Week six dawned on the 19th of July, with a normal flag raising, breakfast and cabin clean up. The cabin has been consistently very tidy, and I think by the impeccable folding skills of the nine year olds, I have managed to pass on some of my cleanliness/neuroticism onto the campers. But if we are the cleanest cabin for the week the campers and counsellors get special milkshakes from town (not that I can drink them, but I want the campers to do well).
My schedule for the fourth week of campers was:
1. Lake Guard - The lake is gorgeous first thing in the morning, especially if no speedboats have sliced through the perfect mirror. Every morning this week I was made to appreciate what an incredible place I had been given the opportunity to come to!
2. Photos - Again, at check out day last week, a lot of parents complimented my photos, which is nice to hear. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to use my own SLR a lot during photo periods, because the memory cards have proved incompatible with camp computers, but never fear, I still have plenty for facebook when I return in Spetember.
3. Tiger songs - Lovely, as always. Even though the little ones are hard work, it's very relaxing to sit there with them and sing, even if chaos is going on around my little area of calm. The eye in the middle of a tiger storm. After it was finished I went down to the waterfront and helped out wherever I was needed.
4. Photos
5. Digital Photos - The camp cameras are holding up, just, and the digital photo lessons this week have been good.
6. Waterfront freeswim - Genuinely the most chilled out hour of my life. Nothing like having the option to kayak, sail, canoe, dive, slide, swim or guard at the lake for an hour. It was a lovely period, and I learnt to sail properly this week, which can now be scored off my list! Also got to talk to my friend from Edinburgh who works at the camp across the lake, which was lovely.
On Monday, we had an group come to do improvisational comedy with the campers, who were good and certainly entertaining! This week was also CAMP SPIRIT WEEK, which I adored. Monday was Crazy Hair Day, and I put my (now very long) hair into little bunches all over my head, which looked good at the start of the day, perhaps waning a little after several dunks in the lake!
On Tuesday, we donned our towel capes and face paint for super hero day. The photographs are epic, and I am sure I will manage to get a select few online before I come back! Great day, with loads of people taking part, and it perked everyone up a bit!
On Wednesday night, myself and the girl "counsellor of the week" from last week went into town to spend our prize, a voucher for the local diner. Onion rings, fries, soda and chicken sandwich later, I definitely felt rewarded for all my hard work. We also went for ice cream and a wander around town. Great Barrington is lovely, a proper old railroad town. I would like to live there some day, but for now I am happy coming back for my summers!
On Thursday night we had a very VERY long campfire, probably because I sang in about five different songs. But it was enjoyable, despite the craning of the eyes and biting of the mosquitos.
Rain came to camp on Friday, which was a bummer, and through some train of events which I am still not sure of, I ended up singing with the pioneers (five and six years old) for almost an hour and a half. I definitely needed some rest after that one! In the evening we all had a big dance in the rec centre, followed by ice cream and bed!
Saturday was a huge day on camp. Normally, campers stay for either the first four weeks, or the last three, not both. So all of the resident campers had to go home, meaning I had four to pack up to leave. The ones who stay over the weekend into week five of campers spend the night with their parents, so they also leave. And the international campers are taken on a trip. So after a hectic couple of hours, during which not only did I lose four campers, I also lost some of my favourite campers from other cabins, there were no children on camp. It was very eerie. We were off duty after lunch, so what do I do to get a break from camp? I accepted an invite to go to the country house of my one seven week camper. The house was incredible, on a hilltop with views into Vermont, and no other residence in sight. I had a good shower, drank coke and chilled out with the amazing family, before coming back into camp to get ready for a night out! We went for another Chinese meal with almost everyone who was off duty that night, and then out to the local bowling alley to have a great evening in town.
On Sunday a group of me and my friends went into town for some bagels, and WiFi at a local cafe, before picking up some necessary supplies in the pharmacy. American pharmacies are pretty much like Edinburgh Tescos, with food, drink, clothes, stationary, as well as the health and beauty stuff. Awesome! After coming back on duty after lunch, I welcomed four new campers into my cabin, and the one old one, taking the total number of boys up to five, with me and my co-counsellor. The seven of us are set to have a pretty sweet week next week, stay tuned to see how it goes!
I am loving being out here, please know that I miss you all. There is no cell service in camp, one dial up computer for over sixty staff, and only two times every week we can go into town for internet. So it's not like I don't want to contact you all individually, I just physically can't. But I love you!
