20 Days 'til Reality!

Seriously. That's all. Twenty days stands between myself and the real world and I'm still not sure how I feel about that. There was another changeover day, which saw 500 kids leave and another 400 or so arrive. All but ONE camper returned from my cabin last year, so there was loads of shrieks and hugs when we reunited. No doubt these eight and nine year olds will now come back year after year... my co-counselors and I must have done something right ;-)

People are beginning to make solid plans for after camp and that's a bit exciting. New York City of course, Boston, D.C. and a fair few heading to Florida. Not to mention a load of Trek America tours across to LA, and those going beyond too. Always a good handful of folks heading off to the Carribean, Canada and the UK too. Camp allows you to network like you wouldn't believe - with campers and counselors. I've always stayed with a few kids after camp and it's FABULOUS to be spoilt rotten in a real house, and gain an aspect to the country and culture you'd totally miss out on if you were a tourist. I've said some prayers while dining with a Jewish family, been taken to incredible art stores that wouldn't make the guide books and most of all, chill out AFTER camp with some really cool kids. Americans are some of the most hospitable people in the world... make the most of it!

What's coming up to look forward to? The staff show, of course! And at French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts, the show is like nothing else. This year, it's going to be Charlie and the Chocolate Factory... can you IMAGINE the reaction 50 or so counselors dressed like oompa-loompas is going to generate?! Auditions were held after the weekly staff meeting and I'm quite proud to have been cast as Mrs Gloop, the mother of Augustus. It's going to be a riot, and have no fear, there will be photos on here quicker than you can say you have a golden ticket. First rehearsal is tomorrow (after dinner, after evening activity and after the kids are in bed... 11pm start at least! eek!) and we perform for one night only on 18 August. Should be exciting.

The staff show is the same night as Banquet, another fourth session extravaganza the kids love. No real way to explain it, other than everyone gets REALLY dressed up for an evening and has appetizers before dinner. The kids ask each other to be their dates, and classes are squished up so everyone can get ready for an hour beforehand. It's a really cool night for socialising, and more photos are taken at Banquet than any other event on campus. I can't wait to wear something without paint on it! And seeing everyone else in an equally good looking state ;-)

Good lord, there's also an event called Sing coming up. I like to call it Hell on Earth. Sing is a HUGE, camp-wide competition that sees girls versus boys for 24 non-stop hours. There are generals and captains selected to represent each side, and it's a REALLY big deal. The entire camp participates in a number of competitions, such as producing a shirt, skit, song, dance, and SO much more. I call it Hell On Earth because the lead up to Sing sees tap dancing on tables at breakfast, renditions of Spice Girls at lunch or Harry Potter battles at dinner, in an effort to stir the competition. It's really impressive at what these kids achieve in such a short time period though, and they're incredibly talented. Incredibly.

I'm off to a shin-dig of sorts this evening, so I'm outta here. Fingers crossed there's no Sing style bright costumes and boom boxes first thing in the morning then, right? ;-) Adios!