Camp Ramapo

Camp Ramapo was one of the greatest things I have done in my whole life. Camp Ramapo is a camp for children with special needs. It goes throughout most of the summer but it is so much fun. The first year I got declined as a camp counselor, but the second year I got accepted as a camp counselor. This camp dealt with kids with all kinds of special needs ranging from ADHD to Down syndrome. This was a camp equipped with everything including arts, swimming, gardening, sports, and a lake that had canoeing, rowing, fishing, and more fun activities. There was also hiking, high adventure, and more. If it is outdoors, you can probably find it at this camp. I was put in the TLP, teen leadership program. I worked with the teenagers and some of them were a handful. You had to remain calm under pressure when they tried to get under your skin. Some of them refused to listen and some would lash out. Even though everyone had their difficult moments, there was lots of fun and enjoyment and close connections were built. I enjoyed hanging out with all of my campers but there were two in particular that I developed a close friendship with, Chris and Eric. I was really close to them and we had lots of fun. Eric was difficult at first and did not want to respond to anyone. Eric finally decided to open up to me and we just sat and talked. Although he did have certain moments where he did not talk at all through the rest of camp, he was a lot more open after we talked. He really opened up and at the end of the session, we each have a paper and we write one good thing about each person on their paper. We end up getting a bunch of complements from each person in our tent. When I looked at my paper, I was reading it and Eric was thanking me for opening him up to the point where he could talk with other people. He said if it was not for me, he did not know if he was ever going to open up. Chris was a very energetic and fun person to hang around with, always getting involved with everything. Chris and I hit it off instantly, but the truth is I think everyone liked Chris. In the end, the friendships I made, the activities I did, and the knowledge I gained, made this one of the best summers ever.