Well January was a tough year but we made it.. lol. Winter is my least favorite season and I want to escape back to those warm, sunny days at summer camp. I have had my fair share of awesome summer jobs but this one might have been my favorite. As the Bangor YMCA's Adventure Camp counselors, Dimitrje aka Meech, Tessa aka Daphne and me aka...Stacey (I was not very creative) took on the great outdoors of Maine with a group of crazy middle schoolers! From hiking in Acadia National Park to faking a drowning at the local pool, it was a summer to remember (and wish I was back in right about now... its 25 degrees in PA)
All three of us, Meech, Daph and I, were new to the Y so this camp was a first for us. Our training consisted of a two night canoe camping trip on the St. Croix River which runs between the US and Canada. It was by far the coolest job training I've ever had. We loaded all our camping gear and training binders in our canoes and set out for a 22 mile trip on a beautiful, slightly technical river. I knew immediately that this was going to be a perfect job for exploring Maine (and getting paid for it!)
The first week was a whirlwind, but we quickly got to know our kids and realized, 'this is going to be fun, but it won't always be easy'. I mean, we had a group of sixteen middle schoolers... By the first few days though, we couldn't help but fall in love with each and every one of them, even if we had to tell them not climb on roofs and put their shirts back on... Substitute teaching definitely prepared me for some things, but nothing can prepare you for corralling the same group of kids for 12 hours a day!
I drove one van, Daphne was my trusty copilot/DJ and Meech drove the other van. We played a generous amount of Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber (Despacito was our anthem at the beginning of the summer and our foe by the end) Some of my best memories were just cruising around in our sweet sprinter vans, while we all belted T Swift 'Trouble, Trouble, TROUBLE'! I also never knew how much kids loved the gas station stops. One of our campers always got a Moxie and a whoopie, he was the most Mainer kid in our group, a freaking legend. For pretty much everyone outside of Maine, Moxie is like the state soft drink of Maine and as described by Caleb, tastes like root beer with a little medicine. Needless to say, he kept telling me I needed to try it, so the last week I had my first Moxie with my kickass counselors and of course, Caleb. I will never forget that memory (and that taste, lol)
Around the end of July and through August, our hikes were so much more rewarding with the wild blueberries to provide a sweet treat on the trails. Maine's lowbush blueberries are smaller and sweeter than cultivated blueberries and have twice the antioxidants and you can only find them in Maine and Nova Scotia!
I got to brush up on my acting skills one day when the director of the local public pool asked if I would be the drowning victim in a drill for a discount on the entrance fee. Well we all know I'm frugal AF so heck ya I did it! No one knew it was going to happen except the director, Daph and Meech. At exactly 1:45 I went limp, head down in the deepend and next thing I knew I heard the whistles and was on a backboard being pulled out of the pool in front of about 150 people. It was awesome!
I can't even begin to explain how much I loved working with Dimitrje and Tessa and all the amazing kids at the YMCA's Adventure Camp. There is something magical that happens when you are at a camp, outside, away from television and phones. Lessons are learned, friendships are created and memories are made that will last a lifetime. I will always remember my summer in Maine and the people who made it unforgettable! Cheers to you, Meech and Daph! <with a Moxie, of course>
