During my four years in college, I needed to earn money to get through the summer months, but I hated not being able to travel. A friend I had met on a previous trip had spent a summer working as a cabin counselor at a camp for American boys and he told me that during this time they gave him all his food and lodging for free and after the camp he was able to travel the states. . Not only was their accommodation free, but they also paid for their outbound flight and their return flight.
This sounded like the perfect solution, free flight, food and accommodation and the opportunity to travel, what more could you ask for? After further investigation, I applied for a cabin counselor position and was accepted into a camp called Walt Whitman. This beautiful campground was right in the middle of the New Hampshire countryside, made up of log cabins and large indoor activity rooms. Where the main dining room was, you could see a lake that we used for different activities like swimming and sailing. It was just awesome.
The camp was a Jewish camp run by Bill and Nancy Dorfman and had been in the family for years. Our job as cabin counselors was to take care of a small group of children (usually around 7 or eight in total) and take them to all the different activities that were planned for that particular day. There were three cabin counselors in each cabin and my children were the youngest and only seven or eight years old.
Getting everyone up in the morning in our cabin was quite a challenge as the kids really didn’t like the early start, but with a little persuasion they would eventually surface. We all went to the dining room for breakfast, which was always full of people trying to put as much food in their mouths as possible. On a full stomach, it was time for the morning meeting and catching up on the news. This was a daily ritual that took place at the flagpole just after the flag had been raised, boy do Americans love their flags.
Taking care of so many children (I think there were 1000 in total) and planning their days was a great undertaking and the owners spent all the time before the camp began to organize every last detail. We had activities scheduled for every day, done on a list so there was no confusion. Our job was to get the kids to the next activity on time and in one piece, which, trust me, was not an easy task. Even though all of our kids were pretty good, you got some who would do nothing but complain, I don’t want to do that, I’m too tired, I don’t like, I hate you, it was just some of their complaints. And of course we would always smile and say you will love it if you give it a try as the kids would collapse on the ground and refuse to move. You certainly learn to be a very patient person when it comes to dealing with young children, but the rewards far outweighed the struggle.
In addition to sports, the children were able to do all kinds of crafts, such as carpentry, needlework, clay modeling, painting, and many more. On Saturday we all had a barbecue over a huge campfire (done in turns due to the number of people) and after everyone had eaten we would head to the ballroom for our line dance session with Ms. Dorfman Senior on the microphone. . guiding us in every step. Our kids never really enjoyed dancing, but the counselors loved it and would be there for hours.
In addition to daily activities at camp, each cabin would embark on an overnight camping adventure during their stay and participate in regular hiking days once a week, exploring the local New Hampshire countryside. Older children went away for several days either on a hiking trip or a mountain bike adventure and had more privileges due to their age. Overall, the camp took place in a beautiful location with fantastic facilities and provided an incredibly busy and active summer for all the children who were lucky enough to be able to participate. My time at Walt Whitman was great and it really gave me an insight into how American kids see the world, we really aren’t that different, well maybe just a little bit.