Camp Positives

I realise my recent updates haven't been the most positive in the world.  I've tried to end on a good note, and I've simply been honest, but still...not especially positive.  I haven't had chance to update my blog much, but I  decided I needed to come on here and give a post entirely dedicated to the absolutely wonderful, positive things that happen at camp!

• The staff.  The people here at camp are just amazing.  They have so much love and passion that they bring to this camp, and it truly shows.  We might all be here from different corners of the globe, from different backgrounds, different ages but...we're all here for the same reason, to do the same thing - bring joy to the lives of children.  They're all a bunch a crazy, energetic people thrown together for one purpose, and I have to say...I love them all!  We go through so much together here at camp, and we're together 24/7, so you can't help bonding with them.  I feel closer to my camp friends than I do some of my friends from home that I've known for years.  Cheesey, but oh so true!

• The children.  The kids at my camp can be a bit of a handful sometimes, but they're absolutely worth it.  We're here for the inner-city children, the under-privileged children and the ones with mild special needs.  Some days that can be an interesting combination.  Other days it brings you so much more joy that I can't even begin to describe it.  Last week I had a girl in my cabin group who had some pretty obvious special needs.  Her motor skills weren't very good, and her mental age was a lot younger than her biological one.  The other girls (12-13 years old) could have rejected her, could have been irritated her, could have been cruel to her.  Instead she brought the whole group together.  They adored that girl, and did everything they could to help us help her.  If anyone on camp had messed with her, they would have had 6 very angry teenage girls to deal with! 

• The little things.  Things as simple as one of the children in your activity bringing you a flower.  Or giving you one of the things they'd made in Art Expressions.  Or a girl coming back the next week to drop off her sister, and bringing you a picture she'd drawn especially for you - with a letter inside saying how much she missed you.  Or a child spending their "money" (points they'd earned by reading) on candy...then giving half their candy to their counsellors.  Or the catch in a child's voice when they say they don't want camp to EVER end.  Or the hope in their eyes when they ask if you'll be back next year.

• The growth.  This is my first year at this camp, but some of the counsellors or youth leaders have gone through the whole programme.  The youth leader who assisted me in Journalism first came to camp when he was 6 years old.  He's now 17 and will be a cabin counsellor next year.  He hasn't missed a single summer in 11 years.  I might not have seen him grow up, but I can see him, and the others like him, in the determined faces of the children.  The ones who tell me "I want to be a counsellor when I grow up", or "I want to be just like my brother when I grow up" (the little sister of a counsellor who has also been through the entire programme).  I already hope to be here year after year, so I can see these compassionate children, turn into wonderful counsellors.  

• The hugs.  This week I didn't think I'd connected to my girls as much as I had in previous weeks. Maybe I connected to them the same, but I felt since they were older it should have been a better connection?  I'm not sure.  But either way, I didn't think I'd done too well.  Then when it came time for them to go I had endless children (whether they were in my cabin group, or activity, or not) come up to me, give me a hug and take special care to say goodbye.  I know I won't see a lot of these children again, so I treasure each and every hug (3-second, side hug!) as being absolutely precious. 

• The kindness.  Some of these children have very little.  That's the sad fact of this camp.  Some of them can barely cover the costs of coming here, despite most of their fees being heavily subsidised.  Yet they are the sweetest, most giving children I've ever met.  One girl told me "when I grow up, I want to start a charity to give homeless people homes".  She was 13 years old.  Another girl told me "It must be sad to not have an arm.  If I saw someone like that, I'd help them pick things up".  She was also only 13.  They were all so thoughtful and compassionate.  They looked out for each other.  They looked out for the staff.  If they thought we were tired, or stressed, they'd come up to us and ask us if we were ok, and what could they do to help?  They marveled in the kindness and patience we showed to them, not realising it was their due, yet selflessly would give the same to us without expecting anything in return.  These children are beautiful, both inside and out, and I am honoured to have met them.

I love this camp, I love the children, and I love the people I get to work with every day.  I am already making plans to be back here next year!  It's hard, exhausting work, but without a doubt - it is worth it.

The Kindness of Children

At my summer camp we have a "bead" system.  Each day the children are awarded two coloured beads - one from each cabin counsellor - for positive things they have done throughout the day.  This could range from holding the door open (social competencies - orange) to passing the Swim Test (boundaries and expectations - brown).  At the end of the week they are presented with their eight beads.

Last night we had our camp-out, which we have each session.  Boys have theirs' Monday night, and girls' is Tuesday night.

