Camp is now over and there were emotional goodbyes everywhere. On Saturday morning, plenty of the staff were in tears. Strong bonds and friendships have been formed in the two months we have all spent together and it can be quite brutal for some to have these ties severed so abruptly. For me, it was much more difficult to say goodbye to my campers; young adults who look up to me more than I could have imagined. It felt like leaving 20 younger siblings, all desperate for me to stay.
The last fortnight of camp has been just as exciting and probably busier than previous weeks. We had a two day trip to 'Club Getaway', described to me as a camp for camps, with delicious food, a game show, a dance party and other activities, bigger and better than the ones we have at Hillcroft. Nonetheless, I wasn't sorry to be back at good old camp once the trip was over. And just last Wednesday, the Hillcroft Friendship Games took place. The older campers were split into four teams; we made t-shirts, assigned team names and the whole day was full of fun, sporting activities. I was even lucky enough to be on the winning team.
Outside of camp, I have enjoyed several fun evenings with other staff members, as we gradually said our farewells and I even managed to see a Broadway show on a trip to the city last weekend. The show was called 'Memphis' and has immediately jumped up to number two on my Musical Chart, only second to 'Wicked'. And after a few relaxing days after camp, I headed up to Philadelphia today for my flight and witnessed the square I was sitting in get flocked by people as the buildings were evacuated due to the earthquake all the way down in Virginia.
And so, I am saying goodbye to New York and the States and greeting my much beloved England again. Over the last couple of days, I have had plenty of time to reminisce about my time in the Americas. I began in the Dominican Republic. At first, it was hard. Due to the language barrier and the colour of my skin, I was an obvious outsider, but I battled with it and grew to form some great friendships, such that I found it very hard to leave.
Next, I moved onto South America. I had been travelling before and had really enjoyed it, but nothing could have prepared me for the magical atmosphere that engulfs Latin America. Even now, some of the people I met and the places I saw still seem a little unbelievable. I can't recommend South America enough; whether it is natural beauty or crazy experiences you seek, this continent has it all.
And last but not least, Camp Hillcroft. Here, relationships have blossomed and it has certainly been the most rewarding part of my travels. The two months have absolutely flown by and I genuinely can't believe it is the end of August already.
However, I do feel that the time is right for me to be heading home and starting my next set of adventures at university. One thing I have been saying to people all year, particularly at camp is that the most important thing is to have fun. People ask me if I miss home and I tell them that I don't have time to miss home. I'll think about home when I get there. I prefer to think in the here and now, staying active and busy.
I would like to finish my blog on a quote from my French friend, Xavier. This is something he said to me a lot while we were travelling and I believe that it may go some way in helping you understand how fantastic this year has been so far.
"I woke up this morning and wanted to hug my life."
Thank you all for reading.
Tuesday 23 August 2011
Tuesday 9 August 2011
Severe Enjoyment
If I had thought that there might be a slight lull in the excitement as we moved into the second session of life at Camp Hillcroft, I could not have been more wrong. The departure of campers at the end of 4 weeks and the arrival of new ones meant a fair bit of paperwork for myself and my co-counsellor. But I feel that the group of kids that we now have is much better than it was a couple of weeks ago. Also, my relationships with campers are growing all the time. I genuinely felt sad when one of my campers left last Friday and I have emotive reactions to their behaviour, like they are becoming a part of my life. I'm sure it sound very strange, but I find that I'm just having a laugh all day, every day, whether it is with staff or with children.
At the end of week 5, we had the annual Arts Festival. What this involves is where the whole staff decide upon a theme and transform the camp overnight, decorating buildings and creating props, all dressing in costumes, for the campers to see the following day. This year, the theme was Hercules, so camp was decked out with pillars and mythological alcoves dotted all around camp. Every staff member was dressed in some form of a toga; the effect was rather impressive. Throughout the course of the day, there were scenes from the story to perform, with a cast made up of staff. I played Philoctetes, the satyr, a cross between man and goat, and was asked by the director to play the role in a 'David Brent' style; the classic, English, dry sarcasm which Americans love to bits but often don't fully understand. I was dressed in merely shorts and goats horns and I pranced around camp all day long; as you can imagine, I had an absolute blast.
