I am aware that I haven't posted for an entire session, and I'm so sorry about that, so I'm going to make a "lump post" to wrap up the last 3 weeks!
So new kids, same cabin, new Co-Co! The kids are 14, the cabin is Beechnut, the Co-Co is awesome and named Lydia. She had the greatest sense of humor, and my wit paired with her sarcasm is just pure gold.
The first night is spent making s'mores and playing dodgeball in the gym. The counselors made a team and dubbed the game Murderball! We had such fun and added a round of "Kids vs Counselors" where the campers gave us a run for our money! We were launching off each other's knees to nail the kids on the other team. Perhaps not our best counselor moment, but no-one was hurt and everyone had a blast. We then moved into Little Rec to make our s'mores over the fireplace, as it was pouring with rain outside. The next day was tribe initiation and the funniest thing that happened was what I call "The Chant War". Let me explain:
As the counselors of a tribe, when a girl is called into our tribe, we will say a chant that we make up like "welcome to the Navajo tribe" or "You're so fancy, you're a Navajo". So what happened was the Mohawks and the Cherokees targeted each other and proceeded to diss the other tribe for a solid 12 initiates! Everyone was crying with laughter.
The next night, we went out to watch a movie: Maleficent. It was good but I could defiantly have gone without seeing it. We returned to camp and the EP the next night was Gold Rush, the Pirate themed treasure hunt. It was such fun as I was picked as one of the people to storm the dining hall in Canoes! Myself and Sophie were in a Canoe together and the genius that is Sophie nearly tipped the boat right in front of all the kids! We docked and then ran through the dinning hall, scaring the heck out of the kids and capturing Marji, the waterfront director! We made her walk the plank into the lake and then the kids spent the rest of the night trying to save her. The next night we had off, Kelly, Kristina and I missioned to watch the sunset from the top of the mountain. You would think the finding the top of a mountain would be easy as in theory you just go upwards, but we drove in circles for ages! Eventually we made it and watched the most beautiful sunset from the edge of the mountain, overlooking gorgeous hills and valleys. It was simply breathtaking.
The next day was the 4th of July!!!!
We had been out to buy ridiculously American outfits, and when I woke, my Co-Co had decorated the entire cabin, knowing it was my first Independence day! It was great! We got up early to paint our faces in Red, White, and Blue, and then ran to breakfast. The dining hall was beautifully patriotic: the boiled eggs were colored like out facepaint, and there were streamers everywhere, banners hanging and all sorts of bits and bobs! The day was normal until the Independence Rally which was a series of games all around camp. That night, the EP was Capture the Flag and am epic fireworks displays down near the meadow. We had so many fireworks that we had to send the gifs to bed before we could even finish them!
The next night off was our overnight and Kelly and Kristina kidnapped me! That is not a joke. I was told to pack a swimming costume, PJs, clothes that can get dirty, no money, and not to worry about where we would be sleeping. We had to sneak away from camp a little early as I was told once we were in the car we had a 4 hour drive ahead of us. I asked where we were going but that was answered with a: "um, we'll tell you once we cross the second set of state lines."
We drove out of North Carolina, through South Carolina and as we drove across one last state line, Kelly blasted Country music and shouted "Welcome to Georgia!!"
We drove to her family's lake house and spent the night eating great food, fishing, riding quad bikes and golf carts, boat rides and 2am lake swims. We spent the night in an open top tent under the stars and had to wake up early to get back to camp by Chapel! It was such a great adventure and the absolute spontaneity of the trip was incredible!
The next great day would have to be my birthday! I woke up to my bed being covered in streamers and my Co-Co and campers around me blowing Noise Makers. It made me so happy. The rest of the day was filled with amazing people making me feel so special and loved, ranging from kids I had just met to my best friend making my day. The camp presented me with a cake at lunch, which soon ended up all over my face thanx to the beauties that are Anna and Caroline.
That afternoon was an event known as Birthday Banquet, which is the EP that celebrates everyone's birthday. Basically that meant that I got two cakes in one day, and another one in my face! Over all, my birthday was amazing, however there was a part of me that wished my family were there as well.
On our last night out, we headed to Asheville and went to Target for an unknown reason. We ended up buying all sorts of stuff we didn't need, including Key Lime Pie and Reese's Ice cream. We then went to McDonalds. It was horrible! It made me love South African MacD's so much more, I will never complain again.
We then headed to Anna's house and decided to eat all our dessert while watching a scary as hell movie called "Devil's Knot" which is about Satinism and child murder... It was the worst decision we have ever made, especially considering our home in the woods with 300 kids. We drove back to camp, scared out of our minds, and all but ran into our cabins!
A cute moment was close to the end of camp, where the girls started asking what I was going to do after camp and if I was coming to Miami. When I said maybe, they began to argue over who of them I would stay with and proceeded to have a Floor Tennis match, the winner gaining me at their house! It was so sweet. I love my campers!
The lifeguards had to do some work on the dock and spent a few hours cleaning all the fun stuff that the kids get to play on. At the end, we took a Lifeguard picture on the floating trampoline but that was the backup plan... Initially we all attempted to get onto the Blob, which for those who don't know is a huge inflated tube that catapults kids into the air and into the lake! After many attempts and many flips, we almost broke it and were told to make a new plan. The photos we got were priceless!
The last day of camp AKA Tribe day, which is spent competing for your tribe in many different event in the morning, and hosts the award ceremony in the afternoon. Banquet was Frozen themed this session, and the girls did a great job with it! The evening was spent at Candlelight which is ended with hundreds of little candles out on the lake. The last night the kids get up to some nonsense and then all head to bed, safe and sound before seeing their families the next day.
One of our kids had to catch a flight early in the morning, and our entire cabin woke up at 3.30am to say goodbye! The rest of the day was spent slowly saying goodbye to some incredible kids and wiping away many tears.
We were assigned new Cabins and Co-Cos and unleashed on session break! Anna, Caroline, Maggie, Sophie and I drove out to Greenville, South Carolina! The town is so beautiful with pretty little houses and huge European looking churches everywhere. There was even a river running through it and we found a bridge that overlooked the waterfall! We went to a mall and went shopping then headed to dinner at this amazing little deli. Our last mission was to get some exceptional ice cream and then set off to the house back in North Carolina. We watched "The Lucky One" and went to bed. The next morning, Maggie, Caroline and I made Scones and Pizza for breakfast and then headed back to camp.
Overall, July was a good month and I am really looking forward for August and all the adventures it holds.
