Spotlight on Staff: Rebecca
Hi my name is Rebecca Rohan, better known as “one of the Irish girls” (as I was most commonly known around camp!) I’m from Waterford, Ireland where I have lived all my life. I am currently a sophomore studying Finance at the University College Cork, so I spend most of the term time here at school!
Growing up I spent my days horse riding competitively in show jumping events around Ireland, so horse riding camps were always a major part of my summers. When I started high school, the vast majority of my friends sailed and spent their summers in sailing camp, so naturally I wanted to see what all the commotion was about. The moment I set foot in a boat I fell in love with it!
For the most part, the traditional “camp culture” does not really exist in Ireland. Most teenagers generally attend language courses in the Gaeltacht (gaelic speaking regions of Ireland) and very specific specialized camps such as sailing and horseback riding camps.
When I applied to work at HCDC, I was really only looking for the opportunity to live abroad for a summer. On arrival, I remember meeting some of the other staff people and wondered how could they possibly be so excited for work and enthusiastic about their jobs? That’s what I thought it was going in to it – “a job.” Little did I know I was about to embark on not just the best summer ever, but by far the best 8 weeks of my life!
I was a camp counselor for 3rd grade girls where I had the opportunity to meet some of the funniest, friendliest and happiest girls ever! I’m pretty sure that these campers didn’t realize how much they impacted on our lives and how much joy we get from spending time around them, so much so that the counselors and I used to have to put ban on talking about camp in our spare time! (Which generally only lasted a matter of minutes I have to admit!) I really do think back on the activities we did on a daily basis with such fond memories… One of my favorites being jumping around on stage during freeze dance as well as the notorious pow-wows!
I will be forever grateful to HCDC for having given me this amazing opportunity and for the most incredible experience of my life. No matter how many times I tell stories about my summer at HCDC or show pictures to my friends at home, I truly believe that you have to live it to realize how amazing and life-changing Hampton Country Day Camp really is – not just for the campers, but for the counselors too!
