I left my hostel at 2.30am and headed to JFK International to catch my flight to North Carolina where camp orientation and lifeguard training would begin! It was a two part flight: first to Charlotte NC, then to Asheville NC where camp would pick me up and drive me through to the grounds. Well that didn't happen.
The first half of my journey went perfectly as I slept the entire flight. I disembarked the aircraft and entered the buzzing departures hall in Charlotte. My heart dropped as I saw that my flight to Asheville had been canceled! I made my way to customer services and they informed me that the next flight they could get me to Asheville on was at 10.30 pm, it was 9 am. I was starting to panic. The lady asked me if there was any way I could fly to a different airport and if there was someone I could call. My phone does not work here so she ended up calling my camp director and changing all my plans for me! I don't know if it was the kindness in her great or the tears in my eyes that got her, but thank goodness this lady was willing to help me. I ended up flying to South Carolina where two awesome girls named Erin and Shelby came to fetch me and drove me back over state lines to camp. It was quite a stressful day but as soon as I arrived at camp I could feel myself relax. Boy, I had done a lot of crying so far... Luckily that was over!!
I was welcomed by some happy faces and was given the grand tour of all the grounds. Camp is beautiful. A magnificent lake is the epicenter of the grounds, surrounded by cabins, trees and the dining hall. The lake has diving boards, slides and docks all around and this incredible looking giant inflatable floating sack of air which catapults kids into the sky when another camper jumps onto the other side! I am so excited to try that! There are rec halls, waterfalls and stables along with a shop and a few camper and counselor lounges scattered around.
More and more people began to arrive and we all became fast friends! The girls here are all so much fun and we are all so similar that friendship just seems to come naturally. We all moved into our temporary cabins and talked into the night.
The next day we all got up and headed to breakfast. Training week had begun. After breakfast, the 20 or so of us split into our different training groups and began basic training. Us lifeguards headed out to the rec hall while the barn staff made their way to the stables. We met up with our trainer who showed us hundreds of videos and taught lots of theory. We had a lot to learn before our lifeguard exams in about a weeks time, but until then we bonded in the boredom and realized that we were going to be one killer team! Not a particularly sought after quality in a lifeguard team but hey...
After dinner, we all decided that we needed to do a Walmart run and so we pilled into two cars and headed into the city. It was so much fun and for no real reason at all but we filled our shopping carts up with things we didn't need and headed to the tills, or the "check out" as it was referred to here. man, I'm going to have to learn the lingo here stat! After our shop, we went to Sonic which is a drive in type of restaurant, where you sit and eat outside. The waiters are all on roller-skates, and wheel your food right to your table or to your car. now that's fast food! The food was bad but the company was great and we all came back to camp much closer than when we left.
So far, camp life is going great and the people are amazing, intelligent, and so funny! This summer is going to be great.
Friday 30 May 2014
Monday 26 May 2014
Ah, summer!
Hello summer time!
There was quite a recognizable difference between the rainy overcast weather in London, and the beautifully sunny weather in New York! After an hour delay, I landed at JKF International at 3.30.
On this flight I found myself seated next to a British man who had served as a nurse in Palestine and now teaches history to high school kids. He was a very interesting man who was so interested in everything South African. We spoke for ages about the world and current affairs such as his opinion on. Mr Oscar Pistorius... Interesting.
Once through customs, I booked myself a shuttle to my Hostel and made friends with 2 girls from New Castle. For all of you who want to know, yes, they were exactly like the cast of Geordie Shore! We had a few laughs together and shared the wonder of witnessing the Manhattan Sky Line for the first time. It was breath taking. The size and numbers of those buildings will blow your mind!
We pulled up to my hostel and a sinking feeling hit me. This place was dodge.
Located in a dilapidated old building was the Chelsea high line hostel, compleat with one toilet per floor, and bunk beds that move so much! I think I may get sea sick. Despite its condition, it's location is very nice, as I discovered on my short lived exploration of the city.
