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