New at Camp
HI! My name is Claire, I’m new on Staff at Camp Huawni and have the opportunity to write on the Smoke Signals blog every session this summer.
Because I’m new here, I’ve been trying to get the feel for camp in East Texas and go around with different cabins to see them in action doing activities such as the Obstacle Course, pool, or the Critter (the blob). Yesterday specifically, I walked around with the girls in Cedar Ridge. It’s very cool to hear as a new person at Camp Huawni about why campers come back and what their favorite parts of summer camp are.
A lot of the girls mentioned coming back because of the traditions that are at Camp Huawni. Being new, I get to experience those for the first time (the campers loved being able to keep from me what happens to new people during initiation or not tell me about the other secrets of camp). Growing up, I went to a sleepaway camp in Texas, but Camp Huawni is filled with multiple traditions that set it apart from any other camp. Hearing the campers in Cedar Ridge tell me they’re looking forward to becoming counselors themselves or how next year they’re planning on coming to the same session as their best friend from camp so that they can spend time together at their favorite place, has made me fall in love with Camp Huawni quickly.
If you think about it, you have specific criteria for a summer camp when deciding which one to send your family to. As a guess, you would want your kids to be safe, have direction, and feel the freedom that you can only experience once launched in the air by a friend on the Critter. The way I’ve experienced the counselors executing our mission: Love the Kids, shows me that this camp is the opportunity for your family to experience that safety and freedom as campers. Every morning in staff meeting, we talk about how to fight for your campers and encourage each other to push your limits physically and mentally to be able to make the campers feel more loved and understood.
An example of pushing physical limits would be the mud fight we had yesterday after our hike. Campers threw mud at each other and it was crazy to see how much fun could come from such a simple thing as dirt and water. The best part had to be the refreshing watermelon after the mud to cool down. I found out they do this every year! The mud fight and watermelons are traditions that campers come back again and again for.
Being new at a summer camp can easily be intimidating, but it’s encouraging to see the energy around me and the relationships cultivated at this camp deepen throughout the session. Kids here have the easiest time connecting with each other. When I followed the Cedar Ridge girls around, they didn’t ask why I was there or anything, just wanted to be my friend and tell me about how brave they were for swinging on the rope at the Obstacle Course.
I’ll keep you updated with the rest of my experience at Camp Huawni. Maybe I can leak the secrets of our initiation to you after I experience it tomorrow night? Or I could not be allowed to post anymore? This could be goodbye…
