1) What are you doing this summer and what made you decide to take this position? Kathy: This summer I worked at Camp Alleghany as a senior camp counselor. I had five of my own campers who were all 15 year-olds. I decided to work in West Virginia with Katharine because she gave the place such warm reviews. I was looking for something new that would allow me to live away from home for a little while this summer. Greenbrier County was a beautiful setting for the camp, which also made the job more appealing. I thought I'd be able to learn something from a fresh crop of people and I figured it was worth a shot. Katharine: I am working at Camp Alleghany for Girls in Lewisburg, WV. I decided to work at a summer camp this year because I had so much fun as a camper and I wanted to give back to camp!!
2) When did you arrive at camp and when did you leave?Kathy: I arrived at camp on June 17th and I left July 18th... but I plan on going back for the end of the year Banquet Night!
Katharine: I got to camp on June 16th and left August 8th.
3) Where did you live?Kathy: While at camp we all lived in platform tents and slept on cots... well actually the counselors got first dibs on the wooden beds so I did snag one of those. The actual camp is situated on the Greenbrier river nestled at the base of some mountains in WV.
Katharine: I lived in Senior Camp which is for campers from ages 13 to 16. We lived in tents (not camping tents) that had floor boards and canvas flaps etc.
4) What did your normal day look like?
Kathy: A normal day is pretty easy to describe, but I won't go into too much detail about all the bugle sounds and chimes that rang throughout the day to signify something or other. We got up for breakfast at 8, went to assembly at 9:15, then classes began. I taught arts and crafts at 10:00 and land sports at 11:00. The middle of the day was broken up with free time, lunch and then capped off with a rest hour. At 3:10 I taught land sports again and 4:10 was some time that I had to work on the top secret Banquet night decorations. Every evening consisted of dinner, evening activity and tent time. Practically everyday went according to that schedule with a few special days as exceptions.
Katharine: A normal day at camp meant waking up at 7:45am, breakfast, assembly, two hours of activities, free time, lunch, rest hour, two hours of activities, free time, dinner and then evening activity. The days were full and everyone was always busy!!
5) What was the best part of your job?Kathy: The best part of my job was... wow that's a little tough. I really enjoyed getting to know the other counselors. Some people were from all over, but the environment was very welcoming of different personalities. I had a chance to make new friends and I really enjoyed what they taught me. I was also surprised by how close I became to my campers. To be honest I didn't think I'd connect with my campers as well as I did. Getting to know those girls was a special treat.
Katharine: The best part of my job was watching girls that range from age 8 to 16, grow and mature into young ladies and be able to be themselves for three to six weeks without any worries from the "outside world."
6) What was the most challenging part of your job?
Kathy: It was challenging coming up with engaging lessons/class plans. I taught arts and crafts and land sports and there were a lot of counselors working together in the various departments. It was difficult to agree and coordinate what you wanted the campers to accomplish during each class. Oftentimes though the campers helped out and let us know their interests.
Katharine: The most challenging part of my job was incorporating safety into the activities for the girls while also having fun at the same time.
7) Is there anything else that you would like to share with your teammates or other blog readers?
Kathy: I'm glad I got to spend part of my summer with Kath (Katharine). Even though we usually only saw each other in passing, it was really nice to know that she was there. The camp was definitely a unique place that's hard to describe in any other context so I know I don't have to say anything and Katharine understands exactly what I did this summer. Since both of us are going abroad in the fall it was good to hang one last time before the winter!
