Ok, so in
my last post I talked about my time working as a camp counsellor in Maine, or the work aspects of camp to be specific, and there is a lot of working at a camp. Campers need supervision; they're teenagers so it's not the close guidance younger children need, it's more a case of just keeping an eye on things, making sure nothing negative's going on. Though it's not always 'direct' work, you need to be on your toes pretty much all day, so your time off is very important.
The staff at camp were split equally into two shifts, with each shift taking alternative nights off, so everyone is 'on' in the daytime, then come dinner time one shift is 'off' until the next morning. Simple really. Naturally people want to wind down on their time off, and being out in the woods you can't just go to a bar, so there are a few places at the camp that are staff only. There's a staff cabin on-camp that has a TV, games consoles, internet access and a separate room with beds, but being in and around the other cabins, there's a strict no-alcohol policy in effect. All of the alcohol policy's at camp are very strict, with no exceptions, but I'll come back to that later. Along with the staff cabin, there is also a campsite-like zone just outside of the camp that's used for socialising. It's owned by the camp, and has a campfire and a yurt set up there; being away from the campers and cabins you can drink, smoke, and not worry about things like swearing or discussing personal things with staff.
Drinking's not the be-all and end-all, of course. I was 20 in my first year at camp, so I couldn't drink legally, and there was no chance that I'd try and flaunt that rule. At first it was a stretch. Being from the UK (and looking quite a lot older than I am) I was used to drinking as a solid part of socialising, and to take it away means you have to adapt. It opened my eyes to how much of a crutch alcohol can be - there are plenty of people I've considered friends who I've never spent time around without a pint in hand.
With children on site, every summer camp is ultra-strict when it comes to alcohol. If, for example, it was found out that you had been drinking on your night off, and you're underage, when you wake up the next morning you'll be escorted straight to the director's office, told that you're fired, and (once the campers had left the cabin to go for breakfast) you'll be escorted back to your cabin to pack your things, then put on a car and taken to Portland Airport. No screwing around, no goodbyes to your co-workers or the campers, no sign you were ever there. You vanish from camp, and the staff are told in a meeting, away from the kids. The same applies to taking alcohol onto the camp and smoking on camp - you'll be taken away from camp as soon as there is an oppurtunity to do so without causing a scene.
Being out in the woods does stop you from going to bars. But it can't really stop you from doing the essentials. You need your amenities; toothpaste, soap, shampoo; there's the need to do laundry every other week or so; and there's just having some basics like a 10 pack of cola in your cabin or getting a magazine. Though we're not near a town of any real size, there is a village about 5 or 6 miles away from the camp. There's a laundrette and a mini-mart there which covers all the basics, though not much more. Chances are you'll get to know those two stores really well over the course of the summer; the staff even expect international staff from the camp over the summer months. If you want a takeaway there are a few pizza places and a Chinese a few more miles away if you want something different for dinner than what's available at camp that night.
If you need more than the basics though then a trip to a supermarket's probably due. The nearest wal-mart is (as the crow flies) at least 20 miles away. It's a 40 minute drive each way, and considering your time off is pretty limited, planning who gets to go can turn into a pretty big deal. The wal-mart is situated right next to an outlet mall and cinema, so sometimes it's better to go on your day off rather than in the evenings.
On your full days off, you naturally want to do something engaging, and get away from the camp for a couple of hours too. Days out to the beach, to Portland in Maine, and into New Hampshire are the most popular choices usually, though there's the chance to do whatever you like really. Having our own staff minivans with the fuel costs covered, there's a pretty big are you can cover to go and visit, though it needs to be a group agreement - the minivan holds 12 people, so you need 12 people willing to go and do the same thing of course.
The camp also hire a bus and arrange a staff day to Boston, usually in the middle of the summer. It's a 3 and a half hour drive to get from where we are in Maine to Boston, but it's completely worthwhile to leave the woods and be in a major city for the day. I might be a little biased because Boston is arguably my favourite city (it's between Boston and Toronto anyway) but it's a distraction that's well worth the time.
So that's camp life. There's probably a lot that I've left out; it's a huge experience, but I'd like to think I've covered most of the major points of the experiences I've had. I'm not working at camp this summer, if I were then I probably wouldn't be able to write this, I'd be working round about now, and there is a lot of work involved. It's hard work, but it's appreciable work, it's work that's fulfilling and enjoyable, and finger's crossed I'll be going back in 2011
Click to expand. Sorry if the numbers are a little hard to read...