Camp America: Start your Adventure, What to Expect and Why You'll Love It!

Imagine the thrill of embarking on an adventure that defies all your expectations – that's Camp America. It was nothing like I had anticipated, but it turned out to be the best experience I could have asked for. Of course, it has its highs and lows; that's inevitable. Spending three months in a new place with new people, juggling work (including looking after kids and animals in my case), making new friends, and trying to catch up on sleep is bound to be challenging.

In this post, I'll share a taste of my own experience balancing counsellor life with amazing travel opportunities, along with a few tips on how to make the most of your adventure.

Day-to-day life as a counsellor

As a counsellor, I worked on a ranch in San Diego, California, for three months. My responsibilities varied from taking care of campers, running activities, and line dancing, to feeding and maintaining the animals. These included horses, a pig called 'Mini Muffin,' sheep, chickens, an alpaca, and goats. One goat, in particular, named 'Siren,' was everyone's wake-up call, along with a Rodeo klaxon that echoed 'Yee-haw' at 6:30 am every morning.

For me, the best part of the day was lunch breaks. We would crank up the music, and all the counsellors, campers, staff, dogs, and even the sheriff himself joined in line dancing to the classics non-stop throughout lunch break.

Our day started at 7 am with a morning roll call at the flagpole before breakfast. Then, we'd clean and feed the animals. I personally looked after the goats, who were eagerly hungry and loud enough to make sure everyone knew it. The mornings were filled with activities, followed by lunch, afternoon activities, feeding and cleaning the animals again, dinner, and evening activities. At the end of the week, we'd gather for a big campfire with games and songs before getting ready for bed with a little flashlight time before falling asleep.

All in all, it was an eventful, non-stop hardworking but fun week. On the last day, we'd have a Rodeo to show the parents what the campers had been up to all week before seeing them all head home. We could then relax and enjoy our weekends, getting up to lots of adventures – enjoying the beach, indulging in In-N-Out burgers, getting lost in Target, attending American house parties, counsellor-only campfires, midnight ranch walks, and counsellor-only pool parties!

Travel experiences!

After the summer finished and all the campers were back in school, we international counsellors jumped on the opportunity to do a little travelling before flying back home. It was planned very last minute—we were booking the next hotel hours before leaving the one we were in—but the amazing memories will last forever.

One of the top places we visited in California was Disneyland in Anaheim. We spent every minute we could queuing up for rides, meeting characters, and exploring the new world of 'Star Wars,' even though we could barely walk the next day.

After Disneyland, we headed to a camper's house just outside of LA, where we were offered a place to stay. Being hosted by locals made the experience all the more exciting. We enjoyed the luxuries of a pool house with a jacuzzi and made more memories with the camper and her family outside of the ranch.

Finally, we headed up to San Francisco and stayed with another counsellor who was studying at Berkeley College. With a spare blow-up bed and couch, we were able to explore the campus, venture into San Francisco itself, and enjoy food delicacies from Chinatown and Japan town. We saw the Painted Ladies and enjoyed a sunset on Baker Beach with the Golden Gate Bridge as the backdrop, all while arguing over who was winning at card games.

Conclusion:

So, there you have it! My time in California as a camp counsellor was definitely a one-of-a-kind trip with many unexpected surprises. The best surprise was the long-lasting friendships made who I am still in contact with today now writing this blog two years later. We even meet up when we can from time to time across the world and keep in contact through social media of course.

Here are a few tips I’d want to know if I was going to do the experience all over again:

• Prepare all the correct documentation thoroughly before going for your visa interview.
• Research the area of where you will be staying and what you want to do there during weekends or if you have time to travel afterwards to get the most out of your trip.
• Before heading to the camp, get in touch with fellow international counsellors through the agency before you leave, to arrive to familiar names and faces.