Week 2: Challenges

I have been at my site for the past two weeks now. 

Even though my official summer job hasn't started and camp is still in the planning stages I have overcome a lot and know that I will just add to the list in the upcoming weeks.

Being in charge of camp is not just planning fun games and arts and crafts… I wish it was. One of my responsibilities was to call every camper to remind them about camp and what to bring and wear. I HATE calling people on the phone. It makes me nervous. Yet I had to call every single camper’s parents. There are seven weeks of camp with ten campers each week meaning that we will have around 70 campers. I was overwhelmed with the thought of having to make 70 phone calls. Luckily a handful of campers were siblings or attending camp more than one week so it cut the calls to about 50. I was soooooo nervous sitting down to make those calls. The first one was the hardest but after that my nerves seemed to disappear. I can proudly say that I made all of those phone calls and overcame a major trepidation.

Another thing that I have started to overcome is not really a hard thing it just takes time. I have been at NEC since I was twelve and so I have kind of grown up there. Most of the staff members have watched me grow and mature. From being a shy 12 year old to getting my drivers license and then going off to college they have seen me transform into a young adult. However they still see me as kid. Yes over the past seven years I have gradually taken on more and more responsibility. I went from just helping with the lessons, to training new volunteers, helping with the horses, assisting in the office and traveling to events to promote NEC. They trust me a lot more and I have been able to do and learn more than most volunteers, but they still see me as a child. It is funny because they will be having an "adult" conversation and I will walk in the room and they will stop, like I'm too innocent to hear what they are talking about.  I hope that after this summer they will start to see me more as an adult and able to take on even greater responsibilities. I believe this is starting to happen. The other day the program manager and volunteer coordinator said that they were excited to see me taking on a greater role at NEC and more responsibility!!!! 

I am also learning how to be more assertive in my opinions. I have been a camp counselor at NEC for the past six summers. I know how it has been run in the past and what works and what doesn't work. The other lady (Layne) I am working with has never done camp before so it is all new to her. I have had to become more firm in my opinions about what to do at camp since I know the layout and activities that the campers enjoy. This has been a bit of a challenge for me because I don't like to be pushy and tell people how to run something, especially when they are older than me. Even though I was afraid to speak my mind about aspects of camp I learned that Layne does not mind me do this and is actually thankful for my advice!! 

I can feel myself growing even more these past two weeks and I am positive I will continue to grow as a person throughout the summer at this place I call my second home :) 

Hope everyone is having a great summer. B LOVE!!!!