BA Student Hannah Greig tells us about her summerwork at AmeriCamp
This summer, I worked as a Camp Counsellor at Aloha Hive Camp for Girls in Vermont, USA. A counsellor’s job is to basically make sure all the campers are having as much fun as they can throughout their summer. This was my second summer working there and to my surprise, it was even better than last year. I worked in the Sailing Department and it was great because I was getting paid to teach something that I really enjoy for 7 weeks whilst also feeling like I was making a difference to the lives of many girls.
I can’t even begin to try and compare this job to any other there is (except maybe parenting, I imagine). It can be very overwhelming at times, especially if you are completely new to the concept of camp, because you are suddenly given a group of girls that you have to care for and entertain for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the whole summer. Most of the time it is the best job ever because it’s so much fun and it’s such a great learning experience. I now know so many songs, games and ways to keep large groups of people entertained for hours on end (which proved useful during freshers’ week!).
My days usually start at 7.15am and go until about 11pm (on a good day). I know that in student terms 11pm is pretty early but when you’re working a job like this, any given opportunity to get to bed early is a blessing! During the days, I will get my girls up in the morning and make sure they know what they're doing for the day, teach 4 one hour activity periods, plan for the next day’s activities, help run an after dinner activity and then put my girls to bed at about 8.15pm. Seeing that list written down, admittedly, doesn't look like much but doing that as well as and juggling squabbles between girls, dealing with bouts of homesickness (with staff and campers) and keeping a smile on your face all day definitely takes a lot of energy! Having said all that though, I couldn't ask for a better summer job.
One of my favourite things about Hive is that we are, pretty much, a technology free community. Although that put me off to begin with because I’m so used to having my phone glued to my hand, it’s so nice to not have that constant distraction. It means that you are able to give 100% of yourself 100% of the time which is, essentially, what the job is. A lack of technology has also means that you are able to make real connections with the people that are there. I know for sure that I’ve made friends for life.
Going to Summer Camp is by far the best thing I have ever done. Although at times, it can be the worst job ever, for 99.9% of the time it is the most rewarding, fun, fulfilling job you will ever do. Even if you have a slight interest in going but aren’t totally sure, my advice would be to just bite the bullet and go. It will, for sure, be the best job you ever have.
If you want any more information or have questions about how to apply, please feel free to email me, Hannah Greig: tcu02b@bangor.ac.uk
Publication date: 8 October 2014