Andrew
Camp Half Moon
PO Box 188
Great Barrington
MA 01230
USA
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
Week 5
Week four began on Monday the twelfth of July with a 6:30 am swim in the lake with a good friend…to start the day witnessing the mist rolling away from the water as the sun rises is awesome. We lost a camper to hockey camp at the end of last week, but two new boys have joined us for two weeks, and they seem to be really nice. One was in my cabin last year, and is a sweet kid, and the other was from France but spoke perfect English…at the age of nine. Nothing has made me doubt the quality of the British language education system more! All the new and old boys seem to be interacting very well together, and I am excited for the weeks to come to see how their relationship progress
My schedule for the week was as follows:
1. Guitar - This week was a really good lesson, with some great campers!
2. Photos - I really enjoy taking photographs, tending to take lots on the waterfront and the pool to speak to my friends while taking photos at the same time. A lot of the parents complimented my photographs when they came to pick up their children at the end of last week, which is always nice to hear. The other photographers pictures are incredible, so I feel like I have a lot to live up to.
3. Tiger songs - Singing with the youngest campers on camp is such a treat. They are all so enthusiastic that they sing along with just about every song, and they also are too little to realise they can complain about what I choose to do with them. So they are, essentially, the perfect audience. After they toddle off to their lunch half way through the period, I went down to the waterfront every day to finish up the period, helping out in any way that I could. The people down there are awesome, so any chance to get down there was taken with a smile!
4. Guitar - Again, a great lesson with some of my favourite students!
5. Digital photography - Teaching campers between the ages of six and sixteen how to take a good photograph was no easy task. The camp provided decent digital cameras with little modifiable features or modes, so there was not much to explore there. We learnt about standard things like the rule of thirds, how to use the flash properly, and how to compose portraits and landscapes properly. Other activities that were maybe a bit easier were things like scavenger hunts, where the campers were given a list of items and people around camp to photograph in interesting ways, or creating a fairytale story out of their photographs. For the first week of teaching it, I think it went well!
6. Guitar Freeswim - Chilling out in the sun with some amazing senior campers who came to sing, play guitar, write letters and read. A lovely way to finish the end of the teaching sessions, like a cool shower after a hot hot day.
On Monday evening, for cabin night, myself and three other cabins congregated at camp fire to build a fire and subsequently make my first ever s'mores. Melted marshmallows sandwiched between graham crackers and chocolate was definitely a nice result…even if every single camper's hands became sticky webs of mallow and crumbs. Showers were thorough that night!
On Tuesday night, an entertainer came to camp to play Simon Says with the campers. I know that sounds about as lame as twenty year olds doing crochet for kicks, but for a forty year old man to get over 150 campers involved in the most upbeat game of Simon Says I have ever seen, with smiles on their faces [even the seniors], was so impressive. I was terrible at following the instructions, but everyone agreed that it was awesome.
On Wednesday there was a whole camp trip to a theme park called Lake Compounce. Since my co-counsellor had been moved to day camp, I accompanied my cabin on the trip. We rode in big yellow schoolhouses [joy] to the theme park and spent the whole day following the campers on to ride after ride after ride. We went on the biggest wooden roller coaster in New England [or some other fancy statistic] and enjoyed the smaller rides too. It was perfect for nine year olds. After lunch we spent the afternoon in the lovely sunshine in the water park, floating down the lazy river, careering down slides and soaring down the river rapids. Our dinner was catered for at the park, and we got a little bit of shopping in as well. And to top it off, the park was sponsored by pepsi, so all fountain drinks were free. Which meant I must have drank about three litres of mountain dew…hi cavities! And my arteries were treated to some clogging through deep fried Oreos. Delight. We lost most of our weeknight off in town, but I was able to get a quick lift into town to check emails and have an ice cream sundae with the others who were on the trip, so I wasn't fussed. Spending all day at a theme park with nine year olds doesn't exactly count as work, does it?!
On Thursday we started something very retro…letters in bottles. One of my friends who also lives with another counsellor, going to university with another two of us, works at the camp across the lake from us. And to our surprise, a letter from her arrived for all of us on a sailboat, given to them by the other camps boat drivers. It lit up my morning! In the evening we had campfire, which went well!
On Friday I sailed over to the other camp to return the favour with some letters from ourselves. I love sailing, and feel that I am almost competent enough to take one of our little boats out by myself. Definitely by the end of the summer! In the afternoon, we had a massive set of games on camp for Cherokee Mahaiwe, kind of like circuits. We stayed in one place and organised a game at that place, and groups of campers rotated around all of the areas, one by one, in their tribes, to gain scores from participation, cheering, sportsmanship and so forth. I enjoyed being given a bit of responsibility to run the game I was supervising! On Friday evening, a company came to put down thirty dance mats in the indoor rec centre, and we played Dance Dance Revolution. I don't know if I have ever had a more fun Friday night on camp. Really tiring but super awesome! I may have won one of the counsellor rounds…=]
On Saturday we took the camp to a lake at a nearby beach. It was a scorching day, and I don't know if I could have thought of anything better to do with it than to spend the whole time playing in the water with the counsellors and campers, throwing people around and enjoying a bit of peace and relaxation. I am sure the other people at the beach didn't see it that way, but never mind! No campers were lost, everyone had sunscreen on, more Mountain Dew was had…life was good. When we got back to camp, I was off duty, so we went out for dinner at an amazing restaurant down town, and then out for a night in the local bowling alley. What an awesome day.
