Results
Explain how your experience affected you as a person? How did you change? How do you see the world differently than you did before?
This experience tested my patience each and every day. As a person this experience showed me that patience is important not only with children, but with everyone I meet. This summer showed me that if I cannot be patient and trust others, it's going to damage relationships I have built with others. This changed me because I have now realized that I cannot be impatient. I have to cherish every moment I have with a person. I cannot get angry and tear them apart when they don't do something I want/need immediately. I have to be calm and wait until the time is right. This makes me see how society wants everyone to feel like they deserve things immediately. In order to succeed in life, patience is a key factor. Patience will keep me from making decisions to quickly. Everyone deserves to run their own lives and to not have someone try and control it. That is why patience is important. That way I won't be irrationally thinking or trying to control a person.
Was this a meaningful experience? Why or why not?
In my opinion, this experience was not very meaningful to me. I felt more frustrated and defeated by this experience. Though I did learn patience is important, this experience damaged relationships that I had back at home. It made my return to Hilliard more difficult and stressful. I felt like this experience took away the summer relaxation that I needed before I begin my senior year of high school.
What new knowledge or skills did you learn from this experience?
This experience taught me patience and taught me to think about the thought processes of younger children. It showed me how to be patience with myself and others. I learned that children sometimes over think things. Some things that seem so tedious or petty to me might be a huge deal to them. I must consider that to some people, small problems can be devastating to them. I also learned the skill of leadership. I learned how to take care of 10+ girls and to lead them closer to God. I tried to be a role model for them, so that one day they could hopefully grow up to be strong and courageous Christ followers.
How would you do it differently if you had to start over?
If I were to start over, I would not have joined junior staff. I would have signed up to camp 1 week and counsel 1 week. I think spending 6 weeks of my life at Camp Marengo took a toll on me. I would have only spent 2 weeks at camp instead of the full 6 weeks. I think I would have even changed what my capstone is over to find something that brought more interest to my career choice.