I'm Doing Great

As a previous camper in 1993, and having not returned to camp until this Summer, I had a difficult transition to make. Being placed in a leadership position as demanding as Boy’s Head Counselor increased the difficulty ten-fold. Now I find myself in my 6^th week here and I couldn’t feel more comfortable. Part of the reason is the great training, another is the immense help of the staff, but the main reason is the spirit of the campers. The returning campers take the new campers under their wings and guide them around camp. The older kids guide the younger kids, the English speakers help the English as a second language campers and so on and so forth. I don’t have to pull kids out of their cabins because they are already having a blast at their activity. The camp songs come natural, the programs are well-planned and taking in the scenery here is an activity all in itself. Everyone feels at home here. This session in particular, there are several campers joining us from other countries. While they may love playing soccer at home, I see many of them eager to try new things and make new friends. Just last night I dealt with a camper that has never been away from home before. He was feeling stressed, scared, and home-sick, all perfectly natural. He came to me asking to go home. The camper talked for two hours with their counselor and I and then participated in the nightly gathering with the cabin. This morning I watched him help me teach other campers the basics of fishing, hit the target in archery, and organize a rope swinging competition outside his cabin. When I asked him how he felt now, he replied, “I’m doing great.”