We were all huddled in our sleeping bags next to the dying fire, under the beautiful starry sky.  My "co" and I finished giving out that day's beads and were about to give the order to go to sleep.  One girl asked if they could please give out beads.  We agreed and made sure they understood they were only hypothetical beads.

Almost every girl then proceeded to give my "co" and I a bead.  We were thanked for our support, our kindness, our patience and our willingness to listen.  I admit, I teared up a little.  I know it's my job to be all of those things, and I'm sure the girls know that too, but it was so sweet of them to think of us.  The sweet, simple kindness of these 12-13 year old girls was genuinely touching.  I know my "co" was as moved by it as I was.

They then went on to give "beads" to each other.  In previous weeks this worried me a little, as young girls often give them to their "BFFs" only.  I shouldn't have worried this week.  They made sure no-one was left out.  If they forgot someone, they would ask to have another turn.  They also took extra care to include one camper with noticeable special needs.  Their gentle inclusion of her throughout this week has been truly heartwarming.

Thank you to my beautiful young ladies.  Last night you showed your true colours - Purple (positive values), Red (empowerment) and Blue (support).  That sweet moment by the campfire will stay with me for a long time.

Friendly Warning!

Further to my "Reality Check" post, I thought I'd add a couple of friendly warnings of things to look out for at camp :)

- Mid-week, the children will start to lose it.  Today is Wednesday, they have been here since Sunday evening and will stay here until Friday evening.  Before lunch one of my girls was playing a game, got carried away, and smacked an older girl in the face.  At lunch another girl lost her temper and threw her plate at the floor (almost hitting me).  Then one of the boys lost his temper (repeatedly) and started yelling and slamming things.  I left for my break and outside the dining hall a further boy was yelling at one of the head counsellors.  It's going to be an interesting day!

- Some children will wake up obscenely cheerful.  Even after camp-out.  The will chirp "Wakey, WAKEY, eggs and BAKEY!".  They will sing camp songs.  Loudly.  All morning.  Sadly, as exhausted as you are after sleeping on the ground, being bitten to death by bugs and dealing with kids all night, these are not horrific crimes you can punish.  In fact, you are expected to encourage such disgustingly happy, morning behaviour!

- Teenagers are sensitive creatures.  Think everything through at least three times before you speak.  I forgot that one girl had new braces put in, and asked her (nicely) to stop making a slurping noise.  She burst into tears and wouldn't speak to anyone for an hour.  Do not make the same mistake!

On the plus side!  The girl who got slapped in the face controlled herself very well, did not retaliate and remained calm, polite and smiling.  That's more than I think I could do if someone hit me for no reason.  My girls leaped to help clean up the mess on the floor, they held the bin lid open as I scraped food into it, they offered to run and get a mop, and generally were the pinnacle of helpfulness.  And I do know that it's good they're happy in the mornings - at least they weren't being stereotypical monstrous teenagers!

So it's not all bad :)

Reality Check

So I'm now two weeks into my camp experience so I thought I'd drop by and give a slight reality check.

It's amazingly good fun, but nothing you can ever read can prepare you for some of the things that happen in camp....

- Having a child who will just pee themselves.  Repeatedly.  While fully conscious.  And then lie about it.
- Having children just take off running.  And then leap over the fence and dive into the pool.
- Being woken up at 2am on Camp Out by a child screaming that there was something in the woods.
- Being woken up at 3am on Camp Out by a child who wants the bathroom.  Then arguing with said child until 6am to try and get said child to pee behind a tree.
- Having an entire cabin-worth of children crying of homesickness.  All at once.  Every single one of them.
- How flirtatious some of those pre-pubescent girls can be.  Guys beware of this.  Girls, if they keep acting up, don't let them go talk to the male counsellors so they're "talking to someone about it".  That will be a reward.
- How incredibly whiny some of these children can get.
- Having to function on no sleep yet still having to be happy happy HAPPY!
- Feeling like you're living in a musical - you will be expected to sing and dance almost constantly.
- Going out into the "real world" and feeling compelled to sing whenever someone says certain words ("Oh!" gives me the uncontrollable urge to break out into "OH!  A Pay-Day!  A Snicker, Snicker, Milky Way!").
- Going out into the "real world" and having to resist the urge to speak to everyone like they're a camper ("Hey, good job!  That was awesome!").
- Going out into the "real world" and having to resist the urge to raise your hand to get people's attention and be silent ("Hands are up, mouths are closed!").
- Having certain songs in your head constantly.  Justin Beiber is a main contender.  Closely followed by One Direction.
- How slowly some of your campers will walk.
- How far ahead some of your campers will run.
- How tactile these children are.  You are fair game as far as they're concerned.  They will play with your hair if it's not tied back.  They will play with your jewellery if you're wearing some.  They will hug you constantly.  It all sounds sweet, but the phrase "Hands to yourself" will soon be your most repeated sentence.

