Camp Counselor Packing List

This week, I spent many hours scouring the internet for things I need this summer. You'd think after a few summers at camp I'd start to accumulate the necessities, but it seems backpacks, sleeping bags, and flannel shirts are all things that tend to disappear over time - especially if, like me, you've lived in two houses, three dorm rooms, and a whole bunch of cabins in the past YEAR! It's a wonder I can find anything!

So, yes. I've spent a lot of money at all our favorite counselor-money-holes this week (REI, Diamond Brand, Mast General... you know the drill). But, as the countdown to camp gets smaller and smaller, I've been thoughtfully cultivating some things that maybe AREN'T written on the camp packing list.

Here are some things you'll DEFINITELY need as a counselor this summer!


Trust
I started out last summer crying in my orientation cabin because I was already convinced I would make no friends, I would have no fun, I would impact NO campers, AND EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO BE AWFUL! I was nervous, homesick, and dealing with a lot of personal issues in my life that made it hard for me to kick back and take camp for what it is - a magical place that somehow always takes care of you. In those first days at camp, when you're uncertain of how things will go, it's important to keep trust packed at the very top of your suitcase, you will need it. Trust that you WILL make friends, you WILL impact campers, and you WILL leave this summer with amazing experiences!

Patience
Last summer tested my endurance like nothing else. My very first cabin included my all-time hardest-to-deal-with camper: OLIVIA. Olivia did strange things like steal other campers' deodorant for no reason, fake-snore loudly at odd hours of the night until everyone woke up, and her personal favorite: walking around our cabin completely naked and then saying "STOP LOOKING AT ME! I FEEL VIOLATED!" Oh Lord. Olivia was a trip. But she taught me early on that patience is something I will always need to bring to camp with me. And you'll need it for more than your campers. You'll need it for your supervisors, your co-counselors, and yourSELF. Just, you'll need it.

Vulnerability
This is a tough one - I don't know about you, but I don't like being vulnerable. Unfortunately, in a camp setting where you're completely cut off from the outside world and don't have your normal "coping" methods (shopping, napping for several hours, watching Netflix... those are mine) you MAY have to resort to being vulnerable and honest with the people around you about your needs. You're also going to be in close quarters with other humans CONSTANTLY. This means that naturally, you're going to get to know people on a - shall we say - more "intimate" level. This means bodily functions, emotions, and YOUR GREATEST MOST TERRIFYING INSECURITIES are all fair game! But it's okay. Bring your vulnerability, and you'll be able to exchange it for the support, respect, and understanding of your co-counselors and supervisors.

Understanding
SPEAKING of understanding, you'll need to bring this too! This summer, you are bringing your own set of unique experiences, opinions, and needs to camp. But here's the thing - so is everyone else! Your campers, and your fellow staff members! And there will be times when you're faced with a camper you just don't get. Or a co-counselor that drives you crazy. Or a supervisor who DOESN'T SEE something the way you do! And this is where you need to take a minute, go to your suitcase, and pull out some understanding. Use all those great "people skills" we know you have (you got this job because of them!) and try to step into the other person's (close-toed) shoes! Empathy and a little bit of instinct can go a long way in understanding the sometimes "senseless" actions of those around you.

Thankfulness
It is entirely possible to go through a summer without one lick of thankfulness. I've seen it done. But I do NOT recommend it! Bring this, and LOTS of it. Because not only are you going to have an amazing summer, but even those moments that seem not-so-amazing are something to be grateful for - maybe it's a lesson you needed to learn, or if not that, just a really, REALLY good story to tell later on. The thing about thankfulness is that it makes any situation better. Have a hard camper? Be THANKFUL for your great co-counselor. Have a freakin' terrible co-counselor? Be GRATEFUL for that sweet little camper that adores you. Bring thankfulness to camp with you and apply it in the areas where you DON'T think you need it. Especially those areas! It will help... I promise.


And so, these are five things I think know you'll need at camp this summer. I may have spent hours hunting the internet for the PERFECT backpack and sleeping back, but those items are meaningless without these things I've just mentioned!

But, you know, the good part about all these emotional and mental "necessities" is that they're the kind of things you leave camp with MORE of than you came with.... camp will give these things to you bit by bit, through blessings and relationships and challenges. You may come to camp with a little bit of trust, patience, vulnerability, understanding, and thankfulness; I can promise you'll leave with a LOT of them all. So bring what you can; you'll find the rest when you get there.