We return for a special episode! Going forward it’s special one-off episodes and we’re starting with Maisie Craddock. She’s got a fantastic YouTube channel full of Camp America and summer camp content. In this podcast episode, we talk all things summer camp, what it meant to her and the tips she took away from her experience. If you want to see when she interviewed me, go on to YouTube and search for Maisie Craddock. I hope you enjoy this episode and I’ll see you occasionally for more special one-off episodes in the future. If you want to be on the podcast, get in touch! I’m on Twitter androow09 or you can reach me by going to theresnoplacelikesummercamp.com/contact.
Her channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/MaisieCraddock/videos
Maisie Interviews Me – EXTRA video Recorded For her channel:
Transcript from this podcast:
Hello everyone and welcome to There’s No Place Like Summer Camp. I’m Andrew Waterhouse, and in today’s episode, we’ve got a special interview lined up for you today. This is Maisie Craddock from YouTube. Nice to have you on. Come on into our tent, and I’ll spill the beans
All right. Welcome back, everyone. It’s good to have you here. I’ve got a special episode for you today with Maisie Craddock. Maisie is someone that I found on YouTube while doing some research on summer camp YouTubers, she’s got a fantastic channel, and I would highly recommend watching her videos all about the tips and tricks and things that she’s learned the travels as well as what she’s gone through being at Camp America. So welcome, Maisie. Thanks for being our special guest on today’s podcast.
Hello. I mean, thank you so much for having me. I’m really glad that we’ve been able to sort of collaborate because I feel like we’re on very similar pages about advising people about summer camps. So I’m very happy to be on and talking to you.
It’s a very special privilege. I’ve gone months without doing a podcast episode. But I think from here on out, special interviews, such as this one, are going to make up the majority of the content. Very excited to have you here today. So I was just going to start the ball rolling with some questions just about yourself. So do you want to tell us about yourself? Where were you from? How old are you? Why should you do camp? How many years?
Yeah, and so I’m Maisie and I live in the northwest of the UK. I’m 24 years old. But I went to camp when I was 19. So that was in 2018. And I went to a camp in Pennsylvania and a camp called Chestnut Lake Camp. And I don’t know what else about me. I currently work now in TV. And I obviously have my YouTube channel. So that’s all sort of my interests. And also at camp. My role was sort of related to that, which I’m sure we’ll get into as we go along.
So you went to camp at 19? That’s a relatively young age to do camp, I think, yeah, how come you did it at that age?.
I finished at college. And I just wasn’t ready to go to uni or anything. So I took a gap year. And I’ve always ever since I’ve been young just been obsessed with America, I think it was just growing up watching Disney Channel and Nickelodeon and all that. And I just have this American dream in my head. So as soon as sort of, I was old enough to do it, because you can be 18 and older. I was just that I want to go and do it. And doing it in my gap here was sort of a perfect time to do it. I do think that I was quite young because obviously the drinking age in America is 21. So that sort of came into play later on in the troubles, where some of my friends who were 21 could go out and I couldn’t. But I am quite a mature person, I would say so like I didn’t feel really young or anything like that. And I think that you sort of forget about everyone’s age just at camp. So I just went when I was ready to be honest.
Perfect. So how come you thought of the idea of doing Camp America? Was there anyone you know? Or was it always an attraction with the TV movie Disney thing?
I’d say that that was a big part of it. You know, I’ve loved films like Camp Rock and Parent Trap and stuff like that. So I’ve always heard about it. I did have a neighbour that did Camp America, maybe about three or four years before I went. So you know, I’d heard about that. And I just yeah, I’ve always just known about it. And I think I just wanted an experience of travelling and then as soon as you know the gap year hit that was just instantly the thing that I knew I wanted to do it wasn’t go to Thailand or go to Australia or anything like that. It was I want to do camp America. So I think it’s been going around for like 60 years or something camp America so I’ve just known about it. And that’s just Yeah, I just wanted to jump straight into be honest.
Yeah, well Okay, so before we just get into the camp, I was just gonna ask you about the recruitment fair. How did you find that?
