Well, where do I start? I guess every story should start with an introduction, so my name is Mattias Mechsner, and this past summer has been the experience of a lifetime for me. In three short months I’ve learned more than I possibly ever could in a classroom, and encountered situations that I had only imagined possible. For example, I never thought I’d be wake up at three in the morning to an attention-seeker biting my arm.
It all started at a church, when a member announced that an organization called “Christian Berets” needed counselors for a camp dedicated to people with special needs. After hearing about this I saw an opportunity to help out with a good cause but nothing could’ve prepared me for the challenges and situations I would encounter. Like any job, I went through the normal process, filling out an application, getting an interview, and finally getting an informational call congratulating me upon being hired. This was my first real job and I was so excited to start working at Whispering Pines Camp in Sonora.
My first week at the camp was by far the easiest, consisting of team building and training exercises to prepare us for the journey ahead, one of which was conflict solving. An example of a situation that my training came in handy was if one guest has a ball and another guest takes that ball, what would be the appropriate course of action to solve this problem? I quickly learned that reasoning might not be the best method, rather that I should just find another ball.
I became familiar with my new home that I’d be staying at for five days out of the week, since weekends would be my only break period. I learned that this training week contained basic lessons like teamwork that I’d be able to refer back to in due time. You may not be able to convince your guest to do something as simple as change his or her shirt, whereas another counselor in your room might be able to do it with ease. This is where teamwork would come into play.
My second week at camp was by far the most difficult, since it was the first real work week of the summer for me. After loading all the guests’ luggage onto the charter bus, we had our papers that informed us of the name of our guests and hobbies based on evaluations from counselors during previous years.
This session did not stray far from the normal routine besides lasting such a long time. After going through the typical schedule of meeting in Modesto, my fellow team of counselors and I set off on our journey to Sonora (a two hour drive on the bus). But before going on the bus, I had met my first guest, Alexey, a disabled non-verbal guest whose vocabulary consisted only of the word “Muh”. He used this word to inform me when he was hungry, when he needed to use the bathroom, or when he wanted his little El Tigre toy (a show on Nickelodeon).
The day went on as expected, arriving at Whispering Pines at 12:00, which was just in time for lunch. After eating, we began our daily activities. Activities included singing and dancing during the afternoon program, playing hot potato, going outside to play basketball and many others, all of which Alexey and I did not participate in. Alexey did not like to participate in anything, so I gave him a tambourine to hit but he would continuously drop it on the floor.
After the first day had gone by, I thought I had a fairly good idea of Alexey’s personality. I figured out that he couldn’t really participate in many group activities and that his favorite thing to do was eat. Alexey would always get up and try to get the food before we were allowed to serve it so I would literally have to put myself in between him and the door and push him back to stop him. Once we were able to serve the food and Alexey got his share, he would become very calm and devour it in record time.
Meals during this week were definitely the most difficult time as his actions became routine. After a few mornings of being at camp, I discovered another daily ritual I would have to endure for ten days straight. I had to help dress Alexey each morning which was a rather difficult. I learned that if there was one piece of lint on the shirt, he would not wear it; he would eat the lint off the shirt, throw it on the ground, and refuse to wear it. I adapted to his routines and adjusted my techniques so I could handle him better each and every day.
As the week drew close to an end, I discovered many things about my guest, like how he didn’t enjoy the normal camp activities, but was completely enthralled with the air conditioner. He also enjoyed taking walks, where he would express his joy by clapping his hands and humming. I wish I could say that these ten days came and went quickly, but it honestly felt like an eternity. When the ten day-sessions finally ended, I felt that I had been rewarded in spirit, and that all the stress I had encountered during camp was completely worth it.
At Whispering Pines, I met some people that have such an incredible love for complete strangers. Although many people may judge them for being mentally handicapped, not one of them judged anyone else. I gained a much greater appreciation for the things we often take for granted, such as the ability to walk and see. I look up to a lot of these people because they find joy and happiness in the simplest of things. Each and every one of them was always available for a hug.
This summer impacted me to a level of which I wouldn’t have thought possible. Although I did have my patience pushed to its limit at times, I have absolutely no regrets with my decision to work during the summer, and I will take the lessons I learned with me for the rest of my life.