15 Cool Camp Things

Today's blogging is brought to you by my daughter Emma. You may remember Emma spent last week at school camp. When she arrived home last Friday afternoon, she was, as I hoped she would be, bursting with stories and tales of the week. I had such a great time listening while she debriefed me on the week, I asked her if she would share the highlights of her camp week with you here.

And so, to Emma. Our guest blogger for the FRIDAY FIFTEEN with her list of 15 cool camp things.

1. cabins. We stayed in a cabin near the woods and sleeping there gave me a real campy feeling. We could hear birds and things.

2. talent show. It was a funny night. My friend and I sang a song and we were cracking up the whole time. Then there were about 4 or 5 guys who stood on the stage with their arms crossed over their chests and hummed. The same note. For a long time. My friend Habiba said "Maybe they're at a funeral?" and we all cracked up laughing. Later we found out they were "harmonizing". Whatever that means.

3. canoeing. But it was really hard. I got stuck in the reeds a lot.

4. raft building. We built a life size raft. It floated but I could tell all my friends were like freaking out because it was a little off balance. Everyone was wondering how we were supposed to get on the raft and then my friend Sarah and I just jumped into the water and then jumped on it and said "Hey! That could be a way!" Everyone laughed.

5. the food was good. I liked the way they served it on the tables while everyone was sitting there. It made me feel like I was at a palace.

6. bicycle riding. I was able to ride a bigger bike than I normally do. I thought it was easier to ride. The first day we went biking we got lost. We cycled 10 or 11 kilometers that time.

7. free time. We got free time after each activity and before bed. We just got to hang out and that was nice to be with my friends, but not at school, you know what I mean?

8. tag. We all played 'stuck in the mud' with the teachers. It was teachers v. kids. The teachers won.

9. hide and seek. We found all the teachers really fast except one. He was hiding in a tree. He could hear us the whole time we were looking for him. I think he thought we were pretty funny. One thing I realized at camp was how much our teachers care about us.

10. the bathrooms. The showers were not that bad!

11. fresh air. All you could smell everywhere was pure, clean, magnifico air.

12. campfire. We roasted bread and ate it with jelly. Mine got really burnt.

13. thursday activities. It was studies, and it was actually nice to do some school work, strangely enough. We studied water animals, soil, insects and animals.

14. bird watching. This was a good idea, but there wasn't a bird in sight. Just in sound. We watched dragonflies instead.

15. my group. We all stayed in the same cabin together every night. We were a talkative, talkative talkative bunch of girls. We made a lot of jokes and read scary stories, which weren't really all that scary. In my group was girls from Denmark, England, Portugal and me from the USA. You learn a lot from other people. It's just cool.

Friday Fifteen

Knapsack on Her Back

The day of much anticipation and early packing, planning, shopping and re-packing has finally arrived! Yes, it is time for the ISH four-day Year 6 camp.

Traditional in Dutch schools, and our own International school, this yearly excursion with students and teachers is the highlight of the year for the oldest students of the Primary school.

This week is something they have been thinking about and planning for all year long.

In a very few minutes from the writing of this post, Emma will board a chartered bus along with 54 other children and 3 teachers and will journey to the east into the province of Gelderland for a never-to-be-forgotten camp experience.

Parents weren't even invited.

They will be staying at a hostel in Gorssel, The Netherlands which was once a residency for the royal family. In my estimation that makes it pretty grand digs for camping.

The activity roster for the week includes cycling tours, canoeing, swim sessions, lots of outdoor sports and a talent show. Educational outcomes are non-specific, but you can bet that some bonding time, team-building experience, and autonomy are chief among the goals of such an outing.

My guess is that there will be more than just a few giggles, pranks and shenanigans going on before lights out.

Because when you house a bunch of 11-year olds together, stacking them in bunks three beds high, just what else could happen?

Emma has been ready to go for days, weeks maybe. Her bag was packed long before I had even begun to think of what to take along to Milan last weekend. But of course in her thrill and excitement she dashed out the door this morning without a jacket and had to come running back, red-cheeked and breathless, to retrieve her coat.

I miss her already.

I know this will be a stellar experience for her. I remember my sixth grade camp experience at Mill Hollow back in oh, 1978. Fun things like tire swings, and nature hikes and campfires with marshmallow roasting. And not-so-fun things, like the moment I left my brown paper sack behind in the girls' bathroom. As an early bloomer I was menstruating already at age eleven and mistakenly left my supplies in one of the stalls. Then it was found, and I was found out. With cheeks flushed, I had to lay claim to the bag full of private, embarrassing things. I felt mortified and exposed and deeply self-conscious that my status as "woman" had been so blatantly uncovered.

But the girls in my cabin? Worshipped me. I had boobs and a period. My rank and position in little girl world was elevated to wow proportions. I was envied and admired and rode the fame wave for months until a couple of others joined me in the bra wearing brigade.

Emma thinks that story is hilarious.

She'll have her own story like that one day soon. That she doesn't find nearly as funny. Growing up is like that though and I can't wait to hear her every tale.

Happy Camp Week, Emma.

Valderi, Valdera!