Providing the uniquely cultural American summer camp experience …since 1969

SUMMMER :D

Posted on 20-Jul-2011 | 0 comments | Link So i've been rubbish at updating this and now have quite a lot to say, so get ready to read ;)

The last few days of first session were crazily hectic. First off we had prom, which while it was amazing was so busy! The kitchen staff had to arrange and decorate a lot of the prom setup, and then make dinner before having to rush to get ready and join our bunks. I did my hair and makeup in the early afternoon as did the others so we had a difficult time trying to wash up really quickly and keep everything intact!
We managed though, and I literally ran into the bathroom, pulled my dress on and ran to my bunk just in time to get in the picture with all the counsellors and all the girls.

The actual prom was an amazing night, all the kids had so much fun. There were tears when our prom king and queen were elected (it was their last year) but all in all it was a really great way to say goodbye to such a great group of kids and seriously, three of the best weeks of my life.
After a whirlwind of packing the next day we had another fun evening activity - wishboats, slideshow and best bunk. Unfortunately, the OG's missed out on best bunk, but the YG's won.
Wishboats is when every camper writes a wish on a boat and they float around the swimming pool while every single person at camp says their favourite memory of first session

I've made memories here that i'll treasure for my whole life but one of my favourites and the one I talked about was swimming for the first time with the campers - when I was with Moe. She's lovely, and one of my favourite OG's - she even reassured me that she wouldn't drown before we went in!
When the campers left it was weird to not have them around but at the same time quite a nice breather. A lot of people went into the city but I stuck around - I was in charge of the kitchen over intersession! We went out a few times but more importantly I got quite a lot of cleaning done in the kitchen - it was a nice break :) I saw Harry Potter which i've still not made up my mind about - I think i'll need to see it again..

Even nicer though was to have everyone back - the people who went to the city arrived back here last night, in the midst of us all watching Forrest Gump!

One of my funniest moments at camp happened today. I was going into the OB bunk to restock their cups, and suddenly (they were all staring at me) one of them just screamed out and they all ran at me! They grabbed me and picked me up and carried me to one of the camper beds, lifted my legs up and put one of the camper diapers on me! It was a bit odd at the time but so funny afterwards when I was just walking around with it on!

I went to the doctor today just because i've been having weird numbness and soreness in my hands - I have carpal tunnel syndrome! You can google it, i'm tired ;)
Our new campers arrive tomorrow and i'm so excited to meet them! We've got a 6am wakeup for the kitchen tomorrow though, so I think i'm going to bed.. campfire in the evening though, and that's always fun :D I've figured out how to upload pictures now which is exciting - expect some soon!

day off :)

Posted on 13-Jul-2011 | 0 comments | Link While this isn't actually an update about camp, It's still about my summer so i'm just gonna go ahead and post it anyway!

Yesterday (Tuesday) was my second day off. I really needed one to be honest, I've been working sooo hard, and it was really nice! For a start its a luxury to be able to sleep in ;)
We went to the beach first, which was nice except I fell asleep on my back and got burnt!10
The beach is amazing, it's called Cooper's beach, and Google it, it's so good! They film a lot of tv shows and movies there, and usually it costs $40 to park! We didn't have to pay though, we told the people at the front that we were from the Fresh air home and they let us through, which is very generous considering!
Then around midday we headed to Tanger outlets which was so much fun! I miss shopping, though I spent way too much money... Got a dress for prom though!
We have a prom at the end of this session for all the campers as the majority of them will be leaving on Saturday, then we get new ones the next week. I'm sad that they're going, I'm so attached to some of them :(

Anyway, this was just a quick update, will write about the prom when it's finished :)

COLOUR WAR!

Posted on 11-Jul-2011 | 0 comments | Link Today at camp was a big day, we had colour war. This basically means that they get rid of the bunk system (OB, OG, YB and YG) and instead every person at camp is given a colour, green army, or blue navy, and we got covered head to toe in paint! I was in blue navy, along with Sophie from the kitchen. All day we played crazy challenges and games, and had to do things like make up chants, have relay races, and swimming competitions. Eventually the Green army won (boo) but everyone had a really great day!
As one of my roommates has left and we were both in the same bunk with the OG's, i've started to help out more in the bunk. I like getting involved with the kids as much as I can so I really like doing this - this evening I helped Sarah, one of the campers, and read to her before she went to sleep.
She proceeded to tell me I wasn't very good at an american accent, but that's fair enough I suppose...

