Camp is Awesome

Man I’ve missed this place…

View from the Dining Hall Porch

So I arrived at camp on Friday after 48 hours of travelling and was straight into it. The weather was amazing and hot, and I even considered going water-skiing on Saturday but ran out of time.  We had open house tours all weekend and I always arrive in time for these. It’s a nice way to start the season and I get to show parents and new/prospective campers around the island.  Then on Monday we had to go over to the mainland to pick up some staff and building materials and although I have had my commercial boat license for a number of years I have never driven the MV Bear II – Yesterday I drove this 50’ vessel from dock to dock for the first time.  It was a bit of a challenge to get the big boat onto the dock compared to the regular boats, but I managed to pull this off with relative success so was happy. Hopefully I’ll get the chance to practice a few more times this summer, and although I don’t think I’ll get to the point where I would take it out by myself it is good to learn something new.

MV Bear

Tomorrow we head south for the meeting with the CIT’s (Counselor’s In Training) and their parents followed by a day at Boston’s Logan International Airport where I will be picking up a bunch of international staff for both Camp Lawrence and Camp Nokomis, then it’s back to Camp Lawrence to get stuck into Staff Training Week before the campers arrive.

One Week to go!

I leave for camp in one week… For my 8^th summer in the USA, and my 11^th summer in a row.  It’s cold in NZ right now. Well, cold for someone who doesn’t have a winter. I’m ready for the change in scene, and camp life again. Bring on the summer and all its fun and its challenges, I’m ready.  I’ve packed my bags, I’ve rented my room, I’m tying up the loose ends in NZ and in 7 days I’ll be on a plane and on my way.

 

Things are starting to gear up in my American life as we prepare for the summer. While on the plane I will put the finishing touches on the staff training schedule, some big changes this year, and start cabin assignments for the first two sessions of camp. That’s assuming I don’t get distracted by the in-flight entertainment…

 

Once I arrive at camp, we are straight into it with open house tours all weekend and then our Admin planning/training week, staff training week, and then all hell breaks loose when the campers arrive.  Before we know it, it will be August, it will all be over and everyone will be heading back off to their other lives – travel, college, school, office jobs… But for the next 3 months it will be full-on craziness and fun on our island paradise.

 

This summer I hope to post regular updates here every few days (unlike other years, where I was too distracted having fun) so sign up for the notifications and hear about our summer at Camp Lawrence on an island on New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee…