An Unforgettable Camp Experience

‘Ano ‘ai! Have you guys ever been to a summer camp? the heat of the sun mixed in with the wondrous outdoors! Today we're brewing a pot with Kate Samuels, a camp counselor veteran. Affectionately called Katie by her close friends, Katie is new to the Islands and the Kopelani family. Kate has been on many adventures. From traveling through America, to doing missionary work in Africa, she has seen so much of the world. And now her journey has brought her to Hawaii.

We asked Kate what one of her favorite coffee memories were. She went ahead and took us back to her first years as a camp counselor, working for the summer camp KFN (Kids For the Nations). Before her time as a counselor she rarely drank coffee, instead, she would drink soda or other beverages to get that caffeine fix. The sodas were only a quick fix to her caffeine deprivation. Those quick bursts of sugar filled energy couldn't compete with the infinite excitement of the campers. Until one of her fellow counselors introduced her to a vanilla latte.

This changed the game for Kate the coffee had kicked in almost immediately; she was wired. Like lightning from the heavens she was energized and ready. And though she wasn’t bouncing off of the walls, she was ready to start the most challenging part of the campers day, waking up.

Blasting the Lone Ranger soundtrack, she would flick the lights on and off. Run through the halls screaming “WAKE UP CHILDREN! It’s time to get up! I’ve got my coffee and 3 hours of sleep LET'S DO THIS!"

Some of the more stubborn kids however, still tried to stay in bed so she would run over to their beds and flip their mattresses. “Miss Kate why are you doing this to us?” The kids complained as they would pick themselves off the ground. Over time Kate’s contagious energy began to reach the kids and they began to get excited with their new morning routine.

“Miss Kate! They’re still in their beds!” The kids would squeal, waiting to see what new surprise she had in store to wake the more stubborn kids up with. After their morning rendition of hide and seek and once everyone was up and ready they would go out and practice archery, play around, or just have a great time. And though Kate doesn’t work as a camp counselor anymore, those vanilla lattes are still a major help to her as a nanny.

Camp was always something most of us would look forward to as kids, whether writing letters to each other to stay in touch, or thinking about what new things we were going to do the next year, everyone has their own exciting memories from camp. And as a parent or if you had the opportunity to be a camp counselor then surely you can understand how Kate felt; it’s a memory you’ll treasure forever.

We would love to hear some of your camp stories and coffee memories as well! So go ahead and share your story in the comments, and sign up with our newsletter so that you can stay up to date on all the new things that we will be doing. Until next time. Aloha, Ke Akua Pu!