Your first day at Summer Camp is going to be pretty overwhelming. You’ll go from the comfort of your own bed to waking up in a traditional log cabin on the other side of the world. You’ll be in a totally different time zone and surrounded by people you’ve never met before. It can feel pretty scary. If you can get over the initial shock, you’ll have the best summer of your life. That’s a promise.
The first day of any job can be pretty scary and this can be the same for your first day at Summer Camp, but don’t worry. Everyone’s in the same boat, so take a deep breath, and dive in! Camp will know that the first few days will be a big change for you. That’s why they run pre-camp training and Counselor Week to help you get in the swing of things. This is your chance to meet your fellow camp counselors and get to know everyone.
Camp will be your home for the next couple of months so figuring out where everything is and where to go is essential. On the first day of summer camp, you’ll be shown around camp by returners. Get to know the facilities, your surroundings and make sure to ask the returners any questions you have!
Once you have had your tour around camp, you will be shown your living space! Whether this is a cabin or teepee, this will become your home for the rest of the summer so make sure to pack some pictures to stick on the walls, fairy lights and some other items that make you feel at home. You’ll meet your roommates and start making memories from the get-go!
It’s totally normal to feel a bit homesick. Everyone goes through it, no matter how many times they’ve been to camp before. Adjusting to life at camp isn’t easy and It can take a few days to adjust, but it gets easier. By the end of camp, you won’t want to come home. Trust us when we say there’ll be more than a few staff crying!
By the time camp’s coming to an end, you’ll already know that that life as a Camp Counselor is a pretty good one. You’ll have worked with an amazing group of people from all over the world and you’ll have made life-long friends too! Your first day at Summer Camp is just about getting through it. It’s the path to the best summer of your life!