Page 25: Eagles Fly! Goodbye!

In the end I decided not to blog about after-camp travels. I've bored my facebook news feed, family and friends with the stories about that "that one time we got 6 of us in a 4 man taxi at 3am" and there's selfie photos in 6 different US states, but I won't subject you to that. This blog was about summer and camp, right?

But I wanted to announce...
This summer I completed 10 things off my bucket list (!)
Which is ridiculously exciting, because some of these dreams I first wrote down in that notebook when I was thirteen!

$ Go to an american summer camp

$ Go to Walmart

$ Go couchsurfing (we used air'b'n'b, same idea!)

$ Visit an American college



Ta-da!

$ Go paintballing

$ Go up a skyscraper (empire state!)

$ Watch an American baseball game

 

$ Sleep in a hammock

$ Go white water rafting

$ Find and eat something grape flavoured

$ Spend the evening in candlelight and then blow out all the candles at bedtime


And, man, travel stories! The time my suitcase was declared obese by the check-in guy and I had to get the weight down. So after taking out the conditioner and jeans and seeing the weight not move I took out my journal and the numbers flew off.

Check In Bloke: That's some journal there, 8 pounds?

Me (embarrassed and defensive): I just have a lot of memories...

The Nerd Herd have actually just had a post camp reunion this week, Sean and I visited Ryan, Dominique and Ryan in Edinburgh! Here's us having milk'n'cookies at 9.15.



Camp friends, stay friends :)

This is the last ever 'I Like To Be In America' post. Thanks to anyone reading this, I'm happy you decided to follow my journey and I hope that if any young people stumble upon it they'll consider working at a camp. It's work, hard work and don't let anyone tell you different, but that doesn't mean I didn't have one of the best summers I've ever had (and I got paid for it!).

Bye!

 

Page 20: Day Off, Off To Jersey Shore

Back home if I was to say 'Luke Bryan' 'Keith Urban' and 'Jake Owen' people would assume I was talking about my mates. Here everyone knows exactly who they are. They are on the radio and in speakers at diners. In the USA country is a genre, not a joke.

We're playing 93.7 on the radio, the country station (a change from our usual dedication to 104.7, or 'the tunes channel' as Louise says).
While I've been here the road trip journeys have been just as good as our destination. Probably because I road trip on 'The Banter Bus' or 'Papa Pickles Road Train' (in joke, soz). Generally it's Sean, Ryan, Russel, Dominique, Louise and I and we spend hours getting lost on the interstate trying to get somewhere cool on our day off.

Ryan today is our radio DJ and he knows to turn up 'Best Day Of My Life' (American Authors), it's a camp anthem and it sums up the feeling of all of us on the road, at least in my mind anyway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y66j_BUCBMY

Yesterday was decidedly a beach day...at JERSEY SHORE!

I made a friendship bracelet :)

The waves at this beach, oh the waves. See, in the photo they look calm. Oh, the camera lies! It was a monster water tropical washing machine!

Dominique's photo :)

Man they were high.
And strong.
And bold.

Now, I'm not a bikini person. In fact, I haven't worn a bikini on a beach in years. I'd rather wear a dress and just get wet, or if it's a you-have-to-be-in-swimwear event (I generally avoid those events quite masterfully) I wear a one piece.
Not yesterday.
Yesterday I was Sara Bareilles Brave.
And stupid.

Let me tell you I am not a stupid girl. I double knotted my bikini before hitting the beach. That didn't stop the waves, oh no. They contorted that damn tie-dyed fabric into various states of half nakedness. And, just as soon as your sort yourself out another monster-of-a-wave comes along, hits you, drags you, twists you and drifts you five metres in three seconds to the shore. You quickly breathe, stand up and find yourself half naked.    Uh Oh. The same thing happened to Louise too!
You have to laugh, it was hilarious and body-boarding is a great way to spend a day but seriously, Neptune's a bitch!

With Ryan and Dominique :P

Thought of the day

Friendship is when everyone turns up their purses/wallets for quarters and dimes, puts it in a cup and- there's no way of telling who has put how much in but somehow it always gets you through all of the tolls across the state border and back. And if you come up short one day, next road trip you rain silver at the shotgun passenger. No worries.

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 9: "I Can See The Stars, In America"

Listen to this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw8Q91S43y0

Sean says I look like Natalie Portman in Black Swan. I've got black paint arched up to my eyebrows. So's he. So's Ryan. So's Louise. We're lying planking marine-style on the hill in total darkness (here, 10pm). This is flashlight tag. And despite our playful banter at the start point I've sprinted 100 metres, crawled under a building and hid in the woods. This is no game. We are serious!

"We're Not Competitive"

Catching my breath, I look up. New York, woah. You've got me. The sky is COVERED in stars. More than any I've seen anywhere else in the world. The sky is more star than not.

And I'm stomach first in the mud thinking existentially about how moments like this make you remember how small you are in the world, and how much beauty we just don't notice if we're always looking up and never around, down, up or behind and then WHAM Ryan thinks he saw a flashlight nearing, gotta move, guys RUNRUNRUN.

Page 8: Being In 3rd Grade And Being 8 Is Hard, Being In 3rd Grade And Being 19 Is Harder

                                                                                                                                                    22/06/14

Today was mock camp day which meant we got to go to classes that our assigned age groups will do. My timetable looked like; Woodwork, Cheer leading, Pool, Basketball, Lake.
Although I'm staying in a staff cabin this summer, rather than living with the kids as 97% of counselors do (only me, because I have a night-based job, the media team who have an insanely busy job and the baking girls who have night work are in staff cabins) I still got to have a *Freshmen day as that's the age group I'll be spending my free time with.

