things have always been". For example, at the end of campfire, we sing a slow song, and in the past the staff have gone up to the front of the fire. This year, counselors stayed out with their kids. This may not seem like a big deal, in fact, I ended up liking the change. But for the first few weeks, it felt like a disrespect. I had to learn to love new traditions, and be willing to be flexible. Camp is always changing, and it is time to accept that.

I thought camp was going to be a breeze this summer, as a returning counselor. What I didn't realize is that I would have new challenges, involving an older age group to work with, a new teaching position in our program, and the general struggles of eleven weeks at camp. As a second year counselor, try to come in with a positive, wiser attitude.  Expect challenges, and use the skills you learned last year to face them with success, instead of being shocked when they arrived. Otherwise, you're in for a reality check.

In the end, my second summer was even better then my first. I believe a lot of that is attributed to the challenges I met, because I gained so much from overcoming them. I knew what to expect, I was given new responsibilities and I felt more effective with my campers. And in the end, that's what it is all about.

You are amazing!
Samantha