So I, cuz I was so keen and knew that I wanted to do it. And I actually like applied online as everybody else does in like, nope, um, maybe it was September time of the like the year I, it was September 2017. And I went camping like or not August or May 2018. So September I applied and then had like your interview with somebody who then basically just says, you know, you’re okay even like they say that you’re, you’re suitable for camp basically. But you don’t obviously get them recruited by a camp until that point. And then I actually did go to a recruitment fair, because I just wanted to like, open my options up as much as possible. Obviously, my camp profile was live. So camps could sort of hire me via the app via the online application. But I also went to Leeds for the recruitment fair. You’ve just as we’ll get into, when you’re doing Camp America, you’ve just got to get yourself out of your comfort zone and just throw yourself in. At that recruitment, fair, I just went in, they told us prior, like, don’t stand on your phone, make sure that you’re sort of chatting to people around you because the camps have their eyes on you. Then I just approached the different camps, the ones that I had sort of researched online and thought that they sounded great. Initially, I was thinking of maybe doing more drama roles and stuff. But as I approached them, they all said, Oh, no, we’ve already hired that. And I was like, Oh, my gosh, what, what should I go for now? So I sort of winged it on the spot and was like, Well, I have got media experience. I’ve just made media a level. And then there was one camp that was looking for, like a web team, part of being part of the web team. And I just completely blanked it, and said, you know, and it is true, like, that is what I’m into. But I said, Yeah, I’ve done all this photography, and all this, I’ve only done a little bit. But she was like, yes, you sound great, you can be part of the web team. And I got hired on the spot, then by my camp, which, as I discovered, you know when I went to camp, it was one of the best roles I could have done. But at the time, I would say that you sort of have to just pick yourself up. And if you want to get hired there, then you have to just make sure that you’re like me, you know, saying that you’re the best person on earth, basically. But a lot of people didn’t get hired at the recruitment fair. So if you don’t get hired, I wouldn’t be so disheartened by it. Because, you know, there are other opportunities like you had Andrew, where you applied later on. And then you get applied, you get hired online.
Yeah, absolutely. So was Chestnut Lake, were they the first table you approached? Had you gone in with like, a certain camp that he wanted to go to? And what type of camp was Chestnut like?
So I had about five camps. That was hot. I can’t remember how many were there, maybe about 20 to 30 camps at the recruitment fair. And I had about five, written down that were my favourites. So Chestnut Lake wasn’t the first one that I approached, I actually approached one called Trails and which was next door to Chestnut Lake. But they didn’t have anything suitable for me. So then chestnut lake was the second sort of camp that I approached. So I was quite lucky in that sense. In terms of the camp that it was like, it was a pretty sort of standard camp, I would say. I know they have special needs camps. They have Jewish camps. They have underprivileged camps. I would say that mine was more on the privileged end of a camp, I found out that parents sending their children to camp for just their session was about nine grand. So it was quite an expensive camp. I would say a lot of the kids were from more wealthy families. You know, my camp had sort of it, you didn’t just stay at camp, you also had day trips or trips away with the kids as well. So that sort of represented sort of the money side of things. A lot of the kids were Jewish. But it wasn’t a Jewish camp. Like we didn’t do any sort of like you know, religious rituals or anything like that. It was all just sort of standing next to the pledge the allegiance to the flag every day other than that it was.
So I was just gonna ask about being a photographer that’s kind of like a different sort of role that a lot of people would go to camp would have. How did you find being a photographer and being? What did you find a bit external to the day-to-day running of camp? Were there any kids, you had to like, sort of train or show how to use a camera? Or were you like more taking photos of the activities as kids would come? Come through? Camp?
Yeah. Yeah. So as I said, Before, I had no idea sort of what being part of the web team would involve. But it ended up being probably one of the best jobs in my opinion, at camp because I was still part of I shared a bunk with the kids. And I was still part of sort of my own division. So at nighttime and stuff, I would like still look after them. And when we were doing activities in the evening, I would be with them and my fellow counsellors that are in that division. But in my actual job, I was slightly isolated from not isolated, I was just away from the kids that I was like, assigned to, which was nice, because I then would get a schedule each day, and it would tell me, so in the morning, you need to go and take pictures of the seven-year-old boys that are playing football, then after that, you need to go to take pictures of the older girls that are on an outdoor adventure. I would just go and spend an hour with each, like different ages of kids, and take pictures of them of what activities they were doing. Then at the end of the day, I would upload all those pictures onto the Chestnut Lake website for their parents to be able to see what they’re up to. So I loved it because it meant then that I would spend an hour with not only different kids, but also the counsellors that were looking after those kids, and also the specialists that were at that area as well. So it meant that sort of everyone knew me at camp, I was always sort of going around. And I would return back, you know, it wasn’t just, I’ve been with you one day, I’ll never come back to that group. Again, like I was obviously there for a long period of time. So it was really great. It was really sort of rewarding in the sense of like parents loving to see what their kids are up to. The kids being like, oh, take this picture of us, it was really fun. Also, on a personal level. It really improved my own skills, like photography and stuff like that. So it was a good role.
