Counselor Files: Ally Finch.

Counselor Files Friday is BACK and this week, American Ally is here to share her summer camp experience with us. Ally is a close friend of mine and recently came over to visit us in England! Here is her camp story…

1. What is your name and what camp do you work at?

My name is Ally Finch and I worked at Camp Awosting, which is an all-boys sleep-away camp in northwest Connecticut.

2. How long have you worked at camp and what is your role?

The first three years I was a nanny and looked after the kids whose parents worked in the office, but were too young to actually go to camp. During my fourth year, I was the Bugle Counselor, and I wrote the camp newspaper and made the camp yearbook. Last year during my fifth year, I was the Ropes Director and worked with the Ropes team on camp!

3. What do you do in your ‘normal’ life when you are not at camp, and how does camp fit in with this?

When I’m not at camp, I am studying at university up in Albany, NY to be a meteorologist. While at school I work at the NYS Mesonet (which is a weather service for New York State) and I work for the football team at my school, helping them with videos and operations. Since school ends right around the time camp starts, camp has always been a perfect summer job for me to have. I really like how it keeps me active and busy during the summer! I also run my own “blog” – @finch.forecast on Instagram, check it out!

4. How did you first hear about summer camp  and what was it that made you want to work there?

I grew up in an area pretty close to the camp, so I always kind of knew about it. When I turned 16 and was looking for my first job, a family friend of mine helped me get a job working at camp. I had no clue what I was getting myself into, but it was an amazing experience, and that’s what made me want to go back year after year.

5. You have always worked at an all-boys camp. How do you find this and what are the challenges?

Since I’ve always worked at the same all-boys camp, I don’t really know any different. When I transitioned from being a nanny to a Counselor, I got to interact with the campers and get to know them a lot more, rather than just the few kids I was looking after. I think my biggest challenge was learning every campers name. Since I didn’t live in a cabin with campers (for obvious reasons!), I would mostly only see the campers who came to my activity. Ice-breakers were my saving grace, and helped me learn so many campers’ names!

6. What is your favourite ever camp memory?

My favorite camp memory was the last night of camp in 2017. At my camp we have a nice meal that everyone dresses up for during the last evening, and then we go sit around the campfire one last time. We give out awards and read the last testament, which covers everything that happened during the summer. We light candles and put them all around camp, some of them end up near the waterfront or camp bell, while others are put in places that are important to campers or Counselors. After this, we all went back to our cabins and one camper started to sing ‘Taps’ (a song played at the end of every day at camp) over the loudspeaker. It was a really nice way to end the summer.

7. What are three items that you would couldn’t live without at camp?

Three items I couldn’t live without at camp would be:

1. A water bottle – because staying hydrated is so important, and I hated using the little flimsy plastic cups.

2. A good pair of sneakers. Slide-on shoes are easy, but your feet will thank you if you have a good pair of sneakers.

3. A raincoat. There is nothing worse than being stuck in the rain without a raincoat! I wore my raincoat nearly every day this past summer because it rained so much! I would have been miserable if I didn’t have one.

8. What is one personal skill that you believe that camp has helped you develop and how?

I think that camp has taught me to work in a team. I’ve learned how to work with others in a productive manner, while also being able to achieve a set goal. I’ve learned how to express my ideas effectively, but also allow other people share their ideas. One of the most memorable ways I’ve learned how to work in within a team was during staff week. We were all spilt up in smaller teams and were tasked to build a raft. Instead of each team working against each other and fighting over materials, we all decided to work as one big team to make a raft that would fit all of us on it! When it came time to put it to use, we all had to work together to get it around the buoy and back to shore.

9. How has summer camp changed your life? 

Camp has changed my life for sure. I’m not sure where I would be or what I would be doing if I never worked at camp. Since working at camp, I’ve meet so many amazing people and been able to travel to go and see them. The past two years, I’ve actually lived at the camp and been able to make some really amazing friends from all over the world. They are some of the most genuine and nicest people I’ve ever met, and even though I can’t see them all the time, having them on social media makes it feels like they are always with me. I’ve also been able to travel because of camp. I would have never thought of going to England five years ago, but I’ve actually just gotten back from my second trip to England. Both times I’ve gone over and spent time with the people I’ve met at camp. It was really nice to see them outside of camp and to see parts of the world that I would have never thought of going too!

If you follow me on Twitter, this picture may be familiar!

10. Will you be returning to camp in 2019?

As I am finishing up my time at university, it makes more sense for me to find a job or internship within my career field so no, I will not be returning to camp in 2019. Five years has been a long time, and I’m not sure how I am going to manage without camp this summer! Thankfully I don’t live too far away from camp, so I can always stop by and say hello.

11. What is one piece of advice you would give to new Counselors this summer?

One piece of advice that I would give to a new Counselor would be to ask for help. I think everyone is afraid to ask for help at first because we think that it will show a sign of weakness, but it shouldn’t be that way. There were so many things I didn’t know the first year I was a Counselor and I would have been so lost if I didn’t ask for help. Being able to ask for help doesn’t only help you, but shows to others that you really care about whatever it is you’re doing. So don’t be afraid to ask for help, because no one is ever going to be mad at you for asking for a little help!

For more Counselor Files stories and advice, check out my ‘Counselor Files‘ page. Wanting to feature in the next Counselor Files? Send me a message, I’d love to hear from you!