I walked 3 blocks across town and, by a happy accident, found myself in the middle of a street market! It was awesome! The police had closed off the entire street and everywhere you looked there were people selling interesting things. It felt like you could find anything from deep fried Oreos to clothes and cellphone accessories. I walked down the length of the street, towards the World Trade Centre Monument, and it was a wonderful sight to see, even from a distance.
I turned back after about 10 blocks as I was loosing the light and the market was beginning to close down. I walked all the way back to my hostel and continued past it for another 2 blocks in the other direction. Here I found another surprise, The Chelsea waterfront park. A beautiful and lively park on the water's edge filled with families and dogs enjoying the fresh air. I sat on the pier and relaxed for awhile, then walked along the water until I reached the docks. Next to the dock was a public skate park mad I sat and watched the skaters enjoy themselves and risk their lives in the pursuit of perfection.
I headed back to my hostel for a shower, for some food and for an early night as I am flying to North Carolina tomorrow and need to be up and at it at 3am local time, still jet lagged and exhausted.
Wish me luck!
There was quite a recognizable difference between the rainy overcast weather in London, and the beautifully sunny weather in New York! After an hour delay, I landed at JKF International at 3.30.
On this flight I found myself seated next to a British man who had served as a nurse in Palestine and now teaches history to high school kids. He was a very interesting man who was so interested in everything South African. We spoke for ages about the world and current affairs such as his opinion on. Mr Oscar Pistorius... Interesting.
Once through customs, I booked myself a shuttle to my Hostel and made friends with 2 girls from New Castle. For all of you who want to know, yes, they were exactly like the cast of Geordie Shore! We had a few laughs together and shared the wonder of witnessing the Manhattan Sky Line for the first time. It was breath taking. The size and numbers of those buildings will blow your mind!
We pulled up to my hostel and a sinking feeling hit me. This place was dodge.
Located in a dilapidated old building was the Chelsea high line hostel, compleat with one toilet per floor, and bunk beds that move so much! I think I may get sea sick. Despite its condition, it's location is very nice, as I discovered on my short lived exploration of the city.
I walked 3 blocks across town and, by a happy accident, found myself in the middle of a street market! It was awesome! The police had closed off the entire street and everywhere you looked there were people selling interesting things. It felt like you could find anything from deep fried Oreos to clothes and cellphone accessories. I walked down the length of the street, towards the World Trade Centre Monument, and it was a wonderful sight to see, even from a distance.
I turned back after about 10 blocks as I was loosing the light and the market was beginning to close down. I walked all the way back to my hostel and continued past it for another 2 blocks in the other direction. Here I found another surprise, The Chelsea waterfront park. A beautiful and lively park on the water's edge filled with families and dogs enjoying the fresh air. I sat on the pier and relaxed for awhile, then walked along the water until I reached the docks. Next to the dock was a public skate park mad I sat and watched the skaters enjoy themselves and risk their lives in the pursuit of perfection.
I headed back to my hostel for a shower, for some food and for an early night as I am flying to North Carolina tomorrow and need to be up and at it at 3am local time, still jet lagged and exhausted.
Wish me luck!
Flying the Coop
The day has arrived.
Yesterday I woke up to two hungry little cousins, needing food and needing it quickly! My father obliged and cooked the last breakfast that I will have with my family in a very long time. We sat together, laughing and enjoying each other's company until we could no longer put the day off.
It was a busy morning filled with the tying of loose ends and lots of packing and re-packing. We headed off to OR Tambo international airport in high spirits. My emotions were running high and I still could not tell you exactly how I felt. It was an intense mixture of sadness to be leaving my home, and excitement for the journey ahead.
The goodbye was the worst part. My little farewell gathering consisted of my parents, my aunt Sue and uncle Trev, and my 2 little cousins Lee and TJ, all of whom make up a large part of my closest relatives. When we approached the gate, it went quiet. The hugs were short and hard but mixed with many emotions. It was the hardest part of this journey so far but I knew that it would be. Tears, tears everywhere.