*Freshmen are the youngest group on camp, 3rd-4th graders (age 8-9)

So I made a simple photo frame with guidance from an Arts Counselor, did my swim test

(not before holding hands with my "Buddy", safely entering the water and later, at the lake, wearing a life jacket...).

Perfectly demonstrated by this gif, when a lifeguard shouts "BUDDY!" you grab your Buddies hand

Going to Uni and teaching in Thailand last year made me very independent. I've had a lot of freedom. To suddenley have to ask permission before going anywhere and following a timetable on a minutely basis did come as a shock.

To be honest, I think it gave me a much needed re-cap in empathy. I know exactly how a 4th grader spends their day. Today wasn't about me or what I like (Basketball is soooooo not me...) it was about TEAM and doing stuff you hate!

We got taught a concept today- 'Roses and Thorns'. Before bedtime in a Freshmen cabin you gather the kids in a circle , go around  and each say something positive and negative about your day. It's used to establish routine, recognize achievements and address concerns.

So I'll end Page 8 that way-

ROSE: When Becky, Louise and Dominique saved some 'Monkey Bread' for me (they teach baking classes and somehow managed to hold back half a tray so our bunk could try it!)

THORN: Freshmen team losing the fire building contest on Echo beach in staff events tonight. Building fires is what I got hired for! We came last!

Page 7: Living The American Dream, Right Here!

There are nine spider bites on my legs. Yeah I counted because THEY ITCH.

Working in the forest has its drawbacks.

But it's also a pretty fun job. (And maybe I'll become Spider-Woman or something?).

Today I put up a load of hammocks and tested them out. Now, to an untained eye it looks like I'm just chillin' in a hammock. But actually I'm testing the tension and swing then re-adjusting accordingly. Ha.

Oh, and we now have an archery range in Outback so I've put some training into that. My miss is more frequent than my hit. I've been hitting things, for sure, but not the target. Aww. Although it makes the th-wack of when I actually hit the target more satisfying I need to be a skilled archer by the time kids arrive so I can instruct!

My current skill level as demonstrated by J-Lau!

I've caught myself a few times worrying "I need to stop thinking up Hunger Games themed Games for the kids and actually do work. Then I remember- I'm a camp counselor, this is my job. Awesome!

Last night was also pretty cool.
There's a couple of cars and over a hundred of us so nights out have proven a logistical challenge. And a long wait :( Picture this- there's six of us in the car park waiting in line for a ride as the American staff shuttle backwards and forth to the bar. We've made an effort. I'm wearing red lipstick. Dominique is in a dress. Becky and Louise have make up that looks awesome.

We're waiting with Sean and Chris then Catrina rocks up in line and invites us fishing.

For real.

So, at 9pm (which is dark-ish here) in our nice clothes we head down to the creek and going fishing before going to the bar. Hands down wierdest pre drinks ever!

No one caught anything (well, Sean caught some lake weed...) BUT Chris caught a firefly. The trees buzzed with them, Fireflies (also known as lightning bugs) are sassy bugs that light up and zoom around. It's like kinetic fairy lights and they have the ability to transform a swampy creek into a disney-esque wonderland.

Page 5: The Eagle Flies Soon

I woke up this morning and realised I can count the number of days before I fly to America on the fingers of both hands. And for a reason I can’t entirely articulate, that's a big deal.
Since having my Visa processed and sending across my medical records and staff T-Shirt size (the final required documents, considering initial applications, references, CRBs, insurances, personal statements, flights, research, phone interviews, follow up queries, Skype interviews, embassy appointments and legal paperwork things like UCAS seem like a very short application process) I'm technically all set to go.

 

Meanwhile, on the official staff group I like to stick around to ask all the important questions

Anyone who knows me well will know that although I’m easily amused I get bored ridiculously quickly. So, I’ve found this ACTIVITY BOOK (ACTIVITY BOOK!!!) which is AMERICAN THEMED and although I guess it will only keep me occupied for about an hour, I’m honestly thrilled with it. Hey, I even bought me a pack of colours to take on the plane! (DON’T JUDGE ME! I’ll just tell any curious passengers I’m a Geography student ;) ).



Don't get jealous, but there's a 'colour in the Whitehouse' page and everything!
Wait- WHAT COLOUR SHOULD I COLOUR THE WHITEHOUSE?

In preparation for living with 12 teenage girls (the campers are 7-15 but I haven’t been assigned my bunk group yet) I’ve also taken notes from books about child development and adolescent behaviour these past few days (my Dad’s an actual counsellor, in the British definition of the word, so I found these on the bookshelf).

$ Theories of Childhood: Redleaf Press
$ Life Strategies for Teens: Jay McGraw
$ The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls: Rachel Simmons

^ I argued that having been a teenage girl through middle and high school I could already write a book about the various passive aggressive strategies girls use to abuse and exclude each other. I’m also word-perfect on Mean Girls’ screenplay so I thought I had this subject area ticked.

While reading those books I realised I’ve forgotten quite a lot of what it’s like to be a tween so I’m re-reading my old journals.

 

       Oh yeah, I also decorated a new journal for the next ten weeks!

I'm not sure what the blogging situation will be like at camp. It's an 'unplugged' camp which means no electronics for campers or counsellors but in our free time we can use the staff computers. If I don't manage to write much, I'll update y'all when I get back.

7 days! I'll like to be in America!