Page 19: Working With Children Be Like

1) When kids get out their "flashlights" and search their tents with military precision for bugs then scream and run to me when they find one. You went looking for bugs? You found one? And now you act surprised?

2) In the dining hall line where the children, slowly pile their plate with food. One fry at a time...

3) The counselor reaction when we found out the eighth graders had sneaked into the staff tent and taken all of the Coke (they drink Cola, a cheaper soda. We stock up on good stuff and hide it)

4) When I spent my morning off at the mud obstacle course with fifth grade boys because it looked like fun and then after we jumped in the lake they ran off to their next session and I collected up all of their wellies "rain boots" and took them across camp back to the obstacle course because they forgot -_-

5) When sassy girls ask me how many s'mores I've had then tell me how many calories are in each

6) Trying to serve sixth graders at a BBQ
    (The concept of queuing has yet to move across the pond)

Page 18: College Week (Color War)

I sighed. Yellow team?

Which is ridiculous because I love all the members of yellow team, but...I'm a blonde! Yellow washes me out! Does no one think about these things when picking team members? Seriously!

Channeling the yellow spirit

College week is basically a color war, the entire camp is split into four and compete over 4 days in a series of athletic and creative pursuits. This years teams were-

Blue: Michigan Wolverines

Red: Arkansas Razorbacks

Yellow: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Green: Oregon Ducks

I was in 'Georgia Tech'. Let me just say, having everyone chant your name is a bizarre experience. It can be flattering, confusing and terrifying (imagine having your own personal musical lynch mob...). It also means that a couple of times I have ignored people trying to get my attention because I assumed they were chanting the team name. Oops. Sorry!

"Sexy selfie?" said Maddie.
One of the greatest photos ever taken. Can't stop laughing!

 I stayed up until 1am organizing a skit while the team decorated our headquarters-

Our skit came 1st the next day. Around 40 campers and 15 staff were in it. Crazy to write and organize but it felt so good to do something artsy at camp, I spend so much time being outdoorsy!

Me when Yellow won the skit comp.

Page 17: All Children, Except One, Grow Up

6PM: Dinner Time
*Mindy edges her script across the table to me "Help me run lines?" so between tactical mouthfuls of mash potato I'm John, Michael, Tootles, Nibs and the parents.
One of my kids is playing Wendy in the camp's version of Peter Pan and for the first time I understand why my sister used to be nervous about seeing me in shows (What if she forgets a line onstage? It's in 2 hours! I can't whisper it back to her then...)

8PM: Staging Time

8:05PM
The tannoy invites freshman to begin seating in the hall. I'm sitting in the cabin 150 metres away. Damn. WHERE ARE MY PINK SHOES! DAMN! NO! I DON'T CARE ABOUT DOING THE LACES UP TWO OF MY KIDS ARE IN A SHOW TONIGHT AND I'M LATE! I'M LATE! OH GOD. I'M A TERRIBLE COUNSELOR! AWW! DAMN! RUN!

Peter Pan is one of my all time favourite stories. I've read the book and original play, done creative writing for an AS around it and seen the show (RSC'13). That's just in the last year.
I was that kid who left the window open thinking Peter Pan might come in (he didn't. Insects did). And jumped off furniture hoping to fly (you can guess how that one ended).

It's a story that grows up with you.

C S Lewis:“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”

It was also a pretty topical story for who and where I am right now (Wendy is a young English girl, preparing for adulthood who, wanting adventure leaves her home to escape responsibilities and the idea of a conventional job and domestic life. She flies to a new land where she becomes a mother figure to a bunch of spirited children and grows up).
You don't need an education in literature to see the allegory I'm making here.

The show goes well and ends perfectly with kids standing in a far from straight line bowing mexican-wave style (getting kids to bow together is harder than trying to baptize a cat).

9:45 An Hour Past The Kid's Bedtime
I carry *Livvy across the bridge. She's that tired. It's my night off but the only time I have to do the bedtime routine with my cabin (usually at this time I'm hosting camp outs).
"Girls, find your pajamas!"
"Girls, you need to brush your teeth!"
Somewhere between nine and nineteen I must have grown up because now instead of leaving the window open, I'm the one closing it and wishing the children goodnight.