On Sunday, after a bit of revival courtesy of Dunkin' Donuts and fruit, we had such an epic day. Pretty much all of the staff that were off that day clubbed together over two hundred dollars, and went to a nearby waterfall with a pool and rope swing, and spent the whole day chilling in the sun with music, swimming, swining, sunbathing…all with amazing snacks and barbecue food. I don't know how to put into words how relaxed it made me feel, but by the time I was back on camp I was ready for anything. It was an amazing idea, and I hope we do it again this summer. We had a camper from weeks 1 and 2 come back on Sunday night, which was awesome, meaning we now have five in the cabin…a full house! After a game of Omnikin ball [google it…awesomeness in a ball] we had a staff meeting where I was awarded "counsellor of the week". Fantastic end to a fantastic week. Bring it on for the rest of the summer!
I miss you all, and thank those who have got in touch with your own updates. I would love to hear from more of you in any way you can!
<3
Andrew
Camp Half Moon
PO Box 188
Great Barrington
MA 01230
USA
My schedule for the week was as follows:
1. Guitar - This week was a really good lesson, with some great campers!
2. Photos - I really enjoy taking photographs, tending to take lots on the waterfront and the pool to speak to my friends while taking photos at the same time. A lot of the parents complimented my photographs when they came to pick up their children at the end of last week, which is always nice to hear. The other photographers pictures are incredible, so I feel like I have a lot to live up to.
3. Tiger songs - Singing with the youngest campers on camp is such a treat. They are all so enthusiastic that they sing along with just about every song, and they also are too little to realise they can complain about what I choose to do with them. So they are, essentially, the perfect audience. After they toddle off to their lunch half way through the period, I went down to the waterfront every day to finish up the period, helping out in any way that I could. The people down there are awesome, so any chance to get down there was taken with a smile!
4. Guitar - Again, a great lesson with some of my favourite students!
5. Digital photography - Teaching campers between the ages of six and sixteen how to take a good photograph was no easy task. The camp provided decent digital cameras with little modifiable features or modes, so there was not much to explore there. We learnt about standard things like the rule of thirds, how to use the flash properly, and how to compose portraits and landscapes properly. Other activities that were maybe a bit easier were things like scavenger hunts, where the campers were given a list of items and people around camp to photograph in interesting ways, or creating a fairytale story out of their photographs. For the first week of teaching it, I think it went well!
6. Guitar Freeswim - Chilling out in the sun with some amazing senior campers who came to sing, play guitar, write letters and read. A lovely way to finish the end of the teaching sessions, like a cool shower after a hot hot day.
On Monday evening, for cabin night, myself and three other cabins congregated at camp fire to build a fire and subsequently make my first ever s'mores. Melted marshmallows sandwiched between graham crackers and chocolate was definitely a nice result…even if every single camper's hands became sticky webs of mallow and crumbs. Showers were thorough that night!
On Tuesday night, an entertainer came to camp to play Simon Says with the campers. I know that sounds about as lame as twenty year olds doing crochet for kicks, but for a forty year old man to get over 150 campers involved in the most upbeat game of Simon Says I have ever seen, with smiles on their faces [even the seniors], was so impressive. I was terrible at following the instructions, but everyone agreed that it was awesome.
On Wednesday there was a whole camp trip to a theme park called Lake Compounce. Since my co-counsellor had been moved to day camp, I accompanied my cabin on the trip. We rode in big yellow schoolhouses [joy] to the theme park and spent the whole day following the campers on to ride after ride after ride. We went on the biggest wooden roller coaster in New England [or some other fancy statistic] and enjoyed the smaller rides too. It was perfect for nine year olds. After lunch we spent the afternoon in the lovely sunshine in the water park, floating down the lazy river, careering down slides and soaring down the river rapids. Our dinner was catered for at the park, and we got a little bit of shopping in as well. And to top it off, the park was sponsored by pepsi, so all fountain drinks were free. Which meant I must have drank about three litres of mountain dew…hi cavities! And my arteries were treated to some clogging through deep fried Oreos. Delight. We lost most of our weeknight off in town, but I was able to get a quick lift into town to check emails and have an ice cream sundae with the others who were on the trip, so I wasn't fussed. Spending all day at a theme park with nine year olds doesn't exactly count as work, does it?!
On Thursday we started something very retro…letters in bottles. One of my friends who also lives with another counsellor, going to university with another two of us, works at the camp across the lake from us. And to our surprise, a letter from her arrived for all of us on a sailboat, given to them by the other camps boat drivers. It lit up my morning! In the evening we had campfire, which went well!
