End of a Century

So it turns out that the next chance I have to write something isn’t until the end of camp. It’s now all over and I’m writing this the night before I start travelling, by the time I post this I’ll probably be in Boston.

The big thing over the last few days has been a massive colour war which involves the entirety of the girls and boys sides. The idea is that we finish the summer with a bang and we totally did. The buildup had been massive culminating in the dinner preceding it. Flagpole that evening lasted exceptionally long with most if the resource staff having a long skit such as singing the entirety of American Pie eventually culminating in the oldest cabin just lowering the flag and walking in. Dinner itself was made long too and they took as long as possible to announce the leaders and teams.

While it only lasted two days we exhausted ourselves by going full pace knowing that we can recover once we’re done with the kids. The final juniors event was an around the camp relay. I don’t think I have ever been as excited and exhilarated as I was for the final leg – a canoe to the island to get a flag and bring ut back. My team was second in the water, only getting in once the opposition were two thirds of the way there, but still managed to bring the flag back first. In the end my team won overall and it was amazing.

It was really cool how into it everyone got. There was also a very good back story about two opposing tribes, one a master of the sea the other of the land, who rather than warring worked together to prosper and once a year celebrate their heritage. There’s also a whloe slew of cheers and chants which hadn’t been used until this competition.

Although during the competition the members of each team were mortal enemies as soon as it was over there were no lingering bad feelings. It really was such a great way to end the summer.

After that the only thing left with thr kids was closing camp fire. About an hour and a half before it was due to start two other guys and myself were asked to put something together. While the colour war (or should I be calling it a color war?) winners were being announced air force one (or ten I’m told) flew over so we made the theme of the closing campfire to be the idea that Michelle and Malia Obama had come to check out the camps accompanied by a presidential aide (me). Basically our plan consisted of people to insult and people to get to do an on the spot demonstration of their interest area. For something mostly cobbled together on the spot I think it went quite well.

Overall I think this last session has been my second best, nothing can beat my awesome group in session two but this group of kids were great and we had a lot of fun. Other highlights from this session include:
# wrestling on the new lily pad, basically a giant piece of foam for use in the pond
# doing my interest group solo one day because everyone else was on time off
# time off spent at a fancy hotel in Boston which we found on the cheap
# everyone taking off their shirts and waving them around their head to celebrate playing capture the lantern (and then reused to celebrate being paid and a number of other occasions)

After all the kids left the only things left to do was throw away most if my life here, the staff banquet and to say goodbye. The banquet was a really nice way to end the summer. We got to eat real food for a change to start with. The occasion was used to thank everyone who had been involved in the camp that summer. To thank the resource staff the director and his 2IC threw $80 in quarters on the floor for them to collect. The resource staff made a song and music video about how they do nothing when the director is around (based on a Bruno Mars song) and bought him a brick with his name on it which will be put in a new wall at Fenway Park. To thank the counsellors we all received our very own super hero modeled after ourselves.  Lastly a bunch or camp memories such as “the big poo” (the kids got very excited and a line formed to view it )and “backwards day” (forced because a horse died) were read out.

There were lots of tears as the bus to Boston boarded the next morning. As a final farewell all the guys once again took of their shirts and waved them around their heads. We had a nice moment on the way to Boston as we had to stop and wait because one of the guys forgot to bring his meds so we hung out at a McDonald’s while we waited. We then all parted ways at the airport.

It turns out that I was wrong. I didn’t even get to make a post in Boston. I’m finishing this en route to Washington DC after spending the past two or so days in Boston.

After leaving everyone at the airport I had lunch with some of the guys heading to New York then made my way to my hostel. After two other trips to Boston I’m starting to get to know my way around. The next day I started with a long walk right through the city before meeting some of the guys from camp on Boston Commons. We then had lunch at the orignal Cheers bar. The rest of the afternoon was then pretty amazing. We were about to enter the station to head yo Harvard when four other guys from camp came out. So instead we joined them for a walk down the river and into MIT. The campus there is very nice and you can tell a lot of money went into it.

We then ended up at Harvard. While looking at the ‘official’ Harvard shirt store three of the girls showed up which then meant that pretty much everyone from camp who were in Boston coincidentally met up. As with MIT the Harvard campus was very decedent and expensive looking. By that stage we were sick of walking and so we spent a long time sitting on the library steps watching the students move in. We then finished the day back where we started, eating pizza on the Boston Commons.

Which now pretty much brings me up to the present moment. Right now I’m on a bus to Washington DC, a nine hour trip which only saving grace is free Wi-Fi. I think we’ve hit more traffic than expected as we’ve only just had our rest stop, an hour later than expected. After four nights in DC I’ll be heading to Baltimore on the 26th, Philadelphia on the 28th and New York on the 31st until I fly home on the 7th. That being said I’m thinking of cutting two nights off my Philly stint and there off my NY stint and then flying home a bit early. I never felt homesick at camp but now that I’m gone I miss both home and camp but we’ll see how that pans out.

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