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So here I am sitting outside the living quarters (Poseidon) on a cold Thursday morning at 1.30 am doing my scheduled night guard duty, safely armed with my super powered torch and trusty whistle. Finally getting some time to sit and reflect on the camp, so far. This opportunity presents itself very rarely as throughout the camp we mentors are bombarded with things to do: take care of the campers making sure that they are at the correct activity at the correct time with the necessary equipment, ensure that they are safe, well and happy, answer any of their burning questions, assist the admin team, prepare for the next barrage of questions and activities and at the same time recharge our own batteries, which seem to be on overcharge with a surprising amount of reserve fuel for that early morning Fajr wake up round. Speaking of Fajr, this Blog seems to have taken longer than expected as now I have just returned from Fajr prayers having carried out my duties for the night of patrolling the camp looking out for random people that may be lurking about and sometimes random campers sleep walking, or just walking half asleep.
The immense pressure that was mentioned at the training weekend that we laughed off, saying that we could cope; ‘it can’t be that hard, can it?’ oh it can and is! The pressure is great however it is shadowed by the satisfaction that you receive by accomplishing your goals with the young and easily impressionable campers. When you are able to watch a camper’s namaaz improve in front of your eyes within just days, you get such a rush of happiness and pride that all negatives are swept under the carpet and are forgotten. Pressure, sleep deprivation, mental tiredness, all these things were mentioned to us before we began this mammoth life changing experience, however sitting here reflecting on the highs and lows I notice that none of these matter and are only temporary. The high points outweigh the lows irrefutably, leaving this mentor feeling that he has served his purpose and willing to continue his duty, if only to continue this tremendous feeling of satisfaction.
Being able to watch a camper come out of a tightly enclosed shell and flourishing, seeing them spread their wings and flying, is an indescribable feeling. It almost feels euphoric. Improvements in both the spiritual and physical nature of these campers can be seen immediately when walking around the campsite. As I sit here with the sun rising over the water, admiring the beautiful scenery, I understand why the great personalities we have as part of our team both admin and mentors return year after year.
Hasnain Ramji
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