My first week of counseling, I was more than a little intimidated. This is my first summer both working as a counselor and being at Friedenswald. As I sat on the porch of Maple Cabin, waiting for my first high school camper to arrive, I thought, “Wow, a lot of people are trusting me right now – parents, campers, my employers, my co-counselors.” Trust. That’s the thing I’ve experienced over and over again – and had to use, myself, quite frequently. This summer, I’ve learned so many things (most of which are still very unprocessed in my mind), but the one clear theme of the summer is trust. When things went wrong and when things were going perfectly; when there was grief and intense overflowing happiness; when there was conflict and harmony, everybody had to use so much trust.
With this kind of trust, I’ve realized, comes intense connection and the building of community. At the end of each week, I was amazed by how close I felt with each of my campers, my co-counselors, and camp, in general. This summer has been one of many connections and forming of intense bonds with the people and the place around me. This trust, such incredible trust, has allowed me to feel a part of this camp, even though I’ve only been here six weeks, and for that I am incredibly grateful.