Mid-Summer exhaustion wave

We are finishing up session six of camp and although there has been many bumps in the road we are finding a smooth patch in our mid-summer marker. This week we had a three day session which ends today and has been great despite one of our directors quitting right before it started. Allison was one of our two directors who really did not fit the position. She was uptight and easily upset/worried by every little incident. Although this could be seen as a good quality for someone who holds responsibility for 30-50 kids, it can be ridiculous and provide more issues than less. Personally Allison was a nice woman but she wasn’t very personable nor adaptive to the rustic/unorganized situation we are living in. 

Fortunately we are overstaffed (I think) which provides room for others to take on responsibility holes left by our former director. Rosie, our other more well-liked director has transitioned without much added stress and continues to be a role model for how we should act with kids and deal with new issues. Most issues which arise now are less  structural and more individual issues with certain problem causing children. Over the summer I have become more reflective of how I deal with problem children and mended by ways little by little to ensure that I don’t let petty situations frustrate me. 

The food problem which caused us to cater every meal last session is slowly being solved. We (the staff) quickly adapted to the catering situation by rotating counselors to drive the hour to town to pick up the food. This week I was given back my position as head chef which is just what I wanted. Although we can’t do close to the amount of actual cooking I used to do, I am learning how to work with the rules to make it legal and viable. We have converted to many already prepared meals such as reheated pizzas and cold breakfasts such as danishes and cinnamon buns. We now know that we can’t cook on property but if we leave we are allowed to, so a couple meals a week we drive the half mile down the rode and cook at another property we are allowed to use but don’t technically own. Adapting has been a little bit of a challenge but it actually is easier and more enjoyable for me considering I don’t have to cook three meals a day for 50-70 people.  As head of the kitchen I still deal with issues such as forgetting the vegetarian options or forgetting a crucial side to the meal. However as the summer is rolling along I do have a much stronger grasp of the job and have been continually preparing meals on time and pleasing campers and counselors.