Counsellor Stories
From dreams to reality: how working at camp changed my life
A candid look back at what my first summer on an American camp actually felt like — the nervous flight, the first day, and the email home I almost wrote.
Two years ago I had never been to the United States. I had heard about American summer camps from a friend who had done one, I watched a video on the Exchange Path website, and I nearly closed the tab because I assumed it was not for people like me. I am writing this so you do not do the same thing.
The flight I almost did not get on
The night before I flew I packed and unpacked my rucksack three times. I was convinced my English was not good enough, that the other counsellors would all know each other, and that I would be sent home within a week. I was not sent home. I was greeted at the airport by another counsellor from Poland, two staff members holding a sign with my name on it, and a taxi driver who cared more about talking cricket than my nerves.
The first day
The first camper I introduced myself to was a nine-year-old called Jacob who told me my accent sounded "like a movie". By the end of the week he had four friends copying it. That is when I realised — the thing I was most worried about turned out to be the thing they liked most.
The culture at camp is set by whoever shows up with energy first. You can be that person on day one. Nobody knows you yet — it is the easiest moment of your life to decide what you want to be.
The email home I almost wrote
Week three, I was tired and homesick, and I sat down to email my mum to say this had been a mistake. Instead I went for a walk around the lake with the counsellor I now call my best friend. We talked for two hours. The next morning camp felt manageable again. Everyone has that week — it is the most predictable thing about the summer. Tell someone, then keep going.
What I came home with
- An American driving licence, purely because I had time
- Four bridesmaids (not joking — three of them fly in for my wedding next year)
- A confidence in interviews I never had before
- A profile that got me the graduate job I had given up on
If you are reading this on a Sunday night, wondering whether to apply — this is your sign.
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