How to sum up the best summer of my life? I don’t even know where to begin. From the moment I arrived at camp I felt immediately at home and knew that it was going to be amazing…fast friends were made, bonds were formed, lessons learned, confidence gained, overall I couldn’t have asked for anything more.
Everyday was the same, and everyday was different…it’s one of those things that’s impossible to explain to someone who wasn’t there, and as hard as I try, you’ll only understand the beauty of camp if you’ve had a similar experience. It’s like a family…everyone is there for each other to lend a hand, for a shoulder or a sympathetic ear – because there are times when all you want to do is scream in frustration. But most of the time, things couldn’t have been better. This kids were (mostly) awesome, I was working in a place I loved, with people I loved, and doing my absolute dream job…in another country!
It was the travel part that really enticed me to apply to work at camp in the first place, but in the end it was actually the camp part that I preferred. Don’t get me wrong, the post-camp travels were amazing, and I got a chance to see some great places with all my friends – Toronto, Miami, DC, New York – all interesting and exciting in their own ways (and very expensive!), but even while travelling, I missed camp massively, and was constantly thinking about what was happening back there, and how everyone who stayed for Fall camp was doing.
I feel like I’ve made friends for life this summer, it’s surprising how close you get to people in just a matter of weeks, but I suppose when you’re living and working with someone for every minute of every day, you can’t help but become a part of their life. And now that summer is over and everyone’s gone home, spread across the country and the world, it’s going to be hard not seeing everyone all the time, but I think these are friendships that will last…and anyway, I’ve managed to recruit quite a few people to come on my RTW travels with me (starting in just a matter of weeks!), so I’m sure I’ll be seeing everyone pretty soon.
Sometimes, when you have an experience like this, you look back and think ‘oh I wish I’d done this’, or ‘I should’ve done that’, but this summer I have no regrets, no what ifs or could have beens, and now that I’m home, I can’t wait to get back to Sloane next summer. There’s just nothing else like it.
Roo Around The World 