But it's also really good, there's nothing that can prepare you for how much these children can touch your heart!

- How sweet it is to see a camper come running up to you to give you a hug before they leave.
- Having a camper bring their Mom over to you to introduce her to you.
- Having an adorable message passed to you from a camper by another counsellor.
- The look on a child's face when you make them a birthday card and get your activity class to sign it for them.  Bless his heart, it wasn't even that good a card but he was so incredibly grateful.
- Having a child leap up and yell your name in delight because you walk into a room and they haven't seen you for a couple of hours.
- How much you will miss some of them when they're gone.
- Having children begging to know if you'll be back with them next year.
- Having children cry because they loved camp so much, and loved you so dearly, that they don't want to leave.
- How appreciative some of them are about everything, whether it's s'mores, getting three meals a day or just having a shoulder to cry on when they miss their moms.
- Having a child buy candy with "money" they worked hard to earn at camp (we have a reading programme where they earn "Bucks" each time they read a book, then "cash them in" at the end of session), then give half of it to their counsellors.
- How some of the most challenging groups can become your favourite.  I had one journalism class that made me feel like I needed to go for a lie down after their lesson, but they were the highlight of my day.  They were the bright spot on some difficult, long days.  They honestly kept me going sometimes!  I will miss every one of those sweet, wonderful, darling children.
- Hearing a 9 year old tell a child who is complaining that they're "starving" that "No you're not.  We have all the food we can eat, we just have to wait until it's our turn".  They are so incredibly sweet and perceptive sometimes.

Camp is the most chaotic, frantic, exhausting, wonderful experience I have ever had.  These children are both the most angelic and most monstrous people you will ever come across.  Every day they will make you want to laugh and cry at the same time.

It's long, difficult days, but they are absolutely worth it.

Confession #5

I don't speak a word of Spanish.

This isn't usually an issue for me, but two of the camp applications for my group next week were completed entirely in Spanish.  This could simply mean that their parents/guardians don't speak fluent English but...what if the girls don't either?!  Both me and my "co" speak absolutely zero Spanish.

It'll certainly be a challenge, but I'm sure it'll be a wonderful adventure too :)

Buenas noches!

(I had to use google translate for that...*hangs head in shame*)

Staff Training is OVER!

It's been a long 11 days, but staff training has finally finished.  We've been taught everything they think we need to know, and Sunday our first bunch of children arrive!  I don't remember everything they taught us, but I'm hoping that I took enough of it in that I'll be able to use it when the need arises.

Since my last post I've been switched from Archery over to Journalism.  I'm quite excited about it, and I think it'll be great :)

I'm going to be working with the youngest girls for the first week - ages 7 to 9.  I'm so excited!  Me and my "co" have our Devotions (like Circle Time) planned out for most of the week, and I think we've got a handle on the whole thing.

We've had all today off, and all tomorrow, then the children arrive Sunday afternoon.  We get the keep them til Friday afternoon, then Sunday afternoon we get a whole new batch!  I'll also switch "co"s, so I get to live in a new cabin and work with a new counsellor each week.  I'll be teaching Journalism twice a day for the whole time.

My concerns for next week are -
- The Camp Out - a night under the stars not really my thing! We did it during staff training and literally slept on a tarp!  It would have been beautiful, falling asleep next to a campfire, with the stars peeking through the trees and people singing songs with an acoustic guitar...but unfortunately it was really uncomfortable and there were too many bugs!  My hands are still recovering from all the bites I got.  Friendly tip for summer camp :YOU NEED BUG SPRAY! A LOT of bug spray. Reapply it throughout the day too.
- Journalism - I'm hoping my first newspaper goes well.  Once I get into the swing of it, I'm sure it'll be fine, but at the moment I'm not sure what to expect.

I've had a great time during staff training, and have loved getting to know the other counsellors.  They're all amazing people, and I think we'll make a fantastic team.  I'm very excited for the children to arrive and see us all come together into one cohesive unit.

Gonna be awesoooome!