On Friday I sailed over to the other camp to return the favour with some letters from ourselves. I love sailing, and feel that I am almost competent enough to take one of our little boats out by myself. Definitely by the end of the summer! In the afternoon, we had a massive set of games on camp for Cherokee Mahaiwe, kind of like circuits. We stayed in one place and organised a game at that place, and groups of campers rotated around all of the areas, one by one, in their tribes, to gain scores from participation, cheering, sportsmanship and so forth. I enjoyed being given a bit of responsibility to run the game I was supervising! On Friday evening, a company came to put down thirty dance mats in the indoor rec centre, and we played Dance Dance Revolution. I don't know if I have ever had a more fun Friday night on camp. Really tiring but super awesome! I may have won one of the counsellor rounds…=]
On Saturday we took the camp to a lake at a nearby beach. It was a scorching day, and I don't know if I could have thought of anything better to do with it than to spend the whole time playing in the water with the counsellors and campers, throwing people around and enjoying a bit of peace and relaxation. I am sure the other people at the beach didn't see it that way, but never mind! No campers were lost, everyone had sunscreen on, more Mountain Dew was had…life was good. When we got back to camp, I was off duty, so we went out for dinner at an amazing restaurant down town, and then out for a night in the local bowling alley. What an awesome day.
On Sunday, after a bit of revival courtesy of Dunkin' Donuts and fruit, we had such an epic day. Pretty much all of the staff that were off that day clubbed together over two hundred dollars, and went to a nearby waterfall with a pool and rope swing, and spent the whole day chilling in the sun with music, swimming, swining, sunbathing…all with amazing snacks and barbecue food. I don't know how to put into words how relaxed it made me feel, but by the time I was back on camp I was ready for anything. It was an amazing idea, and I hope we do it again this summer. We had a camper from weeks 1 and 2 come back on Sunday night, which was awesome, meaning we now have five in the cabin…a full house! After a game of Omnikin ball [google it…awesomeness in a ball] we had a staff meeting where I was awarded "counsellor of the week". Fantastic end to a fantastic week. Bring it on for the rest of the summer!
I miss you all, and thank those who have got in touch with your own updates. I would love to hear from more of you in any way you can!
<3
Andrew
Camp Half Moon
PO Box 188
Great Barrington
MA 01230
USA
Week 4
Week four in America started on the fifth of July, and me waking up to become the sole counsellor for my cabin of junior boys, as my co-counsellor had been moved to day camp due to large numbers. Apparently that situation has never happened before, so I guess it's a pat on the back!
My schedule this week was as follows:
1. Guitar - A class full of beginners, which is both easy and challenging at the same time. On one hand they have no previous experience or anything to compare you too, so it's not as much pressure to live up to. On the other hand, you spend five minutes telling them how to play one chord, go away for a minute, and come back and it has fallen out of their heads faster than the plectrums through the planks of the guitar deck.
2. Photos
3. Tiger songs - Singing with the little ones is so much fun. Such an attentive audience, and their counsellors are awesome, too. It's nice to spend time with them and just sing whatever I want, and the class finishes half way through a normal period, so I got to go down to the waterfront to guard for half an hour.
4. Dive and Slide - Playing in the lake for an hour, in the sun, with the campers. Not exactly taxing, but coming up with games and activities for twenty campers is not the easiest thing after a couple of lessons.
5. Guitar.
6. Guitar freeswim.
On Monday afternoon, the temperatures in the Berkshires soared higher than the rockets made in the rocketry class, and we had to cancel the normal schedule to get the campers into the water. My boys were in the pool for one period, then the waterfront for the other, along with about seventy other campers, which was hectic and stressful to guard to say the least. In the evening we also played in the lake as a cabin, which was lovely.
On Tuesday we only had a normal first period, and then even by ten am the temperatures were too high to allow normal schedules to continue. So the day was spent either in the lake, pool, the upper field with sprinklers and hoses or the air conditioned rec centre. It certainly mixed things up, but I much preferred it when it was ninety degrees, not a hundred, and it is so much easier for all involved to run the normal schedule. On Tuesday night, a karaoke company came to camp, and every cabin sang a song and dressed up. My cabin sang Just Dance by Lady Gaga…the vision of nine year olds trying to rap like her, while dancing and looking cool all at once was a picture! It was apparently still over ninety degrees at seven in the evening…mental!
Wednesdays schedule was adapted slightly for the heat, but the temperatures were cooling slightly, so my (not very exertional) activities were run as normal. They all went really well. In the evening we were off duty, so a trip to K-Mart and SoCo creamery was on the cards, followed by an evening in air conditioned bliss and some stargazing on the tennis courts.
On Thursday I was one of four lucky counsellors to be selected to go on an overnight trip down to Pennsylvania with around thirty campers. We had an early morning start, leaving on a coach from camp and travelling first to Space Port in New Jersey, which comprised an arcade, basketball court, laser-tag, phaser ball and pay areas. The campers seemed to have a great time, at least while they had money to fund their exploits. By dinner time, we had arrived at our hotel in PN and settled down to some lovely pizzas. Afterwards, the camp took a trip to a local cinema to watch either Toy Story 3 or Eclipse. I, naturally, chose and loved, Toy Story 3. What a movie…so good but so sad! A tear was definitely shed. After the campers went to bed, myself and the other male counsellor went swimming in the outdoor pool and then relaxed in the hot tub! Hard life.