Okay. I imagine a lot of other kids’ poses become favourites. Did you have any favourite kids that or side the other side, where they were just a pain?
Yes. And it also depends on what age the kids are as well because we had kids from like, being about six. So they were tiny, all the way up to like teenagers, like 16-17 year-olds. And yeah, you would have it depends on their personalities. But it was always really important for me to get a picture at least one picture of every child. And there were some that were not interested at all in getting the pictures taken. They just wanted to be doing the activity. And I’d be like, that annoying person that’s like, Please smile for the photo, too. Sometimes I had to adapt to that. And if they felt really uncomfortable, I’d just get action shots of them doing what they were doing. But then yeah, you have the other kids that want to be in every photo. And it came to the point where I’m like, You need to not be in this photo now. Because you’re in every photo where you just sort of get used to it. And I think just warming to the kids as well. And just being like, Oh, come on smiling or just making them laugh. Always just sort of made it a bit easier.
Great. So I was gonna just sort of touch on the culture of your camp. So you say it’s a traditional sort of camp with no religion, no special needs anything like that. But how did you find those first few days settling in? Was there a culture that you had to adjust to? How did you settle in and like, find friends? Because I imagine you went by yourself. You didn’t know anyone prior to going to camp?
No. Yeah, I went by myself. I actually met one girl on Twitter when we both got recruited. And we’re both going to the same camp. So we actually like out of convenience travelled together. But we were like we got on and everything but we didn’t end up being like really close friends throughout camp. So and I also didn’t and it’s really important not to like just stay attached to one person. And that’s the thing that’s where I come from Eric always says like, don’t go with a friend. So yeah, the first few days, were a bit scary, but you’ve just got to throw yourself in there like I’m a really sociable person anyway. So straight away, I was just meeting people and met some people at the airport, which made things a little bit easier that will go into my camp. And then we all sort of shared the plane journey and the bus journey together. So straightaway sort of had people that you’ve sort of gone from the UK with, which made it a bit easier. But as soon as you got to camp, it was just like, where are my like, especially if I was in Pennsylvania, which was in the middle of nowhere. And you’ve then got all these Americans, which, obviously, speak the same language and everything, but they are different. They are like, just, I don’t know how to describe them. But they’re very dramatic, very over the top. They’re very, very friendly and polite, I would say most of them. And it was, it was fine. I think, luckily, obviously, you have your sort of staff week. And so that sort of settles you in before you’re overwhelmed with all the kids. But yeah, I think it was, it was a great experience. You’ve just got to throw yourself in there and just, you know, chat to everybody. And I think naturally, you just gravitate towards the people that are very similar to you, and you just make new friends. And it was absolutely fine.
To just touch on that topic. Were there any other Brits that? Oh, you said there was one other prep was there a little collection of British people that sort of came to your camp at the same time? Because that’s how, at least in my camp, there were initial staff weeks, the Brits would all be their own group. The Israelis would be their group, the Americans would be their group. Did you find it was a little Clicky? In that respect?
Yeah, I would say obviously, for the first sort of arrival period, we did all arrive together. So there were some Brits, but also there were some returners as well that were coming with us because we’re all sort of on the same flight or the same coach in and obviously those returners had American friends. So they were sort of great in merging those with them. And yes, I would say, initially, I guess there are cliques that form, but the Americans were just so great, and just approaching you and just chatting to you. We didn’t really have as you say, you had Israelis, we didn’t really have many people over than Brits and Americans at the camp. And there were like, Spanish people, and they, they were sort of stuck together. But they sort of worked in the kitchen and things like that. I genuinely I do think that everybody just sort of on the first few days just sort of threw themselves in and was all quite chatty, and then I think cliques do form. I think no one knows each other initially. So you’re just sort of finding your clique. But once you’ve found your clique, then there is there are definitely cliques.
Great. So I was just gonna ask about your highlights of camp. Is there anything that stood out to you from your year? Being a photographer?
