Three weeks of on the-job training, immersed in nature, with fire-cooked food, wonderful people, and a surprisingly low number of mosquitos. What more could a girl want during her Summer vacation? Camp has always provided me with a supportive and inspiring environment growing up. Each year I was encouraged to step out of my comfort zone and grow as a person. After a few years as a camper, I aspired to become a counselor so that I could return the favor to future girls. Over last Summer, I participated in the Counselor in Training (CIT) program to become trained in the job. In addition to learning about age characteristics and group development, we took personality quizzes and recognized how our different personalities would fit into the role of counselor. I was expecting to learn how to help the younger girls to grow, not to experience self-revelations. My friends at camp affectionately called me “the mom friend” due to my eagerness to help them, listen to their problems, and that my backpack was always filled with supplies such as a first aid kit, duct tape, tissues, and stuffed animals for homesick campers. Although I felt like I was …show more content…
This was our opportunity to learn about the different camp’s styles so that we could be prepared to work at any of them. When the girls from one camp came, I felt like I was putting in so much to make them feel welcome, but that I wasn’t getting anything back. During my free-time, I began crying and separated myself from my friends by hiding in my tent. The CIT tents and administrative staff’s tent are right next to each other, so my mentor was easily able to hear that I was upset. She left me alone during that time, but pulled me aside during a more private time. We discussed whether the struggle I had been having with the other camp’s CITs were actually because of the girls, or if there was a problem that I had been