On Friday, we went to Camel Beach water park which was the main reason for the trip. Compared to the water park we visited a couple of weeks ago, Camel beach was a metropolis of slides, flumes, wave machines, shops, restaurants and play areas. It was really warm and sunny, and we just spent the whole day chilling out with the campers and joining them on all the rides. The bus ride back was spent sleeping, making bracelets, chatting, using WiFi and watching movies. We stopped to order forty Burger King meals (the evil looks were killer) and then arrived back at camp for bed time! What a great trip, and I felt so privileged to be a part of it.
On Saturday, one of my three campers left camp, along with lots of other good campers, who I was sad to see leave. I never like check out days, but I guess the silver lining is the check in day the next day. I sat in the rec centre and played guitar with the older campers after mine had left. After all of them had departed the Best Little Camp in the Berkshires, we were off duty. A trip into town for bagels, SoCo, internet surfing and shopping really was what the doctor ordered, and the perfect accompaniment was a couple of hours spent on the waterfront in the glorious sunshine. We went out for a Chinese meal in town that night, followed by a visit to the local bowling alley for some good boogying, much to the shame of the locals.
Sunday morning saw us chilling out beside the lake for a bit, before going into town for another bagel. The local bagel company is fantastic, with at least fifteen types of bagels to choose from, and the most variety of toppings ever! Awesome. After lunch and a quick change back into my staff clothes, we were ready to welcome the new campers with open arms. I have two new campers in my little wooden cabin by the tennis courts, making it a total of four, which should be awesome! One of the new campers was in my cabin last year, and hadn't changed a bit! Crazy.
Aside from the odd squabble, the Navajo boys have behaved really well this week, and everyone is getting on really well, staff and camper alike. I am loving it here, and can't wait to carry on experiencing the good life in Massachusetts.
Keep the updates coming from your own adventures, I want to know what you are all doing.
Love
Andrew
Camp Half Moon
PO Box 188
Great Barrington
MA 01230
USA
My schedule this week was as follows:
1. Guitar - A class full of beginners, which is both easy and challenging at the same time. On one hand they have no previous experience or anything to compare you too, so it's not as much pressure to live up to. On the other hand, you spend five minutes telling them how to play one chord, go away for a minute, and come back and it has fallen out of their heads faster than the plectrums through the planks of the guitar deck.
2. Photos
3. Tiger songs - Singing with the little ones is so much fun. Such an attentive audience, and their counsellors are awesome, too. It's nice to spend time with them and just sing whatever I want, and the class finishes half way through a normal period, so I got to go down to the waterfront to guard for half an hour.
4. Dive and Slide - Playing in the lake for an hour, in the sun, with the campers. Not exactly taxing, but coming up with games and activities for twenty campers is not the easiest thing after a couple of lessons.
5. Guitar.
6. Guitar freeswim.
On Monday afternoon, the temperatures in the Berkshires soared higher than the rockets made in the rocketry class, and we had to cancel the normal schedule to get the campers into the water. My boys were in the pool for one period, then the waterfront for the other, along with about seventy other campers, which was hectic and stressful to guard to say the least. In the evening we also played in the lake as a cabin, which was lovely.
On Tuesday we only had a normal first period, and then even by ten am the temperatures were too high to allow normal schedules to continue. So the day was spent either in the lake, pool, the upper field with sprinklers and hoses or the air conditioned rec centre. It certainly mixed things up, but I much preferred it when it was ninety degrees, not a hundred, and it is so much easier for all involved to run the normal schedule. On Tuesday night, a karaoke company came to camp, and every cabin sang a song and dressed up. My cabin sang Just Dance by Lady Gaga…the vision of nine year olds trying to rap like her, while dancing and looking cool all at once was a picture! It was apparently still over ninety degrees at seven in the evening…mental!
Wednesdays schedule was adapted slightly for the heat, but the temperatures were cooling slightly, so my (not very exertional) activities were run as normal. They all went really well. In the evening we were off duty, so a trip to K-Mart and SoCo creamery was on the cards, followed by an evening in air conditioned bliss and some stargazing on the tennis courts.
On Thursday I was one of four lucky counsellors to be selected to go on an overnight trip down to Pennsylvania with around thirty campers. We had an early morning start, leaving on a coach from camp and travelling first to Space Port in New Jersey, which comprised an arcade, basketball court, laser-tag, phaser ball and pay areas. The campers seemed to have a great time, at least while they had money to fund their exploits. By dinner time, we had arrived at our hotel in PN and settled down to some lovely pizzas. Afterwards, the camp took a trip to a local cinema to watch either Toy Story 3 or Eclipse. I, naturally, chose and loved, Toy Story 3. What a movie…so good but so sad! A tear was definitely shed. After the campers went to bed, myself and the other male counsellor went swimming in the outdoor pool and then relaxed in the hot tub! Hard life.