Well, I mean, obviously, the highlight was my role. I loved my role at camp. But also just the friends that I made would be a highlight in itself. But I’d say just sort of the day-to-day is a highlight, you know, I don’t know if it is actually taken that back. I got to be honest, sometimes I struggled with camp. And, you know, it was very different to like the real world. So some of my highlights were when we sort of went on day trips out of camp because that was a day where we didn’t have the kids with us. And we got to sort of explore different cities, we’re sort of close to Philadelphia and New York and stuff. So they were like highlights, and obviously the travels after a highlight. But in terms of camp, I’d say the little things like your campfires, your cookouts, singing with the kids, all the sort of little activities that you did, and just those moments in the bunk as well, where you’re like bonding with your counsellors and the kids like doing their braids and their hair and just like sweet things like that. Were like the highlights, like the little things. And also eating too much food is a thing, but I love food. So, you know,
when in America I think that’s how you sell into the culture. .
Yeah, exactly. I just fit in everything. Yeah, literally. And the food account was okay. But you’re just hungry all the time because like the days were just so long and you’re on your feet all the time, so it just ended up being eating anything. But yeah, I like it. There were a lot of highlights, but I won’t lie when I say there were some down moments as well.
Absolutely. It’d be wrong of us to pretend that camps just full of sunshine and rainbows, though it’s certainly days of my cup experience where I was like, Well, you know what? I’d rather be at home.
Yeah, exactly. I remember, I think, maybe a week in I FaceTimed, my parents and just burst into tears. And they were like, it’s fine. Like, I think it was just the culture shock of like, just completely different environment from being at home. Suddenly you’re at camp and like, our bunks were really weird as well. I know it sounds like a little thing. But we had bunk beds, and all the kids were like, on the ground. But the counsellors that shared the bunk were like, above the kids in each corner of the room, but there was no barrier on the bunk bed. So it was literally just you could roll off and fall out of the bed. I think I didn’t, but I had a friend that did and broke his nose. I think things like that as well. When you’re first settling in, you’re like, I don’t know where I am. I don’t know anyone. I’ve also got this weird bed that I can’t even be comfortable in at night. And I’m like shoving myself against the wall. So it was all just things like that. But you know, once you sort of get settled in and you start making like those friendships that you know, true friendships. And it was amazing. On the whole.
It’s funny you mentioned the bunk beds because we actually had a kid I’m sure it’s in the first book where they rolled off their bunk beds, and they broke their back, I think we ended up having an air ambulance come and pick them up. And that was like a big drama of camp. So Americans, you need to sort out your rails on what’s going on.
I know I genuinely don’t get it. And they also didn’t have ladders or PPE either. So you’d have to like literally like scramble and like put your leg on, it was so weird.
Right? So we’re coming up to the end of the questions I have for you. As we’re doing that, I’ll just keep it safe for work for the time being. The last question on that topic is What would you say to someone that’s thinking of doing Camp America?
I would say go all in, you know, if you’re thinking about it, then just do it. If you can give up three months of your summer, and you come to America, you have to pay I think about 700 pounds ish, I think that’s what it’s like. But if you obviously can afford that, then great. Go for it. And you also obviously earn money once you’re at Campus well, so it sort of balances out it’s not loads of money. It’s just as they call pocket money. But I would just say, you know, whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, go for it. Because for me, it was the best thing one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life, and I will never ever forget it. And yeah, I think that’s it. That’s all I would say really is just go for it.
Okay, so more spicy questions. Now as we’re coming up to the end. In your the chat we’ve done on your YouTube channel, you mentioned that you were single at camp. How was that?
And to be honest, it was I was glad that I was single camp, having got to camp and seeing people that were in relationships. Literally, the majority of the people that I was friends with that were in relationships at home, their relationships broke down. I think you know, I don’t mean that to scare anybody. But it’s also the reality of you go to camp, and you can’t really go on your phone and at my camp, we had to lock our phones away for most of the day. I was lucky with my role because I could sort of sneakily have it when I was like editing the photos and stuff. But otherwise, you couldn’t have it apart from on your time off. It’s very sort of you’re in your camp bubble. There are other sorts of distractions. There may be other temptations there. And I think I was glad that I was single because I didn’t have anybody to worry about back home. Now. I’m not single and the thought of going to camp now having no water it’s like that’s, that would really make me nervous. Just because it’s like it’s when you’ve got a loved one back at home. You’d be wanting to check in on them, you’d know that they want to check in on you. And like, especially the way that my camp was, I couldn’t like to have access to my phone, and then you’ve got the time difference as well. So I would say it’s definitely difficult, but it’s also doable. Like, if obviously, if you’re sort of secure in your relationship, then it will be fine. You’ve just got to communicate and pre-warn your partner that, you know, it might be difficult, but if you trust each other, then it will be fine. But personally, I was very glad that I was single. And I could just think and do whatever I wanted.