I didn't swim today as there were swimming competitions on but every other day I have. Yesterday I actually did a double session - first I swam with the OB's, and my swimming buddy was one of my favourite campers in the OB bunk, Gil. It was good for us to swim together as he's quite dependent and needs to be held all the time, so I felt better about it as he knows me already, and felt comfortable swimming with me. It was also useful to be familiar with what he's capable of and can do, and we had a really nice time. He was quite active - he likes to splash! But we chilled out and had some chat toward the end of the session, so I enjoyed it.
A lot of the campers know each other as they play wheelchair basketball together and we actually have a hoop that comes off the edge of the pool so they compete to do it - lifting Gil out of the pool to help him shoot is no easy job but I managed!
After the OB's swam it was time for the youngers to swim - I was a bit nervous as i'm more familiar with and spend more time with the older bunks. However the camper I was with was fine, he was very clear with what he wanted and needed - most of the campers are, which was useful for me and we had fun.

I'm really enjoying my time here. Sometimes i'm in two minds - the staff here are, while lovely still basically strangers and it's weird for me to not be around my friends, I miss them! But spending time with the kids and doing all the exciting new stuff i'm doing - I think it'd be horrible to leave. I feel really good to be a part of this experience, particularly as it means so much to them. So i'm happy :)

8th July

Posted on 8-Jul-2011 | 0 comments | Link The 4th of July picnic that we did went very well - Sophie (our stand in supervisor) pulled it off really well, and we had a disco afterwards for the kids. That was a really good night, they really enjoyed telling us about 4th July, what it's about and it was fun to celebrate it with them. They ate a lot of chocolate and candyfloss, and we've been taught how to appropriately dance with the campers so we did that too!
Feel free to check out my pictures on facebook.
I had my day off the next day which was soo good - It was such a novelty being able to sleep in rather than getting up at 6am! I went out for dinner with the people on my day off in the evening - a bit pricey but still nice to get out :) Other than that we've just had normal days - we had a pizza party paid for by one of the older girls mothers which was good - mostly because we didn't have to cook anything in the kitchen! Unfortunately one of my roommates has left which i'm sad about, but on the plus side (totally selfish) i got to move down to the bottom bunk!
Yesterday I was asked to swim with the campers for the first time. We have a big pool and it's really important to the camp as swimming is such a frequent activity and it means so much to the campers. Where nearly all of them at least have trouble with walking if not wheelchair-bound in the pool they have a whole new range of movement which they love, and it's really special to be involved in it and see how much they love it. I was swimming with the girls, Older and Younger and was placed with a girl who is fairly independent aside from the fact that she sometimes gets tired and dunks under - in which case I need to pull her up so she needs to be watched at all times. I had another older girl who struggles with swimming on my back too, who really enjoyed telling me when and where to go, and how fast... haha!
I must have done something right, anyway as they've asked me to swim again today, this time with Older and Younger boys. I'm a little bit nervous as a lot of them are more dependent but at the same time quite excited. Will have to be on my guard though - the boys are apparently much more violent than the girls. Saying that though, I did get dunked a couple of times by the girls..
Today we had grilled cheese for lunch, I think i'm getting too used to american food! Natasha and I were frying it and i've burnt myself a couple of times on my arm which is irritating - i'm such a mess at the moment! I've got random bruises everywhere and despite using a lot of insect repellent i'm covered in mosquito bites. Powering through though!
I got a bit homesick these last few days, missing my friends and stuff but i'm excited for our second interession as my family will be in the city and i'm going to meet up with them. Lots of people do go to New York during interession but i've chosen to work the upcoming one as the money is good and i'd quite like to buy some clothes and things out here. I'm planning to go to the nearby outlet mall on my next day off (Tuesday!!) and treat myself to some things. I hardly ever know what day it is at the moment, but I always know how long it is until my day off... I've got to go get dressed for swimming, but will write again soon!

