Summer ’22 is heading our way, and now is the time to start planning your adventures if you’re dreaming of traveling to the US. USIT is Ireland's leading specialist in student travel, work abroad and intern/trainee programmes to the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and have helped *thousands* of students like enrich their world by experiencing new ones.
Not convinced? No problem – here’s a first-hand account of USIT’s Camp USA programme from Roisin. She’s not only gone on a J1, but she’s a seasoned camper with USIT.
Hey Roisin! What made you want to be a summer camp counsellor in the first place?
Like most girls my age, The Parent Trap was my all-time favourite movie growing up and I’ve dreamed of going to an American summer camp ever since. The idea of meeting your ‘long-lost twin sister’ is absolutely unrealistic at best, but little did I know that I would make friends over there that feel pretty close to that – like a whole new family, a camp family. I was hired by Camp Pondicherry in Maine, and it is now my home away from home and my favourite place on Earth.
That sounds amazing! So, tell us about the application process and what made you finally decide to go.
I knew very few people who had actually done camp when I first applied, but I was so drawn to the idea of it. I just knew it was something that I was interested in doing and I just kept thinking: “If not now, when?” I was in the middle of my second year in college, and myself and a friend were talking about it one day. We just went for it, and I can’t imagine how different my life would be right now if I hadn’t taken that leap to just sign up.
The application process was somewhat long but I enjoyed it because I was so excited. As part of the application process, I made a video which camp directors were able to see. Towards the end of the summer of my first year at camp, my camp director told me, “Oh, I actually remember watching your application video – it was so good!” If you put effort into your application videos, it gives camp directors a chance to see your personality and the person behind the application.
I was one of those people who didn’t really have any particular skills, so I didn’t know if I had the confidence or experience to actually teach children. God, was I wrong about that! I eventually got offered the position of the Archery Director. Me – Archery DIRECTOR?! I had never held a bow and arrow let alone planned and coordinated a whole program in it. Little did I know I’d have the time of my life and found one of my new favourite hobbies.
Because I got hired pretty late, I literally had 2 weeks to get my visa and pack before I had to be at camp. It was all go – but so exciting – and USIT were so great at getting me sorted at the last minute. It was definitely kind-of daunting travelling across to America all by myself for the first time to a completely new place where I didn’t know anyone, and I didn’t really know what to expect – but it was also the most exciting thing I’ve ever done.
And what does your normal day look like at Camp?
Camp involves waking up at 6:30 in the morning and being on the go throughout the entire day until like 9 or 10 o’clock that night and doing it all over again the next day. The days are long but 95% of the time it doesn’t even feel like work. It’s like endless days of new adventures, learning new things and SO! MUCH! FUN! Cheesy, but true. Being a camp counsellor involves being the parent, sibling, nurse, friend, teacher, superhero, mediator, tooth fairy, and so much more. You’re so much rolled into one person, and you don’t even realise it or think twice about it.
It is the most rewarding and enjoyable job you will ever have. Working at camp will teach you things about yourself and will bring out the best in you in every way. It gives you the chance to be a kid again without a care in the world – wearing silly costumes, playing children’s games, singing camp songs that will be stuck in your head for months after camp, allowing kids to paint your face however they like (and have a bucket of glitter put in your hair which never really goes away), eating your body weight in pancakes for breakfast, weekly Walmart runs where you will never ‘only get what you need’, and so much more. And the best part about all this? Other than getting walkie-talkies and driving the golf cart, you literally get PAID to have fun. It’s not all rosy, and it can be really tiring and tough at times. I often found myself being presented with situations I have never been in and had NO idea how to handle – but instinct kind-of kicked in and you just deal with anything that happens. You’ll learn more in 8 weeks of being a camp counsellor than in any other job.
Did you end up meeting more people and making friends once you arrived?
On top of all that, you get to work and live with your best friends (that you literally just met). It’s CRAZY how fast you become close to people you’ve just met – people from all over the world. These people are like your support system at camp and will see you at your best and worst moments. The sense of community is something that stays with me whenever I think of camp and it’s just so special to me. That’s what keeps me coming back every single year.
You know what else keeps me coming back every year? The kids. I worked in a Girl Scouts camp and empowering the young girls was one of our main goals. Showing them that they could do whatever they put their mind to. Myself and so many of my other co-counsellors constantly found ourselves going that extra mile to help kids excel or level up in activities/skills and I wouldn’t change a single thing about that – it’s so rewarding. We had new kids every week so every week it was like gaining 24 little sisters, admirers and friends – and nothing beats seeing their faces again the following year when you come back, and they’re all grown up! At camp, you’re accepted for everything that you are, and you’ll never be judged – it’s a place where your quirks are embraced.
From the experience you had, would you recommend Camp USA to others?
I read somewhere once that being a camp counsellor was the toughest job you’ll ever have – and that’s the most accurate way to sum up camp. It’s tough and some days you just want to go home and hug your mam or your dogs – but you’re bound to have moments like that when you’re away from home for 2+ months. But the good always outweighs the bad. When the end of the summer finally comes and it’s time to head back to Ireland, I cry my eyes out every year because I just don’t want to leave the place or the people.
Camp is SO much more than just a summer job for me. I think and talk about it all year around and am always planning for the next summer. Camp has made me feel more alive, loved and appreciated than I could have ever expected. I honestly couldn’t imagine spending a summer anywhere else – and I’m heading back again this summer!
Does Camp USA sound like a dream? Make it a reality – contact USIT’s team of experts today to learn more about Camp USA and get your Summer ’22 adventure kickstarted!