Journal #1: 30 hours, 6 per Day for 5 Days

Camp Galileo Week #0

My first week at camp Galileo didn’t feel like a first week at all. The first week actually started before camp; Camp Galileo really emphasized the preparation and assets required before camp with a 4 an half hour online course, that provided all the information for us to build upon on the two setup days prior the first day of camp. The online course, “telescope”, compiled information and drilled it into workers/interns through interactive modules and videos. It gave an overview of the camp’s values, operations, and experiences. So far, telescope has helped me gain a better understanding for what to do in emergency situations. For instance, with so many kids there's bound to be some allergies and that's where the epi-pen comes in. I learned how to properly open, use and store it. Other emergency situations like an intruder, injury, or earthquakes were also address and given a protocol. There is no doubt with so many campers in our responsibility, the utmost care must be taken when following protocols in emergency situations. But to put this in a more general lesson, organization and planning can make some impossible goal into a step by step achievable one.

Going into the two setup days, I was very nervous but when we sat down at the amphitheater for our first meeting, everyone was energetic and open. There was a sense of familyhood developing as we finished our first set up day. I met a couple people while taking inventory and sorting things into the appropriate rooms. During the second day, I met more people and started feeling comfortable with who I was going to be working with. Nevertheless, camp starts tomorrow and I still haven’t had any experiences with how the camp works with actual campers around.