Sometimes on camp, despite best efforts, things don't always go as planned. There can be various reasons for this and some you can predict and account for; others you can't. A simple example is with swimming: if there is a thunderstorm, we need to clear the water and can't allow swimming until 30 minutes after the storm has cleared. This does happen quite often, so we have board games etc to keep the kids amused. As weather has been up and down at the moment - from very cold to hot (32oC was the peak) and a lot of rain - backup plans are a must.
One such example of something not going to plan was after my last day off. Our days off work by giving us a consecutive 24 hours (7pm to 7pm) off camp. For my first one, a group of us split a cheap motel (imagine EVERY cliche and movie scene featuring an American motel, and you would get the idea of the place we stayed at). We had a few drinks, a nice meal and spent the next day at the mall shopping and abusing the free wifi. It was great to spend time with people, recharge, and temporarily escape the camp bubble. I am currently on my second day off as I post this - and my main aim is to stream the extended highlights of the British Grand Prix (the advantage of being on camp is that it is super easy to avoid the result. Thank you camp bubble) over free wifi in Starbucks.
DEFINITION: Camp Bubble (noun): Being so totally immersed in camp life that news from the outside world cannot penetrate into camp, with only news and gossip from camp being known about. Can be strengthened by a poor internet connection and limited time spent outside of camp.
After returning from camp on day off number one, I returned to work assisting the bunk. We had fishing planned for the kids that evening. It's usually pretty fun to do, albeit a bit of a hassle, and the kids were very excited for it. As a lifeguard, I gave the safety talk about how to behave on the fishing dock to keep them all safe - but sometimes stuff happens that you just can't prepare for. After literal seconds of being on the dock, one of the kids discovers a bee hive in a corner of the dock. Bollocks. Obviously we can't stay on the dock because, well, bees... After getting them off the dock, needless to say we had 6 very disappointed kids. I sat them down and apologised to them - explaining why we couldn't fish and how we will plan something else. Things then went from bad to worse and literally every kid started playing up - arguing with me, with each other and generally trying to do whatever the hell they wanted. Imagine "but I wanted to go fishing", "you lied to us, you promised. I'm not going back to the tent until we go fishing" and a lot of other comments definitely not suitable for camp - as well as the campers letting out their frustrations on each other. I had 6 kids to manage, and really struggled to manage them all at once. After all, I could only listen, speak to and work with one at a time. For the first time ever, I had to briefly walk away for a few moments, because I could really feel myself getting frustrated by it all.
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| The fishing dock in question... |
But, we all learn. Reflecting back, I think I handled the situation well. At the time, I jreally felt I had let the tent down. I promised them fishing, I couldn't give them fishing and had lost their trust. But there was nothing I could have done with regards to the fishing - and it took me a while to reflect on that. I felt there was room to improve on the aftermath of the incident though - especially with how I dealt with the kids misbehaving all at once. I also had a debrief with my co-counsellors for how we could collectively improve. This certainly wasn't the way I wanted to return to camp from my day off - but we can't always prepare for these things. I tried my best, but in this case, I didn't succeed.
I suppose the reason I felt so bad in this instance is because I genuinely care about my campers. I want every single camper, both those in my lessons, my bunk, and otherwise, to have an amazing summer. That is my number one focus this summer. I felt that evening I wasn't able to do the best for my kids that evening, and that I let them down.
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| Batman! |
But, there are times on camp where things just work. A great example of this is superhero day. Both counsellors and campers love this! I mean, strutting round camp wearing a cape is just awesome. Of course, I went as Batman. No brainier really - and he was a popular choice with campers. The whole day was hero themed - with "land" activities in the morning, and swimming in the afternoon. My activity for example was the "Gotham Underground", where new recruits (the campers) had to help Batman (me) by playing games of cards to help infiltrate the gambling ring funding the Joker's crime spree in Gotham City. In reality, this was just the kids playing Uno, but the kids enjoyed it regardless.
The afternoon was spent lifeguarding. Each group had 1 hour each but, as is was a special day, they were given "free swim" and we're able to just swim without having lessons. We also put some music on in the background as an extra treat. Naturally, as I DJ'd (by that I put on an upbeat playlist from my iPhone), the music was just great and helped add to the enjoyment. You know you've hit peak summer camp where your lifeguarding wearing swim shorts and a cape. Of course to normal people I probably looked ridiculous but the kids love that. Plus, I am saving lives (and indeed changing lives) for a living which is kind of a superhero thing to do. Not all superheroes wear capes...
As we near the end of session one, I want to go full out for the children. I feel I have done a very good job so far, both in lessons and with the bunk, but there is always room for improvement. There has been a few days where I hadn't quite been at my best. We all have those days on camp. They are usually caused by a mixture of very long hours, being with the same people nearly 24/7 and indeed the camp bubble. It is perfectly natural, and I have had up days and down days with every job I have ever worked. But, for the sake of the kids, I really want to keep down days to a minimum.Labels: #Camp, #CampLeaders, #camplife, #session1, #Waterfront