The following morning at 5am, I went with four international staff members to Boston. We managed to get a very interesting tour of Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox stadium and a look around Harvard University. Boston was a pleasant city, without any particular character that I have felt in New York, Buenos Aires or Rio de Janeiro for example. However, it was certainly nice to visit and get a few days away from the insanity that is camp. On the Sunday, we headed up to Cape Cod, an island off the coast of Massachusetts, with several quaint beaches. It was a very relaxing afternoon for the group and we had a great time swimming and sunbathing.
Other highlights have been the "Staff Olympics", which involved a tournament on one Saturday for all the staff. There was a lot of competitiveness because it gave us a chance to compete properly, away from the campers, against whom we have to go easy. This weekend just gone, the majority of the staff all headed towards Boston for an Ultimate Frisbee tournament. It is a sport that I have come to really enjoy and I have discovered that it is actually a very physically demanding past time. Unfortunately, the team was unable to win a game, but we had a fantastic time. Another highlight of recent weeks would have to be the trip with our campers to Mountain Creek Water Park. Some of the rides there were just remarkable; the heights and speeds you could reach were staggering and the variety of attractions on offer was superb. It was a place that I could easily have spent a week at; even the queues were pretty small because the sky was slightly overcast.
In short, being at camp continues to be everything and more than what I was hoping for or expecting. I have met some fantastic people and have really discovered that working with children could be a very plausible career for me. And now, with just over two weeks until I return home, I find myself becoming nostalgic for this place, fully aware that I will be back to life in England in an instant. Of course, I am excited for returning home, but camp is a place that I am certainly not bored or tired of just yet.
At the end of week 5, we had the annual Arts Festival. What this involves is where the whole staff decide upon a theme and transform the camp overnight, decorating buildings and creating props, all dressing in costumes, for the campers to see the following day. This year, the theme was Hercules, so camp was decked out with pillars and mythological alcoves dotted all around camp. Every staff member was dressed in some form of a toga; the effect was rather impressive. Throughout the course of the day, there were scenes from the story to perform, with a cast made up of staff. I played Philoctetes, the satyr, a cross between man and goat, and was asked by the director to play the role in a 'David Brent' style; the classic, English, dry sarcasm which Americans love to bits but often don't fully understand. I was dressed in merely shorts and goats horns and I pranced around camp all day long; as you can imagine, I had an absolute blast.
The following morning at 5am, I went with four international staff members to Boston. We managed to get a very interesting tour of Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox stadium and a look around Harvard University. Boston was a pleasant city, without any particular character that I have felt in New York, Buenos Aires or Rio de Janeiro for example. However, it was certainly nice to visit and get a few days away from the insanity that is camp. On the Sunday, we headed up to Cape Cod, an island off the coast of Massachusetts, with several quaint beaches. It was a very relaxing afternoon for the group and we had a great time swimming and sunbathing.
Other highlights have been the "Staff Olympics", which involved a tournament on one Saturday for all the staff. There was a lot of competitiveness because it gave us a chance to compete properly, away from the campers, against whom we have to go easy. This weekend just gone, the majority of the staff all headed towards Boston for an Ultimate Frisbee tournament. It is a sport that I have come to really enjoy and I have discovered that it is actually a very physically demanding past time. Unfortunately, the team was unable to win a game, but we had a fantastic time. Another highlight of recent weeks would have to be the trip with our campers to Mountain Creek Water Park. Some of the rides there were just remarkable; the heights and speeds you could reach were staggering and the variety of attractions on offer was superb. It was a place that I could easily have spent a week at; even the queues were pretty small because the sky was slightly overcast.
In short, being at camp continues to be everything and more than what I was hoping for or expecting. I have met some fantastic people and have really discovered that working with children could be a very plausible career for me. And now, with just over two weeks until I return home, I find myself becoming nostalgic for this place, fully aware that I will be back to life in England in an instant. Of course, I am excited for returning home, but camp is a place that I am certainly not bored or tired of just yet.
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