Page 16: "Job Perks"

It's an 18 hour day for 8 weeks with 5 days off. But I'm sure it's actually the best job for me, right now, anywhere in the world.

I'm reminded of this on a regular basis. For example, I'm writing this after being in the Outback, building a metre high fire to burn rubbish on and having a cheeky s'more. Does rubbish disposal and office snacks get any better? (No.)
I'm lucky to be here, and it's the people that make it so great!

Our night off plans were modest- go to the mall and watch a movie. But the minivans were all booked out when we turned up. Damn. Which meant we were spending our night off in camp. Damn.
Then, we actually thought about the sitch- being 'stuck' at a summer camp with your friends and a free night really isn't a bad thing...

Especially not when one of your friends is a qualified lifeguard who offers to take the group water boarding on the empty lake :)

Thanks RyRy!

Or when you get permission from your supervisor to take your friends on a camp out ("Go for it. The Outback is your crib Georgia").

So I made a glow stick trail through the forest and lit all the tekes (forest lanterns) bfore going back for the group and walking them across in the darkness.

S'mores. Hammocks. Starry sky. No curfew and NOT A CHILD IN SIGHT.

Perfection.

Left to Right: Ryan, Sean, Me, Louise, Dominique (Momma D)

These are the hilarious and sensitive people I've had the luck to find in NY who also happen to be supremely gorgeous, intelligent, creative and athletic individuals <3

I'm so LUCKED OUT!

Page 15: "E-C-H-O Echo! Echo! Let's Go!"

The other day Louise said that at outsider at flag would think camp was one massive cult. It's true. The chants, call-and-response and general insider-ness of it all. Tonight, Louise was onto something.
Face paint again. I'm telling you, I've had a makeupless face for a month here. Mascara sticks are now foreign to me, but war stripes are becoming a regular.

Tonight it's for 'Owner's Cup', the annual basketball match against a nearby camp.

Pre Match: The National Anthem
Photo: From Echo's Facebook

One thing that's surprised me about America is how unsurprising this experience has felt. Probably because the food and language is in my home supermarket and TV. Owner's Cup was no different. Quintessentially American. For example, each player was introduced to the crowd via. microphone-

"Number fourteen for Echo Eagles, it's Jackson from Upper East Side! Let's give a cheer!"

And then the player (camper) would run through a balloon archway and white smoke to the court.

It bothered me that people didn't cheer on the opposing team. Even the counselors. I don't care if the kid is from another camp, these kids are fourteen. They play basketball all day. How amazing would it feel to be that kid and run on to a crowd of cheering people? That would make training worthwhile, it would be something they would remember and tell their kids someday, I'm sure. I know running to a silent but full crowd would feel horrible and awkward, at least to me, but then I never played sports competitively, maybe if I was sporty or male I'd understand it... These kids are playing an away game in front of a couple of hundred pairs of eyes they don't know. That's courage. And therefore, to me, is clapworthy.

Team spirit? You can be pro your team without being anti the other team...


Conversation with Campers-

*Lucy: Georgia! You can't cheer for them!
*Jessica: You're supposed to Lucy, it's good sportsmanship!
*Lucy: Huh?
Me: It means you support the other team but you can still cheer for your team louder :)

*Names changed, duh

Page 14: That Is All

The veggie burgers at dinner tonight were made of REAL FAKE MEAT. Not vegetables. Soya stuff. For the first time in a month. So happy.

