Hello again!
Having previously moaned about session 2, I'm pleased to tell you my mood as well as general life at camp has improved greatly. Currently I am writing this post half way through what is now session 4, reflecting back on a somewhat successful session 3- the first of two Adult camp sessions.
At first, I wasn't sure what to think of Adult camp. Staff from last year like my D2 cabin mate Snoopz described it as being more relaxed and in some cases better for it but this didn't really appeal to me. Adult sessions are less structured to allow the campers more freedom and relaxation meaning that there aren't any skits,awards or competitions, the day is extended meaning that as staff you don't end up going to bed until at least 11:30PM and campers choose the programs they go to which as a Program Leader can get quite frustrating as we never know how many people are going to show up for our activities. Despite these initial irritations, as I got more used to the new structure I really began to enjoy the session a lot more.
In D2 we had a much better group of campers this session including our first wheelchair users, very much a new experience for me which I've learned a lot from. I thought there would be a problem connecting with this group at first due to the age gap between us however many of the adult campers are more cognitive than those in youth sessions and it was great to socialise with them, especially Greg from my cabin who is a big music fan so we bounced off each other all the time.
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| D2 Cabin Photo (from left to right)- Pedro, Donald (in the chair), Marnix, Adam, Braxton, Snoopz, Jack (in the chair), me and Greg |
Among my highlights from session 3 was celebrating July 4th for the first time in the US. Everyone was in face paint and American t-shirts, glorious weather, Country music was blasting over the speakers all day long, we ate typically American food such as Pancakes, Burgers and Fried Chicken as well as playing a great game of NFL in the Pool. Another special moment was during the Coffee Evening in which Adam from my cabin proposed to his girlfriend (another of the campers), and she said YES! It was totally unexpected and very sweet. The end of session banquet was a Hollywood Red Carpet theme so I dressed up as Marty McFly from Back To The Future (one of my favourite 'movies') and fun was had by all. Looking back I think this was probably one of, if not, my favourite banquet from the summer so far.
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| Me and Jack |
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| Greg and I enjoying our burgers at lunchtime |
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| Tom got in the full american spirit with his hair |
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| Mr Rick (the chief chef) made a very special cake |
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| Hollywood Red Carpet Banquet-me with the happy couple and their best friend |
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| the C2 red carpet |
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| with Larry, one of my favourite campers |
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| Marsha has an amazing smile |
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| Picture with the hottest babe at the dance |
What makes Adult sessions at camp particularly enjoyable is all the trips that are organised. As a Program Leader I get to go on less trips than regular counselors as I have to run my activities so in Session 3 I only got one trip which was to Camden Yards in Baltimore- home stadium to the Baltimore Orioles Baseball team. It was my first visit to a Baseball stadium and I really enjoyed our almost-all-access tour whilst learning all about Baseball and the Orioles.
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| Oriole Park |
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| Me with Adam, Larry and Rachel in the dugout |
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| group photo |
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| in the VIP box |
Once the session came to a close, it was time for another break so this time we went to Rehoboth beach in Delaware. My first trip to the American seaside was great and contained lots of swimming and splashing in the warm Atlantic water, tanning, partying and an excellent meal at the Purple Parrot restaurant. I really liked Rehoboth as a place due to its laidback atmosphere and cos it wasn't quite as commercial and touristy as I thought it would be so overall I was pleasantly surprised.
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| Dewey Beach |
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| Dinner on our first night |
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| Group photo on the beach |
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| the new Dewey Beach lifeguards |
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| Dolphins! |
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| Rehoboth Beach boardwalk |
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| we found a Fish+Chips shop! |
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| evening meal at the Purple Parrot |
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| Me and Phoebe |
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| Sax man |
That's all for now folks. Next time I post I shall be telling you all about session 4 at camp (our second Adult session) and the break that followed it. Hopefully I will have these posts illustrated sometime soon as well.
Over and out
FP
#FraserOnTour
