A Reflection of "Work"

Well, in just 16 days, I pack up and head back to school for another year of fun and games. As the summer comes to an end, I would like to take a moment to reflect on what has been, undoubtedly, one of the best summers of my life.

This summer, I had the privilege to work at a summer camp. This wasn't any summer camp though, every single day during the 8 one week sessions we as counselors got to take our campers on "field trips." Meaning, I got to go to Hershey Park, Luray Caverns, Six Flags America, Adventure Park USA, Busch Gardens/Water Country USA, along with various other lesser known locations. All the while, I got paid to play games on buses, ride roller coasters, chill in a lazy river and basically just hang out and make sure the campers have a fun, safe experience at camp.

I absolutely cannot believe how lucky I was to have such a job all summer. Every single time I got a paycheck, I was utterly shocked and thrilled; I'm actually getting paid to do this!!

Of course, working all summer wasn't all fun and games, I was utterly exhausted every single day, and I would be in bed every day by 10:30, without fail. It was all well worth it though, I was having a blast. I understood what it means to enjoy your job.

One very important thing I learned while working at a summer camp is that kids tend to believe every single word that comes out of your mouth simply because you're an "authority figure" (wow, that's a scary thought!). Here are a few little "white lies" we may have told the campers this summer (all in good fun):

-You MUST vacuum the hotel rooms before leaving. Don't worry if you don't have the vacuum, someone else has it right now, and I'll be bringing it to your room next
-Windex was in fact on the packing list for the overnight. If you didn't bring it, get creative and clean the windows some other way (my cousin was actually going to bring Windex on one of the over nights to make this one more believable but she forgot)
-Yes I am an Olympic archer and yes I do have a tournament right when I get back to school (that's why I had a week off, so I could go train)
-Tina is in fact a boxer from Ecuador, and if you can't find any proof of that online you must not be looking hard enough
-No, why in the world would you stay in a hotel when you go to Dorney Park for the overnight? You'll be staying in the park (or the bus, we haven't decided quite yet)
-Whatever you do, do NOT eat the blue Fruit Loops. We don't want to have to deal with that kind of problem on the bus
-Three words: one way hallways
-Jai, not Manish, actually runs the camp, and we're all here working for him (please note, Jai's like 10)
-Whenever we stop at a weigh station, this is now whatever theme park we were going to, don't complain, make the best of it, it downsized a tiny bit since the last time you were here

Of course, when I tell the campers the truth, they don't believe me!!

-Yes, Nicholas is my brother and Claire is my cousin. No, Claire doesn't look like me or my brother...get over it!
-My parents really did meet Henry Winkler, he crashed a wedding they were at in Scranton, PA
-Gettysburg College is VERY haunted, it is near the bloodiest battle of the Civil War