North star bible camp Internship reflectionI decided to intern in Alaska at North Star Bible Camp. The reason I chose this place was that I was going to Alaska for the summer, and we were also already planning on being counselors at this camp.
There where many things during this camp that I grew from, but the skill that improved the most was my interpersonal skills. I was around a lot of people 24/7 and also had a lot of responsibilities. I had to sleep in a cabin with 8 other kids and 1 other counselor. I didn't know the other counselor in my cabin really at all, so I had to force myself to communicate efficiently. This internship was a very big challenge for me because I was not used to being around a lot of people at once. I also had a bit of social anxiety before. This internship forced me to go out of my comfort zone and be more outgoing and friendly with my peers and the kids. I made a lot of friends and great memory's! |
Internship Essay
My internship was at a bible camp in Willow, Alaska called North Star Bible Camp. I volunteered for three weeks to help with the elementary school students. Every week was a totally different experience. Before this internship I wanted to learn some valuable social skills that would help in future situations. I also wanted to learn more about dealing with kids. I didn't know what to expect going into this but I hoped I would have a good time.
For the first week of my internship we were doing a sort of training week to prepare us for the coming weeks. For most of this week we did preparations for the days to come. I helped sew curtains, flags and chair covers because I have good knowledge of sewing machines. This week was very useful because I got to meet the leaders and mentors that would help me if I needed it. I also got to meet all of the people that would be staffing and counselling alongside me.
The second week is when things really went along. Every day we would get up at 8am to prepare for breakfast at 8:30. Then we would stick to a semi strict schedule for the rest of the day. Everyday we had to make sure the kids were being kind and made sure that they were safe. We would get one hour of break per day and sometimes not even that. Then after the whole day we would go into our cabins at around 10 and go to sleep at around 11-12.
The second week had the biggest positive impact on me out of all the weeks. This week I got to know kids and people that I will never forget. For this week there were many people that I had met previously and was able to talk and connect with them. The kids in my cabin were all very different but I'll remember all their different personalities and mannerisms. Some of the kids I connected with very well while others seemed more distant. There was a big change in my interactions with the kids from the first day to the last day.
My partner and I for the second week weren't able to connect very well during that time. I think the reason for that was because both of us weren't super social or talkative when it came to people you have never met. I do admire her though and thought we did have some similarities, but we weren't able to get to know each other super well. By the end of the week I was very exhausted and tired and I was glad it was over. Looking back now I wish I would have cherished it a bit more.
The third and final week was very different from the second week. This week I was staffing which basically means that I was working in the kitchen, working in the field for game time, and cleaning around. This week I was a bit unprepared to work in the kitchen because I didn't fully know what to do. We would get up at 6:30 to make breakfast for 7:30 everyday. By the end of the week I was getting more efficient in the kitchen and knew what I needed to do.
We would have a lot of break time but it was too much time to socialize and witness drama. I didn't feel like I was fitting in with the other kids that were staffing. Everyone was very cliquey and everyone knew each other for a few years. By the end of the week I was super exhausted from so much social interaction. I think I was exhausted from the two weeks before that week at camp as well. I ended up being glad to go get a break.
By the end of the three weeks I was really glad to be done. I did learn a lot from the camp and I'm very glad that I got this experience. I think it really built my interpersonal skills because I was constantly around people 24/7. I didn't know those people very well and I had to find ways to talk and interact with them that would work for me. I built my global awareness skills because I was in a completely different place than Maui. It was very interesting the way the people were different and similar. My self directional skills were also built upon because I had to figure out some things on my own. The biggest thing that I learned was not to give up and to trust in myself. I had some big emotional issues when I was there but I learned that I shouldn't give up and always try my best.
My internship was at a bible camp in Willow, Alaska called North Star Bible Camp. I volunteered for three weeks to help with the elementary school students. Every week was a totally different experience. Before this internship I wanted to learn some valuable social skills that would help in future situations. I also wanted to learn more about dealing with kids. I didn't know what to expect going into this but I hoped I would have a good time.
For the first week of my internship we were doing a sort of training week to prepare us for the coming weeks. For most of this week we did preparations for the days to come. I helped sew curtains, flags and chair covers because I have good knowledge of sewing machines. This week was very useful because I got to meet the leaders and mentors that would help me if I needed it. I also got to meet all of the people that would be staffing and counselling alongside me.
The second week is when things really went along. Every day we would get up at 8am to prepare for breakfast at 8:30. Then we would stick to a semi strict schedule for the rest of the day. Everyday we had to make sure the kids were being kind and made sure that they were safe. We would get one hour of break per day and sometimes not even that. Then after the whole day we would go into our cabins at around 10 and go to sleep at around 11-12.
The second week had the biggest positive impact on me out of all the weeks. This week I got to know kids and people that I will never forget. For this week there were many people that I had met previously and was able to talk and connect with them. The kids in my cabin were all very different but I'll remember all their different personalities and mannerisms. Some of the kids I connected with very well while others seemed more distant. There was a big change in my interactions with the kids from the first day to the last day.
My partner and I for the second week weren't able to connect very well during that time. I think the reason for that was because both of us weren't super social or talkative when it came to people you have never met. I do admire her though and thought we did have some similarities, but we weren't able to get to know each other super well. By the end of the week I was very exhausted and tired and I was glad it was over. Looking back now I wish I would have cherished it a bit more.
The third and final week was very different from the second week. This week I was staffing which basically means that I was working in the kitchen, working in the field for game time, and cleaning around. This week I was a bit unprepared to work in the kitchen because I didn't fully know what to do. We would get up at 6:30 to make breakfast for 7:30 everyday. By the end of the week I was getting more efficient in the kitchen and knew what I needed to do.
We would have a lot of break time but it was too much time to socialize and witness drama. I didn't feel like I was fitting in with the other kids that were staffing. Everyone was very cliquey and everyone knew each other for a few years. By the end of the week I was super exhausted from so much social interaction. I think I was exhausted from the two weeks before that week at camp as well. I ended up being glad to go get a break.
By the end of the three weeks I was really glad to be done. I did learn a lot from the camp and I'm very glad that I got this experience. I think it really built my interpersonal skills because I was constantly around people 24/7. I didn't know those people very well and I had to find ways to talk and interact with them that would work for me. I built my global awareness skills because I was in a completely different place than Maui. It was very interesting the way the people were different and similar. My self directional skills were also built upon because I had to figure out some things on my own. The biggest thing that I learned was not to give up and to trust in myself. I had some big emotional issues when I was there but I learned that I shouldn't give up and always try my best.