On Friday, we went to Camel Beach water park which was the main reason for the trip. Compared to the water park we visited a couple of weeks ago, Camel beach was a metropolis of slides, flumes, wave machines, shops, restaurants and play areas. It was really warm and sunny, and we just spent the whole day chilling out with the campers and joining them on all the rides. The bus ride back was spent sleeping, making bracelets, chatting, using WiFi and watching movies. We stopped to order forty Burger King meals (the evil looks were killer) and then arrived back at camp for bed time! What a great trip, and I felt so privileged to be a part of it.
On Saturday, one of my three campers left camp, along with lots of other good campers, who I was sad to see leave. I never like check out days, but I guess the silver lining is the check in day the next day. I sat in the rec centre and played guitar with the older campers after mine had left. After all of them had departed the Best Little Camp in the Berkshires, we were off duty. A trip into town for bagels, SoCo, internet surfing and shopping really was what the doctor ordered, and the perfect accompaniment was a couple of hours spent on the waterfront in the glorious sunshine. We went out for a Chinese meal in town that night, followed by a visit to the local bowling alley for some good boogying, much to the shame of the locals.
Sunday morning saw us chilling out beside the lake for a bit, before going into town for another bagel. The local bagel company is fantastic, with at least fifteen types of bagels to choose from, and the most variety of toppings ever! Awesome. After lunch and a quick change back into my staff clothes, we were ready to welcome the new campers with open arms. I have two new campers in my little wooden cabin by the tennis courts, making it a total of four, which should be awesome! One of the new campers was in my cabin last year, and hadn't changed a bit! Crazy.
Aside from the odd squabble, the Navajo boys have behaved really well this week, and everyone is getting on really well, staff and camper alike. I am loving it here, and can't wait to carry on experiencing the good life in Massachusetts.
Keep the updates coming from your own adventures, I want to know what you are all doing.
Love
Andrew
Camp Half Moon
PO Box 188
Great Barrington
MA 01230
USA
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Week 3
Week three began on Monday the twenty eighth of June with flag raising when the whole of resident camp congregates on the upper field of camp and plays games and raises the stars and stripes over Camp Half Moon! What follows is a morning routine of breakfast, consisting of things like pancakes, waffles, french toast, eggs, hash browns, as well as cereal and fruit, before heading back to the cabin to tidy it up. The number of dirty socks, wet towels and flip flops that congregate on the floor every day is astounding! After that the day really starts, and the campers head off to their activities and the counsellors head off to teach them. In the morning there are three hour long activity periods, followed by lunch and a subsequent rest hour spent in the cabin, and a further three hour activity periods.
My schedule for the first week of camp was a great mixed bag of:
1. Photos - Walking round camp taking photographs of all the different activities and the campers and staff doing so. I really enjoy taking photographs every day, as it's a great way to interact with so many campers and counsellors in one hour, and I see every activity being taught! All the photographs are collated at the end of the day then uploaded onto a secure website that the parents can log on to and view the fun their children are having. I think it's a great idea.
2. Photos.
3. Drama - Teaching drama games and performing skits with campers, mostly younger ones. I have never taught drama until now, and was a bit worried about doing so, but my co-teacher was a great help and it ended up being a great week worth of lessons!
4. Lake Guard - On the lake every period there are classes of canners, kayakers, snorkelers, sailers and campers playing in the water, so of course they need guarded. I loved my first experience of guarding on the lake, in the sun, with some amazing friends from last year, and some awesome new ones from this year. The waterfront seems to attract my favourite type of people, for the most part. so I love spending time down there. One of my best friends from Edinburgh and camp was back down at the waterfront this year, and it's awesome to be with her again!
5. Yearbook - By the end of the summer, the camp would like to produce a yearbook from the seven weeks of campers, so it was my job this period to try and sound out what people wanted to include in it, and then get the campers onto the job of doing it. It was difficult to do, especially on the Monday of week one where nothing had happened, but some of the ideas were really good, so hopefully we can incorporate them into the ideas from the rest of the summers classes.
6. Guitar Freeswim - Freeswim is the sixth period where the campers are free to go wherever they want on camp for a more chilled out hour of semi-structured lessons. My campers from last year tended to come and join me on my guitar deck in the sun this period every day to sit and chat, make friendship bracelets, write letters and of course, occasionally play guitar. It was my favourite period of the week, and I just smiled even wider than I normally did throughout this period.
After sixth period we have reflections where boy camp and girl camp separate and go off to our respective areas and reflect on important issues and personal stories. But what happens at man camp stays at man camp, so reflections must be kept under wraps really!
