Holiday of the Month Club :: Summer Articles :: Summer Camps
Summer Camps
I went to many summer camps during all of my younger days through high school graduation. Let me explain.
Starting at the age of 5, I made the front cover of the Camp Braebank brochure. It was my first unpaid print job. My mom actually still has that brochure buried somewhere in her chest drawer. I really don't know where this camp was located but it was somewhere in New Jersey; I'm sure not too far from home as I didn't drive in those days.
During the next few years, I attended several other camps in New Jersey and at the age of 13, one in Pennsylvania. What a great way to spend the summer. Being outdoors, playing sports, swimming and being with friends was wonderful.
Until the age of 10, they were day camps and then at 10 years old I took the plunge and did a 2-week stint at the popular Silver Lake camp in Stockholm, New Jersey. The first week was horrible. I just wanted to go home. But by the end of the second week, for whatever the reason, which I can't seem to remember at this point, I loved the place and wanted to stay forever.
But, no matter, that summer marked the beginning of my overnight camp career which lasted through the summer of high school graduation.
And so the years progressed as I went from camper to CIT (Counselor-in-Training) which meant that you still got to pay to go to the camp but at a discount rate and then had the privilege of working and getting valuable real world experience to watch over unruly kids and do whatever odd jobs came up. The tradeoff was pay less money than the full camper rate and do more work. A true beginning into the adult world.
And finally I made it to camp waiter. This was my calling. Actually it was a very enjoyable summer. Now that I have my doctorate degree and I’m unemployed (self-employed!) I’m grateful for this experience and thinking about putting waiter back on my resume and becoming a starving artist playing piano in the lounges of New York City.
Dr. Stu
DrStu@HolidayOfTheMonthClub.com
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