4th July!

Posted on 4-Jul-2011 | 0 comments | Link Hi everyone!
I've actually been even worse at updating this than I've anticipated but we're so crazy busy now that the kids have arrived all I do in my spare time is sleep!
The kids have been here for a week yesterday, and it's literally been amazing. As a support staff member I get to spend time that i'm not in the kitchen with the kids - which is why I have so little spare time!
I also see them at mealtimes, so they know me and very gradually i'm getting to know everyones names! This week they've been doing a lot of crazy activities, and I tend to join in with the ones in the evenings - most notably our 'staff initiation' where I had to pour barbeque beans down my shorts and catch as many as I could in a bowl when they came out my leg...
Yesterday we took all the kids to the carnival nearby. It was a really great thing to do as they ate as much food as they wanted, and went on all the rides for free. It's hard work for the counsellors to carry them on and off the rides, but they all manage and for the day they get to just do normal things and be kids which I thought was great.
I'm finding it quite emotional being around them all the time really - a lot of the kids can do things for themselves but some can't do much at all, but since they've been here a week you hardly even notice the wheelchairs anymore - they're really great people, it'll be sad when they have to go!
I'm writing this in my break now - it's 4th of July so we've got loads going on, and are organising a big picnic with barbeques tonight. It's doubly hectic because my usual boss is on her day off and someone else who works with me has taken over, but she's doing a great job so fingers crossed we'll be fine tonight!
Cleaning the barbeques was awful, they were all mouldy :( but tonight should be a lot of fun, so i'm excited to actually celebrate even though technically it's not a holiday for me. My breaks over in about two minutes so i'm gonna go now!
Will write again soon!

22/06/2011

Posted on 23-Jun-2011 | 0 comments | Link

I have actually arrived!

This is my first blog that i'm actually writing from being at camp. I meant to do it earlier but have been so busy, so am starting now :) It was really hectic in the last couple of days in the UK, had exams and had to pack up my uni room, so was an achievement to actually get here!

The flight over here was actually really long but meeting people from my camp and other camps in the airport calmed my nerves a bit..

I've arrived at camp now (finally) and I love it! The camp is quite small but really nice so I like it a lot, I think i'm lucky to be here as it's quite modern and stuff. I'm in a bunk which everyone calls the dungeon - sounds weird but it's not! I'm in a room with 4 other girls, 2 americans Ariel and Amanda and 2 english girls Haley and Lauren.

Since we arrived we've during the day been doing lots of training - our first week here is an orientation week, so during the day we've been going through things like how to act with the campers, and how to deal with an emergency and general rules we all need to keep to. As it's a special needs camp the training is more important - mistakes have worse outcomes! But at the same time we've played quite a lot of games and stuff to get to know each other - everyone at the camp is lovely which is a relief! It's weird hearing all the american accents but i'm sure i'll get used to it :)

In the evenings we have time to go off camp, so far we've been to the beach and to the bar - didn't drink much but both were funn :)

Today I had to go to a social security place - we need to have a number or we can't get paid. It went well, and I was approved which I kind of expected to be honest, and i'll get that within the next few days. Went to 7-11 this afternoon afterward and bought pretzel m&ms - going to bring back as many bags as I can! Then this evening we went on a trip to CVS where I bought an american phone to text and stuff and a watch, i forgot mine.. And some mountain dew! I doubt anybody wants to read this boring detail to be honest but there are probably only about 3 people who are even going to read this.. Ellie, Sophie, Dani.. that means you.

Lots of people thought it would be odd but i'm actually really enjoying working in the kitchen, although it's harder work than I thought it would be. I'm looking forward to the kids getting here as it'll be more lively though harder work with all the extra food we'll have to make..

I also got my bunk assignment yesterday - I'm working with OGs which is older girls. I'm not sure when that group starts but it's up to age 18 which I think will be cool as you can actually talk to the campers. Practically all the other people with OG's are american so wish me luck with that!

