WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD
“Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back
everything is different…”
--C.S. Lewis
A fitting camp memo:
Preface:
It’s that time of year again; time
to whip out the old trunk, bug spray, and hoards of costume clothes because I’m
going back to camp!!! This year my beloved camp experience is bound to be a
little different though as I will be returning to “that dear old camp of mine”
as a counselor, in charge of ten little rugrats and calling the shots. While I am super duper excited, I fear for my
life as I surrender myself to the hands of ten excited children.
Workweek:
Workweek,
or hell week as it is fondly referred to by returning staff members, is a 7-day
period in which the staff of Camp Marymount gathers at our summer home away
from home for renovations, reconstructions, and a general cleaning of
camp. While I’m thrilled to be here,
many of my coworkers are dreading the ever boring, yet informative slideshows
that seem to accompany workweek each year.
Thus far I have distributed mattresses, power-washed two showers, taken
down dead trees with a saw, installed screens in cabin windows, and wreaked
havoc on one unfortunate golf cart. (Did you know they can three wheel?) I have
a feeling I will leave this physically and mentally challenging week bursting
at the seams with knowledge of camp behind the scenes as well as a plethora of
first aid knowledge, which I hope I will never need to use! Thus far I have had
a refresher coarse in basic first aid as well as a flash course in sucking
chest wounds, impalements, island ribs, splinting, and releasing the pressure
of a broken femur. Ick, ew, and gag!
Anyhow, can’t wait for my wittle babies to arrive safe and sound!!!
Week One:
My co-counselor Bree and Me waiting for our babies on the first day!
It’s
Thursday and I have a quick respite from camp life so I am off to get Sonic and
work on my blog for a bit. The past few days have been both eventful and
extremely rewarding. To say I love my
girls would be the understatement of the year; I’m dreading the day when I have
to bid them adieu! It is impressive to
me how mature my eight-year-old cabin two girls are and just how much
personality they have. While it has
certainly been a challenge (the girls refuse to wake up my co counselor and
insist on using me as a buddy system, sleep walking witness, and listener at
3am), it has also been incredibly fun and enriching. If I have learned anything during these past
few days it is that kids age you. I
would like to formally apologize to the adults that have aged as I have. Not only is the cabin consensus that I am 27
years old and engaged to one of the camp kitchen boys, but the girls also
manage to make me feel like a grown up, something that I do not even consider
myself. As I lay in my bed yesterday
during rest period I realized that I hadn’t done much missing of my own
parents. It isn’t that I don’t miss my dad’s ridiculous jokes or my mother’s
uncanny ability to light up a room, but it’s hard to miss your mommy when
you’re busy being the mommy I guess. I
mean I wake up every morning (for the past four days at least J) responsible for ten
little girls. They need me to bathe
them, advise them, comfort them, feed them, spray them with bug spray, and get
rid of the night terrors. Some of them even
insist that I kiss their stuffed bunnies goodnight (Meme, as the bunny is called, is a “heesh”
because it has the ability to be nice like a girl and strong like a boy
according to one of my girls. Therefore
“heesh” needs special attention at night to ensure that “heesh” will wake up
refreshed and be able to protect her at night.)
This old feeling is super scary most of the time but I’m digging the
authority aspect for sure!
Well, I
will try my best to keep y’all updated on the many adventures of camp but for
now I’m off to get a Sonic drink and take a quick nap before my little ones are
returned to me. Love ya. Miss ya. Mean
it.
Kane
