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!

Page 11: Camp Conversations

"What time is flag?"


"Have you had your lice check?"


"Were my kids well behaved for you?"


"Where's my water bottle?"


"What cookies are at Milk'N'Cookies tonight?"


"Clap once if you can hear me. Clap twice if you can hear me"


"Are you going to Walmart?"


"Who's your co-counselors?"


"If you can hear me touch your head. If you can hear me touch your knees"


"This is a repeat after me song"
"This is a repeat after me song"


"Where's my water bottle?"

Page 10: It's A Long Way To Long Island

The last time I woke up at 3.30am was accidental due to my inability to work my own alarm clock and my iPod screamed-

 "CAUS' YOU'RE A GOOD GURRRRRRL!
YOU KNOW YOU WANT IT!"

Through the pillow at me. In my delirious sleep-deprived state I thought somehow Robin Thicke had broken into my bedroom and got into my bed.
It remains one of the most terrifying moments of my life.

I haven't been keen to see 3.30am since.

However, I signed up to take the bus to Long Island and meet the campers and travel with them back to camp.

I arrived at 4.50am at Brandon's office, blanket in hand. 4.50am. If I have to get out of bed before the sun does I'm bringing at least part of the bed with me...

"Bright eyed and Bushy tailed...they said"

I woke up when I felt the car taking turns, we must've left the highway and the road felt different. Toby twitched his head to the right then at me then to the right again, I thought this sudden erratic tick was simply a sign of the madness early mornings inflict on their bearers, but nah. I turned right and there- right there parallel to the water on the bridge connecting to Long Island was New York City.

Nice.

The kids arrived, signed them in, boarded the coach, played top trumps with the boys at the back of the coach, had my hair braided by a 4th grader, confiscated candy (Yep. Took candy from a kid. Camp regulations. Sorry) then re-arrived to the cheering sports field waving glittery welcome banners.

Although I'm now tired as one of the back-of-the-bus kids asked me at Baseball "Hey Georgia! Are you gonna pick us up at Long Island again next year! That was fun!" which is the sweetest thing.


Dunkin' Donuts Conversation


Toby: (seeing the keys on the lanlard): Golf Cart?

Me: I drove it the other day!

Toby: You drove it? Where?

Me: From Camp to Outback and back! And I didn't stall it once!

Toby: It's an automatic golf cart. You can't stall it.

Me: ...

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.