On Tuesday night we had a hip hop group come to entertain us. They told the camp the story of hip hops history through dance, and included the campers in it, which was really good. Some of the moves they pulled were awesome, and I certainly wanted to have a bit more rhythm by the time they left.
The middle of the week saw my right hand swell to twice it's normal slender size due to a reaction to a bug bite from some undisclosed insect. The were murmurs of hospital visits if the swelling spread to my fingers, but it stuck around the back of my palm for a few days then slowly went down. My first Benadryl experience was interesting, as it [like with everyone else] made me so sleepy, but I had to stay up until all the staff went to bed as I was supervising cabins of sleeping campers for the whole night…fun!
On Wednesday, me and three other staff went on a trip to go white water rafting with twenty campers. Sat nave malfunctions, late leaving and a few wrong turns lead us to Crab Apple rafting company, and we rafted down ten miles of grade one, two and three white water. In the calm stretches, the rafts had water fights with buckets on board, and we sang camp songs down by the river being entertained by our river guide. The lunch was INCREDIBLE, and we had pizza on the way back from the trip for dinner which, although the campers were lusting after the golden arches of MacDonalds, was really good. On Wednesday night the camp split up into it's two tribes, Cherokees and Mahaiwes, and played a massive game of gold rush, which is a game involving hiding coloured tubes around camp for the campers to find, and then run them to the guitar deck without being caught by counsellors. It was a great game, and a great way to finish the awesome day!
Thursday, a chilly day, actually saw some of the guards wearing gillets on the waterfront…madness! It was the day of campfire, which I love, as all the campers and counsellors do songs, skits, stories, dances and poems for the rest of camp. For a first campfire, it was awesome!
On Saturday the juniors and intermediates went on a trip to Zoom Flume water park in New York state, in the Catskills. I dealt with my first vomit related incident on the journey, which was interesting! It was a beautiful day, and for the fourth of July weekend it was not hay busy. The campers that I had on the trip, as well as the staff, were fearless, and they went on everything. Nice to be out of camp for a bit, even if it was a tad stressful. Nothing much had changed since last years visit, other than the introduction of a new wave pool which was cool!
Once we returned from the trip I was off duty, so went into town for dinner at the local Chinese restaurant followed by ice cream and a night out in the local bowling alley/bar. It was a great first night off, and I am looking forward to the others this summer. Waking up on the fourth of July in America was followed by amazing bagels in town for breakfast and a wander round town. We had ice cream sundaes at SoCo creamery in town, which is definitely my favourite place for ice cream. The ice cream was amazing, and a parent of a camper bumped into us there and ended up buying me a tshirt! Only in America! The afternoon was spent on the waterfront chilling out with my friends, and then painting the American flag on my face for going back on duty. We had a cookout dinner in honour of the fourth of July, before playing games with our campers in the dining hall and upper field.
The weather this week has been incredible, really hot and sunny. Long may it continue!
We had a brilliant first week at camp with the campers, and I am so looking forward to the next six weeks with them. The boys in my cabin have been super awesome stars, and I can't wait to spend more time with them.
Loving the mail from Katie, Alison, Shuaib, Sarah and Emma. Please get in touch in any way possible when you can, I miss everyone back home and would like to know how everyone is doing!
Love
Andrew
Camp Half Moon
PO Box 188
Great Barrington
MA 01230
USA
x x x
Week 2
Week two started on the twenty first of July, which dawned hot and sunny with a swim in the bath-like pool water! Lots of people are up for early morning exercise this year, which I hope continues. I don't want anyone to have cause to call me chubby when I return to Scotland, here.
The week of orientation went really slowly, but not in a bad way at all. I love that the time is going slowly, that there seems to be more hours between sunrise and sunset than there should be naturally, that the shadows of the trees creep so slowly across the basket ball court. I would be perfectly happy if the summer never ended, so content am I here.
Not that I don't miss you all at home, cause I do. All my uni and Hawick crew, you are sorely missed. Solution…y'all should come out to the Berkshires and become part of camp!
Orientation week involved lots of setting up camp and socialising. It was a great week of weather and chat, games and food, smiles and hugs. Some of the maintenance things we had to do included putting up ping pong tables in the new youth centre, discussing our activity areas and lesson plans, more guitar maintenance, assembling beds, general organisation, and my personal favourite…raking pine needles off roofs of the cabins!
We also had lots of sessions about camp rules, possible scenarios, special events, and general information, which was nice to sit and listen to in the sun! It's amazing how quick the things come back to you.
Some of the fun non-maintenance work we did during the week included trust walks with blind folds, tip-testing in kayks and canoes, lifeguard training, camp songs sessions, dance competitions, chilling out at the pool, a camp fire, tribal games, practice lessons [I taught a kayaking lesson], playing games in practice for rainy days.
As well as that, we had lovely informal chats, time spent playing in the sun, watching epic thunderstorms, trips into town for essentials [snacks!]. Everyone is gelling together like some amazing happy clock, which is awesome!
