I’m not quite sure why I applied. I guess it was because I needed a job, and it seemed like a decent job opportunity. I knew it didn’t pay much, but it sounded like it could be some interesting work experience. Little did I realize that I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

It was a cold spring evening. I had been looking for a job for the summertime. Maybe I could work at the mall or a fast food restaurant, or some sort of typical teen job. Then, I came across a work opportunity that was absolutely unexpected!

Summer Staff. At a retreat camp. That meant spending my summer washing dishes, cleaning bathrooms, and pulling weeds. (Sounds like fun, right?) But, for some reason, I wanted this job. After all, I could go to camp, and get paid for it! So I requested an application, filled it out, sent it in, and got my very first job!

Once I started working that summer, I realized that camp wasn’t all fun and games. Each morning, I had to crawl out of bed early just so I could help prepare breakfast. As I offered French toast to dozens of thankless campers, I inhaled the aroma of the food, longing for just a nibble to sustain my hunger. Once everyone was served and I finally got my own breakfast, I was forced to eat quickly before it was time to bus tables, wash dishes, and sweep floors. When that was done, I got a short break until I had to return to the kitchen and repeat the same exact thing for lunchtime.

During the afternoons, I could be found teaching campers how to climb the rock wall, trimming bushes, or attempting to make cotton candy. This was my favorite part of the day because I could talk with the campers. They would often come up to me to ask how my day was going. (I often forgot that I was actually working!) All too soon, I would have to leave for dinner set-up, which was the same basic thing as breakfast and lunch. And once that last dinner dish was clean, there was a chance for me to get some rest before the next day came when I’d have to do this all over again.

Don’t get me wrong. This job was far from boring! Everyone on the summer staff found ways to make our work fun. A passer-by would often hear us singing goofy songs as we went about our jobs. On our days off, we would throw each other into the lake or go to the beach to build a campfire. For Father’s Day, we made a big card for our boss and called him “Dad” all day! One random day, we decided that it was Christmas, and went on a mad dash to buy Secret Santa gifts and to try to find a Christmas tree…in August. (We successfully found a tree at a dollar store, but it was only twelve inches tall!) It was crazy little moments like these that made all of our work worthwhile.

I’ve worked at this retreat camp for the past two summers. Yes, it’s mostly hard and dirty work, but I know that it will end up being the most rewarding job I will ever have. I’ve learned a lot of things, like how to prepare food for at least two hundred people, how to vacuum fifty rooms within an hour, and how to keep a positive attitude even when I have to scrub bathroom floors or scrape chewed gum off of plates. True, I got paid next to nothing and sometimes worked over 40 hours a week, but it’s the absolute best job ever!