What do other people say...

[collissimon]

... when you tell them about the kids you work with? How do they react?

[speedx5xracer]

some laugh, some are like "can you really deal w. that many kids?". the best response ive ever gotten... who the hell would trust you with kids?

[collissimon]

I usually get 'that must be really rewarding', and the unspoken part 'because the hours and pay are crap!'

[CAMPFRIEND]

I think that it takes people time to understand what I do and why I love my job. I know that most of the people that I know and spend time with work at camp so it's no big deal for them!! I think that people think that I am strange sometime for doing what I do. I love camp!

[camper]

i get, "parents send their kids away for 7 weeks? that's child abuse!" of course thats where i live where people don't send their kids to sleepaway camps. in other circles, from other people my age, i sometimes get "i can't believe you still go to camp!" or "omg i wish i could still go to camp" or "ahhh you go to camp? so do i!" lol.

[campnerd99]

The "I can't believe you still go to camp" comes up a lot.

[who_stole_my_loofa]

i dont work in special needs... but when I have this conversation a lot of people say "what's sleepaway camp?" or "oh so that's really cool that you work at church camp" and I always have no be like "no no no this is nothing like church camp!!"

[Melk]

"Ohhhhh. 'This one time at band camp" I then have to explain that no it is not band camp. I also get "Who the hell goes to camp".
I did just find out that my rommie works at a special needs camp for a week during the summer. We sing camp songs together and sticks up for me when people say mean things about camp.

[audur]

Camp here in Iceland tends to be far more relaxed than camps in the US - LOTS of unstructured, pretty much unsupervised free time (it's a completely different society, so) and different activities - which are fun for 10-year-olds but not so much for adults. So people go "Oooh... why do you wanna go back again?" a lot. And then when I try to explain the fantastic bond that forms between staff, and how awesome it is to have that group of girls looking up to you, they just don't get it.

[Campy Measius]

LOL I actually worked at 'band camp' for a summer... imagine the jokes... lol
But yeah, when I tell people I work at camp, and sometimes with people with special needs I get a lot of "how do you do it?" People just don't understand mental illness or disabilities so they say things like "arn't you scared" or "what do you do with them? can they walk/talk/feed themselves?" I actually kind of like when people ask questions though, as long as they're willing to be informed. It lets me help educate people and gives me an excuse to talk about camp!! hehe

[Sparkes]

Campy Measius - was the band camp in NS or ON? I had a friend who worked at Waha...I used to make fun of her for working at band camp.

I normally get "you? you work at camp?" But thats cause I'm not an outdoorsy kinda person at home. I found I was completly different at camp, and stuff that I'd never do at home, I grew to love (and now can't wait to experience again!)

[Campy Measius]

Hey Sparkes,
It was in NS... it's officially called Acadia Music and Science Programs for Youth but there are only 2 weeks of science... and I only worked one of em... so it's just so much easier to call it band camp.. haha

I hear ya about being ok with stuff at camp that you would not do at home. I wouldn't call myself a girly girl.. but I have to admit I'm a wuss when it comes to bugs!!! But when I'm in the woods I'm totally ok with them (unless they're attacking from all angles... but that's a whole other story for another thread lol) I think it's because when I'm at camp, I'm in their enviroment so I expect them... but when I'm at home and a spider sneeks in and is crawling up my wall... then he's on my turf and it's not ok!!!
lol I know, it's all in my head and I'm a little ridiculous, but thanks to camp I'll squash those buggers with my bare foot if a camper's scared just to show em there's nothing to be afraid of... hahaha

[Pooka]

i get, "parents send their kids away for 7 weeks? that's child abuse!" of course thats where i live where people don't send their kids to sleepaway camps. in other circles, from other people my age, i sometimes get "i can't believe you still go to camp!" or "omg i wish i could still go to camp" or "ahhh you go to camp? so do i!" lol.

Ooh, I get this sometimes. Our sessions are at longest two weeks, and the parents of one 16-year-old friend still believe that "camp is for kids whose parents don't want to deal with them." Ow! It's quite a hurtful thing to say, seeing as I've been going there since I was about six. :D

I get tons of positive responses from people my own age, though. A lot of girls at my school have gone to the camp or have younger sisters who are or were campers. There's also a lot of, "I would die!", since our camp is quite rustic and not a lot of people's picture of how to spend summer vacation. Silly people.

[KiwiCRB]

When I tell people what kind of camp it is I get "you're still in Girl Scouts?!?!" But look who's jealous now that I have cookies and they don't muhahaha. Lol, but a lot of my friends don't understand why I would give up nearly a whole summer to go work at an all girls camp. Oh ya thats another one I get "don't you miss being around boys."