happy traveller

kaboom

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originally uploaded by suzybee.

This was a worrying developement on the way to the outlet mall.

we're all in this together

Well camp is over and here I am in Illinois! I'm staying with one of the girls from camp at her house is Dekalb which is about an hour out of Chicago.

Camp was a pretty amazing experience and I'm so glad I did it. It had it's down side (mice, toads, bugs, more bugs, more mice, camp feet, ridiculously crap showers and bad bad food!) but the people there were awesome and I got to do so many cool things last week I tried windsurfing and went tubing and on the climbing wall which is really really high! I'll put a pic up on Flickr. It was so sad to leave all the great people I met and my last session girls who were so cool and nice. The last day was pretty teary for everyone!

It's so bizarre when you think about the whole concept of camp though. Over 100 adults from around 16 different countries all dropped down in the middle of nowhere with limited access to the outside world, it's like being in a bubble really, all expected to work together as a cohesive team for 9 weeks to care for about 1100 kids who come through the camp. Then at the end all dispersing back into the real world.  It's just such a unique experience you can't really describe it to anyone.

I'm glad to be staying in a real house now though. With a real bathroom! I took a 2 hour bath today with bubbles and everything but still couldn't get the dirt off my feet. Yuck. I can sleep at night without worrying about mice, toads and being bitten by insects too!

itchy feet

I haven't put on any bug spray at all for the past 8 weeks at camp and have not been bitten by anything but this morning I woke up and had bites all over my feet!! Stupid bugs.... and toads and mice. Yay for Chicago. Only a week to go!

how do you solve a problem like...

I love camp. Really. It has it's ups and downs and the kids often drive me crazy but the people here are great. My classes are lovely this session because they are very small and very cooperative. I heart my classes! (ahh Americanism!). Last week was sucky though because one of my good friends at camp, K,  got fired. It was her own fault and she was so angry at herself and disappointed. I was too. I wouldn't think I would get so upset about someone I've only known for a few weeks go through that but I guess when you live in peoples pockets for two months you get close.It was horrible though because she was an amazing counselor and really loved the kids so much. Now she wants to come and hang out with us (Me and A) on our last  day off which is fine but there are two other people who also want to come with us on our day off and she doesn't want them too. AWKWARD! I don't know what to do. I  want to see  K but A and I really want to go with my other friend to her house and just relax, go to the mall and the movies and K doesn't want to.  Need Advice, Need Advice. On one hand it really isn't fair to us that she is putting these conditions on when really she should just be sucking it up.  We are making an effort to see her even after what she did and  we are seeing her after camp too but we might not see these other people again after camp. I'm not sure how to say nicely that we want to go to my other friends house and if she doesn't that's too bad. I don't want to hurt her feelings but I tend to have the tact of a brick through a window. Have to go and talk to A. Maybe she'll know what to do.

wildlife

Yesterday as I walked back from evening program the girls came screaming out of the cabin.

"Mouse!! Mouse!!! There's a mouse!!!"

I am over the little critters that are everywhere in this place. Seriously! I don't mind when they are outside in the woods but when they are in my cabin! I mean it's just not on. I've had toads under my bed and mice in my dresser drawers! Yuck! One tried to gnaw it's way into my jar of vegemite. Sacrilige!  It obviously had good taste though.

love the lake

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originally uploaded by suzybee.

Perfect day on the lake. So far I've been canoeing, kayaking, waterskiing (unsuccessfully), swimming and sailing. Next up - windsurfing!

beach at saugatuck

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originally uploaded by suzybee.

This was a good day. The beach was pretty, though I'm not sure how it can really be a beach if the water is not salty and it's a lake not the ocean. I ate the best sandwich ever and we only got lost for 1 1/2 hours getting there.

flowers in south haven

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originally uploaded by suzybee.

camp news

On Monday night we had the biggest storm I've ever experienced. I thought our cabin was going to be washed away. The thunder and lightning was right overhead and it felt like everything was shaking. It was awesome!!

The first session kids have gone home now too and I can't say I'm sad to see a lot of them go.  Session 2 has started and so far we are cruising.  All the wildlife out here in the woods is taking some getting used to though. We have mice and chipmunks and squirrels all over the place and  yesterday morning it was raining and our girls found a toad in the bathroom. I set it free outside. Someone also finally asked The Question! "Did you have to learn another language to come here?" Because apparently we don't speak English in Australia.  The weather is beautiful today though, the lake is clean and warm and life is good. I love America!

USA AOK

I'm having such an amazing time that it's hard to put it into words. The US is so cool and weird and the people are so friendly and cheery (though that may just be small town USA).  I'm currently working at a kids summer camp in Michigan. The kids are unbelievably rich and a lot of them are really awful. But I can put up with that because I've made so many friends here. The other counselors are amazing and I'm doing such awesome stuff! Where else could I ride a horse, try out archery and attempt to waterski all for the first time and all in one day! We head out for the beach on our days off and just hang out. I can put up with a whole lot to do that. Some of my kids are nice though. And I have the solution for camper homesickness down to an art form now. I just tell them about my first time trying to waterski. Really pretty embarrassing and involving alot of wiping out and lake water going up my nose.  The part where I get dragged along and my skis pop off always gets a laugh. I never did get up on those skis but that is my aim for the end of the summer. I'm getting so tired though. Tonight I've sat up and made 15 bead bracelets for the girls for their awards tomorrow. Going to bed now.