Summer Camp Loneliness

Over the summer of 2023, I was an Administrative Assistant, or 2A. I handled birthday parties, mail, lost and found, and fruit break. The things that camp counselors didn’t have time for. I worked with 3 other people, J, V, and K. J was a very funny guy, he was very charismatic. He had done this job before so he knew his way around things. V was a former camper and this was her first ever job, she couldn’t take things seriously and didn’t have as much experience as I did so that set me apart from her a lot. K was a very upfront person, when she doesn’t like someone then she’ll let that person know. She was never mean but if someone was mean to her she wouldn’t take it. The first few weeks everything was going really well, we all got along fine, we worked great together, and it seemed that the summer would go fast and easy. Around the 1 month mark, I soon started to notice that I was different than my 3 coworkers. I wanted things done and over with, I didn’t want to waste time, my work ethic was strong and direct. They didn’t have the same ideals as me. They liked to mess around while working, they didn’t take things as seriously as I did. I saw my job as a job. I guess they saw it as something fun to do over the summer. I didn’t realize that summer camp was supposed to be fun and not a serious working environment. I got an ear full from my boss, he was not impressed with how I was acting. I was often rude and upset. I didn’t understand these people, and I bunked with the 2 other girls. I spent most of my free time alone away from them, I didn’t get a chance to bond.

One specific time I can remember was when we were sorting mail and they were messing around while I felt like I was the only one doing real work. It was hot in that small mail room, I had no room to work. They were goofing off with each other and getting into fake but loud arguments. We had so much mail that it became way too overwhelming. I said some choice words but got my point across, and it left my coworkers upset, they went to our boss about it. During our break my boss pulled me aside and let me have it. He pretty much told me that if I can’t have fun or let other people have fun then there is nothing else that this summer camp can do for me. I asked if I was getting fired and he said not but I needed to think about what he said. So I did. I reflected and thought. I had come to understand that summer camp isn’t really the best work environment for me as I can’t combine work and fun. I apologized to my coworkers, K was hurt and that changed her view of me understandably, J understood where I was coming from, and I’m not sure if it had any effect on V. I made it through the rest of the summer alright, I wish I had done a lot of things differently. I got treated differently because of how I acted. I made new friends and spent less time with my coworkers. I am grateful for that experience as it helped me understand who I am, not only as a worker but as a person.