So, camp is now over for 2014. Quite frankly, it was nothing short of incredible. Yes, it was tough at times, but I've gained a lot, met some great friends and had a blast. But, my summer is not quite over yet. Between now and the 3rd of September, I'm going to be travelling round the USA. First, I'll reflect on some of the highs, lows, challenges and learning points on camp.
But first, there is one thing which happened between now and my previous blog post that has literally complete my summer. The name of the mountain where the camp is located is a bit of a giveaway to the main kind of animal that lives there. This mountain is called Bear Mountain. On the 2nd to last full day with the kids, we had a (not so little) visitor at dinner time. This happens periodically (usually at night) but this time I SAW THE BEAR!!!!!!!!!! I SAW A MASSIVE BLACK MOTHER F*CKING BEAR CHILLING ABOUT 30m AWAY FROM ME! THAT IS SO COOL!!!!!! The senior staff all scared it away, as bears can be vicious. The kids were half scared/half excited. Other staff were excited too (despite the fact it could be dangerous) as some have returned year after towards without seeing one. Seeing one during my first summer on camp really was the icing on the cake for me.
Camp is an incredibly diverse place, where I've met some incredible people. From New York to Northampton, London to Leeds, Richmond (N Yorks) to Russia, I now have friends all over the place. I feel I've got to know some close, and it's been a real pleasure to spend the summer together with some. Both my unit and the waterfront get on really well as colleagues and friends. Especially on the waterfront, I've made some really good friends, hence why I'm travelling with 3 other lifeguards after camp.
There are some kids I will remember - both for negative and positive reasons. In session 1, we had some very difficult kids. But, one from my tent was a complete angel. I will always remember him telling me thank you for being a great councillor.
Session 2 had some really great kids also. Most kids in the bunk were just so friendly, but one in particular will really stand out. This kid was really clever, and would always talk to me. He trusted me a lot as well, and told me about how much he loved camp, and how special it made him feel. Unfortunately, that would be his last summer on camp. What I'll really remember is the t-shirt he made and got some councillors and campers to sign. That was really cool.
Session 3's kids were also great. With my 'Little Johns', there were some great moments. No kid stood out, because they were all pretty great. Their level of cuteness was also totally of the scale! I managed to convince them to call me Mr President, which I just loved (if you don't know, I'm actually a massive politics geek, and hope to actually become a British MP one day). I might try and make the nickname stick.
There are many swimmers who I'll always remember - none more so than those in my higher ability groups. The determination of my session 2 uppers girls group was just astonishing. They tried ridiculously hard to improve and succeed. We set them a seemingly impossible task of treading water for a whole 10 minutes. Needless to say, they smashed that.
The number of positive comments I've received over the summer is also been great - and my heart is warmed a little every time I get one. Examples include "thanks for making my summer extra special", to "your lessons have been the best bit of camp. You really are such a good teacher", to "I wish my parents were as kind and fun as you are". This really means a lot to me, as it is the best measure I'm doing my job well. These kids may be from a hard background, so they deserve more than most to be happy. If they are happy, I will be too.
Something I found particularly difficult on camp was challenging behaviour. As much as I've worked with children before, I have not had to deal with challenging behaviour like this before. Being from underprivileged backgrounds, they haven't been brought up the same way as you or I. Many struggle with authority, lack basic life skills and see fighting and arguments as normal. Particularly early on, I really struggled with this. But, towards the end, I feel I've really improved in the general councillor aspect of my role. I developed a good cop bad cop attitude - fun and friendly when they behave, but really firm when their behaviour is poor. Most realise which side of me they prefer, but I still feel I struggle with those that won't listen regardless. But, it is a start, and a vast improvement from the start of the summer.
At times, I do question whether working at a camp like this was a good idea. I could have chosen 'normal' camps over this - IE one with far better facilities, better behaviour and one where I would have had an easier time. But, I also constantly remind myself why I chose to work at an underprivileged camp. I could have been working with rich, middle class Americans, who don't appreciate things at all, and who just expect things on a plate. But, I chose to work with those with very little in life. Me teaching them to swim, means a lot to them; being in an environment where they feel safe, loved and can have fun, means a lot to them; being able to be a child, really means a lot to them. Yes, they are hard; Yes, they can be stressful; Yes, they are a challenge - but they deserve this more than anyone. There are over 23,000 homeless children in New York City right now - a number close to the population of my hometown of Northallerton - a statistic that is scarily high. Being able to give about 300 of them 16 days each away from all of that is incredible, and I feel immensely proud of that. That, is exactly why I chose to work on this camp.
I would say camp has showed me what real work is, except it hasn't at all. Yes, it is a job where I'm working 15 hours a day. At times it is stressful, challenging and very tiring. But, that all does not matter. One of my favourite sayings is "Find a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life". This is certainly the case here. Quite frankly, I've had an amazing summer, and would love to do this all over again next year. If camp offers me a job next year, I will take it without a doubt. To every single person on camp who has truly made my time on camp amazing, thank you.
This summer all started with a chance email from my uni, telling me that Camp Leaders were giving a talk about working in America for the summer. Oh how things would have been different if I didn't open that email...
