Sunday 22 August 2010

Post Camp

So it's been a while since I last posted and it's safe to say that a lot has happened since I last checked in. Camp is now finished and we're into the post camp period.

The end of camp was a really enjoyable time. Last monday we had colour war, which was a fantastic day. In many ways, it was a rather solemn occassion for me, since for the first time ever, I had virtually no involvement in colour war. In previous summers, I've been a captain or I've been part of planning the day as a senior counsellor last summer, but division heads are very separated from colour war. So it was a little depressing to just be on the side lines and watch it unfold but at the same time I got to observe a brilliant day which the campers thoroughly enjoyed.

Following this we had the final night of camp which included banquet. Asher division dressed up as a pirates and behaved in a respectively rowdy manner. We said our sentimental words to the campers and reminisced over a great summer.

The next morning, the campers left and not soon after my staff left too. It's been a real pleasure working with each and every one of them and I'm truly going to miss it all. That night saw the key staff party which provided some good food and beverages. The following morning marked the start of post camp!

It's hard to believe that I'll be leaving this place in a week! I'm really not ready to say goodbye yet and I'm not ready to put an end to this. The things I learn here and the experiences I gain, can not even be expressed in words. I feel such a strong sense of value in this place and through the opportunities it gives me to influence the lives of others - well you can't put a price tag on that! I'm also not ready to say goodbye to many of the people that I endure these summers with. This has become my home and I can't help but think I'll be back here again!

In a couple of hours time a new group of campers will be arriving as part of a program called First Step. They will be here for five nights. It's basically a reduced version of camp for younger children who aren't yet ready to come to camp for an entire session. In total, I will have 4 bunks and a staff team of 10. So I'm really quite excited about the days ahead. I just hope the weather improves!

I'll probably next post once I've left camp next week.

Much love!

Sam

Friday 6 August 2010

The Carwash

Good evening all,

Once again I'm sitting chief OD. Not a huge amount to do here so it seemed like a good chance to blog.

Today was the Asher Charity Carwash. I'm gonna make a bold statement and claim that it was a huge success. I truly believe it was though! The entire division of campers and counsellors headed down to the service area after lunch equiped with sponges, rags and soap. We organised a vallet service for any of the staff who couldn't be bothered to bring their cars down themselves.

Each counsellor was given a name tag with a job title. Mine was the Carwash Associate Director (obviously). Other titles included Finance Manager, Head of Operations, Chief Hoser, Chief Sponger, Head of Pastoral Care (making sure kids had sunscreen!!).

So we cracked on and washed/buffed about 25 cars in the space of 2 hours, raising 160$. Adding this to the money raised through the visiting day raffle, Asher division have managed to put together 300$ for the Against Malaria Foundation - not too shabby!

Tomorrow is Israel day - a whole day themed around Israeli culture. So tomorrow night's dinner will include falafel, which has the potential to not be terrible.

Not a huge amount else to say since I posted only two days ago

Goodnight

Sam

Wednesday 4 August 2010

Happy Birthday Barney

Good morning all,

I love how 2:20pm still feels like morning for me today. Yet again, it's my day off so I woke up nice and late and bummed about for quite a long time. I've finally decided to get my act together and do something productive with my day off. Hence I'm back at the 7th Street Coffee shop with a lap top and free internet connection.

My breakfast this morning consisted of a pop tart, noodle soup in a cup, American cadbury's chocolate and some airhead candy chewy things!! All courtesy of a care package that my friend from my first summer sent me this week. Thanks Rachel!!

This week has been a fairly standard week at camp. The second session campers are fully settled into Asher division and we're just cruising now. Each day brings with it - fun, games and laughter. Coming up in two days time is the annual Asher Division Charity Carwash. This is essentially an afternoon in which 60 little kids climb on cars, with sponges and hoses and attempt to clean them. However, it's more likely that the cars will end up dirtier than when they started. Still, it's cute and it helps raise money for a worthy cause. This year we're raising money for the Against Malaria Foundation. This was the same charity that we chose for the visiting day raffle. Afterall, we spend the entire summer being bitten by mosquitos, but because we have the appropriate medical care, malaria and other diseases are never an issue for us. So why not help those people, who do experience serious problems from mosquito bites?!?

The kids are getting really excited for the carwash. We spent an evening painting posters and they've been put up all around camp. I also went around all the various staff meetings to plug the event. I actually used a story about one of my 6 year old campers and how much he's been looking forward to the carwash and 'making a difference to the world' as guilt-trip bait! Obviously I asked his permission first!

Last night, the older camp (Ceder Lake) organised a staff 5aside soccer tournament. In total there were 9 teams and I brought up a team of staff from Asher division. We played well and out of our four group games, we won 3 and drew 1. We then, narrowly lost in the semi finals to the eventual winners. Sadly, I somehow managed to roll over my ankle as I was jogging off from our second victory. I could no longer run on it so I had to retire for the night. It feels much better this morning so I don't think it's a huge problem. It was just a shame as we had been playing well and I'd put away a nice goal.

Well I've now finished my mango smoothie so I'm off to the mall for the rest of the afternoon. Tomorrow, we're going out of camp to a water park called camel beach. I'm very excited. It's my favourite out of camp trip because we get to walk around in flip flops, without a shirt on and we get ice cream just before we go back to camp! I'll be taking the level 1's (the campers who are less inclined to go on the big rides!) around the warerpark, which means I get to spend an entire day going around the lazy river, which works perfectly for me!

I'll probably post my next entry on friday night while I'm sitting chief OD. In the mean time, I want to wish a huge happy 5th Birthday to my nephew Barney for yesterday and wish my Grandmere a safe and speedy recovery while she's in hospital.

Lots of love

Sam