Page 13: Five Recent Happy Things

*Names of campers have been changed

#1
Yesterday at dinner, rice'n'ribs, Alice kept making Mindy self conscious about the rib sauce she was getting all over her face. It was funny in a cute kid kind of way but you could see she is sensitive and was conscious of people looking at her and teasing.
Being the appointed role model and responsible adult I took the ketchup bottle, squirted it on my hands and smeared it on my cheeks (war stripes!).
"Now we've both got sauce on our face"

#2
Doing the "flashlights out now girls" round on the 6th grade camp girls out. I popped my head into a teepee and said "Okay, time to stop finding out who loves who and go to sleep now" as a throwaway comment.
They all froze.
"How did you know?"
I joined them in the circle and suddenly every camper had a dilemma and wanted my advice.
"What do I do if my best friend and I like the same guy?"
"How can I tell if he likes me?"
"He likes me but I don't like him"
So I listened and gave advice. One of them then said "Oh my gawd, you're like...the boy expert!"

My reaction to "You're the boy expert"

#3
The day it rained and I'd promised the 6th grade boys that morning that we would make s'mores at the camp out.
Can't make fire with wet wood!
Can't let the kids down!
Damn.
Once it had stopped raining (but the forest was soaked) I ran to Outback and spent an hour slowly burning a bale of hay so the fire pit ground was dry and Alex later made a fire.
The 6th grade boys got s'mores. Relief.

S'more': Roasted marshmallow, two gram crackers and some Hersheys

#4

Counselor: We're going to milk the cow tomorrow and get the milk!

Camper: Milk doesn't come from cows. Milk comes from supermarkets. Duh!

#5

My afternoon walk to work. Yes.

Page 12: A Standard Day At Camp

*Not that any day at Camp could ever be considered standard...


 AFTER A CAMP OUT        
                  
7AM:       Wake Up and then wake campers up!  
      
7.30AM: Walk campers from Outback back to
                base camp; just over half a mile through
                the woods, past the stables and over the
                baseball field

7.50AM: Cheeky shower then run to flag              
               (hair dripping) for announcements  
             
8.15AM: Breakfast: Pancakes? Hash Browns? Tater Tots? French Toast? Cinnamon Porridge?
               Eat with staff :)

-Adventure meeting- Apply bugspray- Go to Wifi room-

9.30-12  SLEEP                   
                                             
12.20 Lunch: Sit with my Cabin. Dance on the chairs to 'The Wiggle Song'

1.30     Head to Outback for prep; collect
            firewood, arrange archery boards,
            practice archery ect...

2.00-5.00 Outback Sessions: Supervise Go-Karts, teach fire building or archery, fix hammocks

5.00-6.00 Snack'N'Go: Is that the popsicle cart? YESITISOHMYGAWDBETTERRUNNOW.
                Twilight: Supervise free play

5.50  Flag Lowering

6.00  Dinner: Cook for Campout Kids!

7.00> Collect food, s'more kit ect and prep for               
            camp out (make fire/ put glow sticks in
            trees/ load bus/ collect kids and walk them
            to Outback)

* Make s'mores, campfire games, songs and
flashlight tag and then send kids to bed. Hang on
hammocks while flames turn to embers and then
stare at some stars and head to bed.




                              
NO CAMP OUT


7.50AM: Wake Up to Camp Director on the tannoy "Good Morning Camp Echo, Echo, Echo
it's time to get Up Up Up, not Down Down Down! On today's schedule..."

8AM: Flag Raising A crazy man called Dave runs around a flagpole shouting announcements about trips, sports scores and laundry and leads chants. The pledge is said and flag raised.

8.15AM: Breakfast: Pancakes? Hash Browns? Tater Tots? French Toast? Cinnamon Porridge?
                Eat with staff :)

      -Adventure meeting- Apply bugspray- Go to Wifi room-

9.30-12: Hang out with Cabin or help with adventure/archery classes

12.20: Lunch: Sit with my Cabin. Dance on the chairs to 'The Wiggle Song'

2.00-5.00: Outback Sessions: Supervise Go-Karts, teach fire building or archery, fix hammocks

5.00-6.00: Snack'N'Go: Is that the popsicle cart? YESITISOHMYGAWDBETTERRUNNOW.

Twilight: Supervise free play

5.50: Flag Lowering

6.00: Dinner: Sit with Cabin

8.00: Evening Activity!

9.00: Milk'N'Cookies!

9.15: Circle Time with Cabin!