Once through passport control, I wondered around aimlessly with tears in my eyes, catching many pity-filled glances from strangers. I eventually made my way to my boarding gate and got onto the magnificent AirBus that would take me to London. That was the saddest I have ever been while stepping onto a plane. Normally this task gives me great joy, but this time it was different.
The flight to London lasted approximately 10 hours, in which time I did not leave my seat once! I found myself seated next to a man from Lisbon, whose English was so broken, I'm not entirely sure what our convocations were about! I watched an episode of the BBC's Live at the Apollo, which featured the one and only Trevor Noah. I'm not sure if he is just that good or if I am already feeling overly patriotic but it was hysterical! Nothing like leaving home, even for a day, to make you feel proud of your country.
Now here I sit at the Northern most end of Terminal 5, watching the planes leave and land, listening to "of Monsters and Men", waiting for my connecting flight to New York City!
The day is here. USA here I come!
Yesterday I woke up to two hungry little cousins, needing food and needing it quickly! My father obliged and cooked the last breakfast that I will have with my family in a very long time. We sat together, laughing and enjoying each other's company until we could no longer put the day off.
It was a busy morning filled with the tying of loose ends and lots of packing and re-packing. We headed off to OR Tambo international airport in high spirits. My emotions were running high and I still could not tell you exactly how I felt. It was an intense mixture of sadness to be leaving my home, and excitement for the journey ahead.
The goodbye was the worst part. My little farewell gathering consisted of my parents, my aunt Sue and uncle Trev, and my 2 little cousins Lee and TJ, all of whom make up a large part of my closest relatives. When we approached the gate, it went quiet. The hugs were short and hard but mixed with many emotions. It was the hardest part of this journey so far but I knew that it would be. Tears, tears everywhere.
Once through passport control, I wondered around aimlessly with tears in my eyes, catching many pity-filled glances from strangers. I eventually made my way to my boarding gate and got onto the magnificent AirBus that would take me to London. That was the saddest I have ever been while stepping onto a plane. Normally this task gives me great joy, but this time it was different.
The flight to London lasted approximately 10 hours, in which time I did not leave my seat once! I found myself seated next to a man from Lisbon, whose English was so broken, I'm not entirely sure what our convocations were about! I watched an episode of the BBC's Live at the Apollo, which featured the one and only Trevor Noah. I'm not sure if he is just that good or if I am already feeling overly patriotic but it was hysterical! Nothing like leaving home, even for a day, to make you feel proud of your country.
Now here I sit at the Northern most end of Terminal 5, watching the planes leave and land, listening to "of Monsters and Men", waiting for my connecting flight to New York City!
The day is here. USA here I come!
Wednesday 21 May 2014
Introduction
For all of you who don't know, my name is Victoria.
I'm going on a little adventure this year and have made this blog as a way to keep all who are interested in the loop!
Here is a quick overview of my trip:
* From May 27th - August 30th I will be based in North Carolina, USA, working at Camp Ton-a-wandah.
* From September 1st - October 3rd I will Travel the USA, making the most of the little time I have left in the States.
* From October 4th - October 25th I will Travel Europe, entering Holland, Belgium, France and hopefully Italy.
* From October 26th - November 25th I will travel the UK including England, Scotland and Ireland where I will meet up with my loving parents and head on home!
Whoever you are, and wherever you come from, I hope that you enjoy this blog and that you have fun sharing my adventure with me!
I'm going on a little adventure this year and have made this blog as a way to keep all who are interested in the loop!
Here is a quick overview of my trip:
* From May 27th - August 30th I will be based in North Carolina, USA, working at Camp Ton-a-wandah.
* From September 1st - October 3rd I will Travel the USA, making the most of the little time I have left in the States.
* From October 4th - October 25th I will Travel Europe, entering Holland, Belgium, France and hopefully Italy.
* From October 26th - November 25th I will travel the UK including England, Scotland and Ireland where I will meet up with my loving parents and head on home!
Whoever you are, and wherever you come from, I hope that you enjoy this blog and that you have fun sharing my adventure with me!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)