I'm gonna try and update this pretty often but I don't know how busy i'll be when we actually start having kids here, so try and appreciate them when i have the time ;)

29/05/2011

Posted on 29-May-2011 | 0 comments | Link

Only 19 days to go!

I haven't updated this in a few months but i'm procrastinating right now to avoid my revision so thought I would! It's started to get so close with literally only two and a half weeks left and I'm really excited but nervous too.. Everything i'm taking with me has started to pile up (still missing a bag though haha) and it's got so soon! Unfortunately my university exams are right up until I leave - I literally have one the afternoon of the day before i fly.. So i'm having to pack, prepare to go, revise and pack up my university room in these weeks!

I've come home this weekend to do some clothes shopping with my mum, and have got a lot of stuff now. Since i've never been to anything like this before, or the area of america that my camp is in I'm doing a lot of guesswork about how much clothing I should actually take and what sort of thing I need. When I look at my camp over google maps I can see lots of trees and forest so I've bought loads of bug repellant just in case!

Still to sort out is my phone though. I have a blackberry which is practically glued to my hand most of the time so while i'm taking that with me to use at the airport and when I fly home after I probably won't be turning it on much while i'm there :( I'm hoping i'll be so busy I won't get withdrawal symptons about bbm! I considered buying an american simcard and having it sent here so that I could take an unlocked phone abroad with me and have it rightaway, but after looking online a bit it seems like a better thing to do is to buy a cheap phone out there and top it up when needed, so I think i'll do that. I'm sure I won't be the only one out there without a phone at the beginning so i'm not too worried.

Our camp has a facebook group which has actually been really good to calm my worries about going - I've been nervous about meeting people! While i'm excited I always get a bit worried when it's a whole new group of people so to talk to people before I go as well as read about what the returners thought about camp has made me feel a lot better. It seems like a really lovely camp so i'm excited to go and get to know everyone!

I didn't make it to any of the orientation events as I had lectures and an exam during the ones that were conveninent for me so I'm hoping I didn't miss anything too important - what I wish i'd been there to do is meet people who were going to my camp! Hopefully anything hugely important will be covered in our orientation week at camp.

Anyone feel free to add me as a friend on here, or on facebook: Kate Beattie.

Hope everyone is getting excited too/having fun if you've already gone! xxx

21/02/2011

Posted on 21-Feb-2011 | 0 comments | Link Hi everyone!
I'm not going to be updating this this often right up until we go, but today I've been doing lots of sorting out relating to camp america and thought i'd update this as well!
Basically today I set up my savings account which I'm going to start trying to put money into every week for the next four months so that I have some surplus to spend while I'm over there. I've been looking into ways to take money over and I think i'm going to take half in cash, and half on the Caxton Card (http://www.caxtonfxcard.com). It looks like the best deal out there having spoken to some returners and other people to see what they're doing, and it'll be useful to have some money on a card that won't charge extra to use/take money out which my regular cards would.
I'm also today looking into what sort of bag to take. I'm going to be travelling after, so I don't know whether a backpack would be the best option, but i'm kind of short and it might be a mistake to try and carry a bag bigger than I am! I'll probably go for a suitcase and just suffer when I have to carry it around wherever we go!
Travel is another thing i'm thinking about. I'd really like to take the oppurtunity because i'll be out there, but not sure how long i'll be able to travel for. I have a month until uni starts, so we'll see what happens!
Until next time,
Kate x

First entry! 17/02/2011

Posted on 17-Feb-2011 | 0 comments | Link Hi everyone! :)
So i'm getting really excited now and have decided to write my first entry on here! I was placed about a month ago at the January recruitment fair at Southampton Fresh air Home in Long Island. I've paid all the money we need to now (or my dad has ;)) with the exception of the baggage insurance. I think we're going to look around and see if we can find it cheaper/if it comes under our family insurance as it was quite pricey. So... counting down, it's just under 4 months! My flight date is the 18th June, from London. I've actually spoken to quite a lot of other people from my camp on facebook, so it's getting exciting to be talking to people about it all the time! Have just changed my profile picture and all I have to do left now is ring the office (apparently there's something wrong with my CRB) and get my medical done! Then all there's left to do is wait!
Kate x