Sunday, April 4, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
I'm back from Nicaragua. Enjoy some video clips:
Our treehouse for the first 3 nights:
Trying to see how many cartwheels I can do without losing my gallopinto:
Nick playing soccer with some locals at sunset
PS Happy Birthweek to two awesome people-- Michelle and Thanasi*!
*I don't know why I don't have anything written about Thanasi on here, but he's just a good old soul. I met him around a year ago in Wilmington at a CouchSurfing event, and then we became surf buddies and then realized we're just meant to be best friends forever.
Here's a lil montage (mostly of seatbelt-restrained dance parties):
Our treehouse for the first 3 nights:
Trying to see how many cartwheels I can do without losing my gallopinto:
Nick playing soccer with some locals at sunset
PS Happy Birthweek to two awesome people-- Michelle and Thanasi*!
*I don't know why I don't have anything written about Thanasi on here, but he's just a good old soul. I met him around a year ago in Wilmington at a CouchSurfing event, and then we became surf buddies and then realized we're just meant to be best friends forever.
Here's a lil montage (mostly of seatbelt-restrained dance parties):
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Holiday
In 5 days I'm traveling to a country with every reason to distrust the United States.
It's not Iran...
And somehow I'm drawn there...
(but it could be the surf too)
It's not Iran...
And somehow I'm drawn there...
(but it could be the surf too)
Monday, November 30, 2009
Devil Went Down to Georgia
I'm at my new camp in Suches, GA now, and I absolutely love it. My second day here I went sliding down a waterfall in freezing weather with some of my co-counselors.
At my last camp, I had been facilitating drum circles with my djembe and then letting campers use buckets and other things to make noise. I started doing it here at my new camp since one of the master counselors has built up a nice collection of drums, and it's been really successful! After we play as a group, we discuss the dynamics of leadership and harmony within the group and how it comes out when we play.
When the parents came to take their kids home for Thanksgiving, I did a drum circle workshop to show them what we were working on, and afterwards a parent approached my boss and noted that there weren't enough drums for everyone to play, and then offered to buy as many drums as we needed. AWESOME. My boss is also talking about sending me to a percussion/djembe/drum circle facilitator clinic to really boost this program. Friggin sweet. AND we're talking about taking a group on a surfing trip to Florida sometime in the winter. I'm happy.
And for all other things that can't be described in words, here's a snippet of what I've been up to:
Finally, I should note that I don't get cell phone reception out here, and I drive into town maybe once a week at the most. However, I do love snail mail! Here's my new mailing address:
4970 Camp Rd
Suches, GA 30572
At my last camp, I had been facilitating drum circles with my djembe and then letting campers use buckets and other things to make noise. I started doing it here at my new camp since one of the master counselors has built up a nice collection of drums, and it's been really successful! After we play as a group, we discuss the dynamics of leadership and harmony within the group and how it comes out when we play.
When the parents came to take their kids home for Thanksgiving, I did a drum circle workshop to show them what we were working on, and afterwards a parent approached my boss and noted that there weren't enough drums for everyone to play, and then offered to buy as many drums as we needed. AWESOME. My boss is also talking about sending me to a percussion/djembe/drum circle facilitator clinic to really boost this program. Friggin sweet. AND we're talking about taking a group on a surfing trip to Florida sometime in the winter. I'm happy.
And for all other things that can't be described in words, here's a snippet of what I've been up to:
Finally, I should note that I don't get cell phone reception out here, and I drive into town maybe once a week at the most. However, I do love snail mail! Here's my new mailing address:
4970 Camp Rd
Suches, GA 30572
End of the Road
Alright, now for the real update. True to the title of my blog, I've moved. I've transferred from a state-run camp in Candor, NC to a private camp in Suches, GA.
It was hard to leave my last camp, mostly because of the people I'd grown close to-- both campers and staff. My last week was an emotional rollercoaster. I had campers cussing me out and saying they couldn't wait until the day I left, but then hours later crying and telling me I was like a family member... and that if the campers at my new camp didn't treat me right, they'd take a day trip over to Georgia to "set them straight".
I felt so uncertain about my decision to transfer. At first I thought it was a good time to leave because I didn't have strong ties to any particular group. I was bouncing around from group to group with no real sense of ownership. But when I saw the reactions to my decision, I realized that I had built bonds with a few individuals, and that leaving them would feel like severing limbs from my body. It's hard to separate your professional life from the personal when you feel less like an authority figure and more like a mother.
At my How-Out (goodbye ceremony), one of my campers didn't say any goodbyes, but instead just started singing to me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxiqAZVC8Hw
I think the kids were taking bets on who would make me cry the most, and this guy was a serious contender. As much as it made me sad to leave, I'm confident that the timing was right, and that there are good chiefs there who will continue to show love, care, and support to the kids.
It was hard to leave my last camp, mostly because of the people I'd grown close to-- both campers and staff. My last week was an emotional rollercoaster. I had campers cussing me out and saying they couldn't wait until the day I left, but then hours later crying and telling me I was like a family member... and that if the campers at my new camp didn't treat me right, they'd take a day trip over to Georgia to "set them straight".
I felt so uncertain about my decision to transfer. At first I thought it was a good time to leave because I didn't have strong ties to any particular group. I was bouncing around from group to group with no real sense of ownership. But when I saw the reactions to my decision, I realized that I had built bonds with a few individuals, and that leaving them would feel like severing limbs from my body. It's hard to separate your professional life from the personal when you feel less like an authority figure and more like a mother.
At my How-Out (goodbye ceremony), one of my campers didn't say any goodbyes, but instead just started singing to me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxiqAZVC8Hw
I think the kids were taking bets on who would make me cry the most, and this guy was a serious contender. As much as it made me sad to leave, I'm confident that the timing was right, and that there are good chiefs there who will continue to show love, care, and support to the kids.
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