My Camp Leaders journey first began when I submitted my first-timer application back in October 2013 and after a 1 year gap, on the 12th of June, exactly 2 years after I departed for the states for the very time, I'll be heading back. The visa is confirmed, the back is packed and I'll I now need to do is make it to Heathrow on time!
For those who don't know, or have blocked me on social media (it was done last time round because I was making people so jealous, they actually couldn't cope), I am a little bit obsessed with camp. So obsessed with it, I ended up getting a part-time job with Camp Leaders. If you have been to camp before, you just 'know' why. There is a term camp counsellors use called camp sickness. Like homesickness, camp sickness is where you miss, and long to return to, summer camp. Symptoms usually include browsing endlessly through photos of camp, liking/retweeting every post on the Camp Leaders Facebook/Twitter/Instagram pages and raondomly singing camp songs at spontaneous opportunities (thankfully I've never done that one...)
Camp for me satisfies three things I love in life: travel, felling like I am doing the right thing and swimming. Yes, it is actually really tough and the pay isn't exactly the salary I had at the bank, but hey, I'm happy.
Feeling like you're making a difference is a big plus of camp. Admittedly, there are some selfish reasons for going to camp (and I'd be lying if I said that wasn't the case for me), but the difference between a mediocre and a great camp counsellor is that a great one will be focused on giving the kids an amazing summer. They are the ones that don't mind being a bit silly, that make sure their activities are fun and always remain enthusiastic. We may not always get it right, and I certainly didn't in my first summer and certainly won't this one, but you try. If I could give any advice to any camp counsellor starting for the first time it would be to absolutely throw yourself into camp. If the kids are having a great summer, you will too!
The fact I get to swim all summer too is a big bonus. I have been swimming for a club for over 11 years now, so there must be something in the water (and I don't mean kid pee...) I still try and swim regularly (although not as much as I'd have liked given I've been working full time for the past year) and swim for my university - even competing at the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) nationals each year at Ponds Forge in Sheffield (although given some swimmers there will be at Rio this summer, completing is the wrong word given how far off their pace I am). That's one of the great things about camp. There are hundreds of skills you can possibly list on your Camp Leaders profile, and I've interviewed everyone from Archers to Zumba instructors. You get to do all the activities the campers are doing, or in the case of specialists, spend the day doing what you love. And you're doing it in America, in the sun, and getting a little bit of money to boot. Win.
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| Hardly a bad place to spend the summer swimming is it....? |
Now, to the more selfish motive I'm taking about - travel. Don't get me wrong, this should not be the primary reason for going to camp - but it's a pretty good secondary reason. For me, traveling after camp felt a little like the after party. Camp is great in its own right, but travelling afterwards is awesome too. There are lots of reasons why travel is a great thing, whether it be seeing new things, or simple escapism. This year, my travel plans are more set than previous, as I'm booked onto a tour. Ill be travelling for 3 weeks this time, starting in New York. I'll then be heading to San Francisco and driving to Los Angeles via places like Yosemite, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon - and of course I'll be posing about it when the time comes.
Before then, I have got the small matter of finishing off my work placement. In the mean time, I've also invested in a new set of Lonely Planet guidebooks to get me even more excited. So then, my summer sounds like it's going to be rather exciting! Just 7 more days to go, then I'll be back in the US of A baby!Labels: #Camp, #CampLeaders, #countdown, #Memories, #reflection, #Travel