I shouldn’t have really said this in the interview we had on your channel. But I think also the time difference, having, you know, approximately three months away from your loved one, that’s a long time, especially when you’re outside of camp, that not being able to speak to each other and not be able to, you know, go on a date night together. That’s a long time to be apart. And I think that definitely plays its part if you are going to camp when in a relationship.
I was just going to touch on camp goggles, and the lack of privacy in camp. How did you find those two?
So camp goggles is similar to what we’ve just mentioned. So you are in a bubble-like camp? And sort of what you see at Camp is probably not what you would see in real life. You know, I think for the majority of us, me and my friends that look back now we’re like, Why did I fancy that person or something like that? They were obviously great people. But I just think when you’re in your sort of normal life, headspace, you just wouldn’t even it wouldn’t cross your mind. But boot camp goggles were funny like I touched on in my video, like, I went to Camp thinking that I was going to find a cowboy. And as soon as I saw somebody with cowboy boots and a cowboy hat, I was just like, Oh my gosh. But really like, yes, they were a great person. And nothing happened at all. But it’s just a stupid, like, I almost feel that camp was almost like going back to school. With the sense of it was very gossipy. Everybody knew things you had crushes on people like you fancied them and like it very, it felt like I was back at school with the sense of that. And what was the other or the lack of privacy? Yeah, and my, the toilet in my camp was so strange, because the doors, literally you would stand up and you would see the bottom half of your leg from like your knees down, and you would see your head. So the toilet doors were so short that literally like if people stood up, they could see you on the toilet. And straight away. I was like, Oh my gosh, like hat, like, how do I get used to this, but you just got to think I’m here for three months, I’ve just got to do it. Like, I’ve just got to go in there and just do what I need to do. And the same with the showers and just getting changed in front of people. Like I think at first you’re sort of like, you know, a bit. But you just get used to it. And you’re all in the same boat. And yeah, I think as well, you touched on it before in terms of lack of privacy as well. If you do sort of form a relationship at camp, and you want a bit of time on your own with that person. I think it can be quite difficult. You’ve got to be careful with where you choose for your private moments. And because for some reason people always seem to find out when something has happened. The latest gossip, it’s the latest gossip. It’s like, Well, what happened at the lake last night and all this, which is great. And it was it. That was you know, going back to highlights of camp. All of that is a highlight of camp because it’s just so entertaining and funny.
Every day is full on I find every day is full of news full of activities. Yeah, got it.
Yeah. But yeah, you do have to be careful because there were people that did get fired as well from my camp. Not really for things like that. I think if you did stuff like that and got caught a few times, then yes, you’d get fired. But also just being inappropriate or sort of doing wrong things like there were a few people that did like drugs and stuff that was completely, you know, that got found out and fired straight away. So you just got to you have in the sense of me saying it’s like school, you have got to be careful, like you’re in school like you don’t want to lose your job and you’ve got to sort of be sensible, as well.
Absolutely. Okay, so we’re up to the final question. And this is a question that I asked everyone that’s come on the podcast Did you can have some time to think about what food or smell will bring you back to summer camp? Is there a particular food or smell that you like, that reminds you of camp? Take your time.
There are quite a few foods to be fair. A really weird one, and no one will ever say this, is the lack of veg. The only veg we had was raw broccoli and I was like “I have to have veg!”. Every time I go to the supermarket now and do some cooking, chopping up broccoli, that brings me back to camp. It is dead funny! But another one is the classic smores, which remind me of camp. Especially the way done at camp with the Hershey bars and Graham Crackers, the smell of smoke and all of that, reminds me of camp.
Wow I would never have put raw broccoli on my list of guesses for what foods people may bring up on that question. But there we have it! That is the end of this podcast and I want to thank Maisie for being a special guest. For more of her content, check out her YouTube channel above as well as our separate video recorded for her channel – also embedded above.