We had some time off over the weekend, during which time we had a great meal out in town, a night out in the local bowling alley, and breakfast in town the next morning. One of my good friends has a car here with her, and she has been kind enough to ferry us around which is awesome! Wandering around Great Barrington was like stepping out of a time machine that had landed a year ago. SoCo is still there [the home of the infamous brownie sundaes], the people are the same, the place has not changed at all. It's awesome…I would love to come back here to live at some point!
The weather for the week was incredible, so we had loads of fun in the sun. The summer tan is coming along quite nicely, and it really brightened everything up and made all the hard work easier. Awesome!
The highlight of the week has to be my first waterskiing experience to test out the camp equipment. I had never done it before, but on my fourth attempt I got up and went a good long distance before a spectacular wipe out! Was such an awesome thing to do, and one I definitely want to do again and again! I think Morgan may be rubbing off on me, turning me into a water baby more and more every day. Which I am fine with.
And then on the Sunday the campers arrived. It was such a buzz to stand on the camp road and watch all the new and familiar faces come in, hear people shouting my name, reconnecting with the campers and their parents and getting such nice conversation! Happy days. I am in a cabin with nine and ten year old boys who are all awesome...I am so excited because two of them were in my cabin last year! I can't wait to reconnect with them, and learn all about the new ones. Let's hope they are a good bunch.
I hope everyone's summer is going ok, and no one has had more horseshoe related incidents, or road crashes, and everyone is staying out of trouble. I would really love some mail to read, thank you to Alison for my first piece! If anyone wants a letter, post your address on the old bookface and I will hit you up!
Love!
Week 1
New summer, new session at Camp Half Moon…these things can only mean one thing…a new blog for the summer.
Summer two thousand and ten started at four in the morning on the 14th of June when I got up for a [terrifying] drive to Edinburgh airport from Jane! What followed was a smooth check in to a direct flight to New York from Edinburgh, and the flight itself was uneventful. Landing in New York was so exciting! Felt like I was coming home again…yay!
When I landed in New York, my good friend Lea picked me up from the airport with another two returning counsellors, Jack and Lucy. Seeing them again was incredible, and it was like no time had past since our last meeting in March. Smiles all round. We spent the next two nights at Lea's house in WestChester county, north of New York City. The street could have been the set for Desperate Housewives, and her house was lovely, Definitely started off the summer with a grin from ear to ear. We spent the first evening picking up the camp essentials like bug spray, sleeping bags, and of course Reece's Peanut Butter Cups before crashing out.
On the Tuesday we caught the train into Grand Central Station [wow] and met up with some more returners [Amy, Brittany and Tara] and also my flatmate Kev [who I hadn't seen in over a year] to spend the day in the city with them. Highlights included visiting a new park on a disused above ground railway line called the HighLine. Cool doesn't quite cut it, I would definitely like to think that some time in the future I will spend my lazy Sundays there! Dinner at Chelsea Riverside Park was followed by an afternoon of shopping in SoHo, buying team hoodies from American Apparel and other clothes! Like I need any more..=] After a Thai meal out and a meet up with some of Leas friends [one of which was a real frat boy] we headed to bed on the eve of our arrival at camp.
The bus journey back to Great Barrington was awesome, with banter with all of the returners and excitement mounting. By the time the bus stopped, I was buzzing to arrive back at camp… The arrival did not disappoint! It did just feel like I was coming back to where I belonged, There were a bunch of new people there, and they were all super nice. Amazing to meet them all, and to be reunited with the returners like Morgan and Craig!
So that was the Wednesday night, and for the Thursday and Friday pre-season was our life purpose. After the campers leave in August, camp pretty much shuts down until we arrive in June. Consequently, there is a lot of work to do before the campers arrive! Our pre-season involved setting up canopies all over camp to shelter various areas, setting up the waterfront area, rescuing kayaks that had washed up on the lake shores, assembling and sailing all the sailboats to the docks, taping up kayaks, as well as meeting all the amazing new people, catching up with all the returners, having mixing games, team building exercises, song leading times, dining room chats and general greatness. Then on Saturday at 5pm orientation officially started with all the official introductions to all staff, some games and a camp tour, the likes of which carried on to Sunday, with guitar maintenance, head staff question and answer sessions, lifeguard training. On Sunday evening we played a game of dodgeball and then chilled out in the pool!
The weather for the first week was absolutely amazing, and way better than last year…so warm and sunny. Makes a change from not being able to dry our clothes outside, and having perpetually damp towels…the sun definitely makes me happy!
For a first week it has been absolutely fantastic. A lot has changed from last year, with new faces, new ways of doing things, new camp buildings [with air conditioning…luxury] and the like, but I am more than willing to roll with it and embrace the change. What's the point in having a summer identical to last year? I am so excited for a new experience at the Best Little Camp in the Berkshires!
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