I've had some pretty amazing days in my life. I can remember the first time I met with my youth worker Andy, where he convinced me to join my local youth council; I can remember opening my emails at 7am, to read I had been accepted into Brunel University; I can remember the greatest ever 18th birthday, and almost word for word remember the speech I gave in the House of Commons. Those days will always remain in my memory. Today will be no exception.
It's 7am. I have just woken up after a rather sleepless night. I am shaking with nerves at what is about to unfold later today. At about 10:30am, my camp will welcome its first set of campers for the season. Excuse my French, but shit is about to get real...
The day gets off to a good start when the bus taking the campers has a tire blowout, meaning the campers arrive over 2 hours late. Not ideal, but we managed to catch up with the schedule. Breakfast and the time waiting in the dining hall had a notable whiff of tension, mixed with excitement. All were in high spirits, albeit with nerves. We sang songs, took selfies (see below) and even played jungle drums to build up an atmosphere. The hours passed very slowly.
The busses then arrived without much warning and a sudden cheer went up. The campers were quickly escorted of the bus, and into the gym. We sang songs to keep them in high spirits, before sending them off to their bunks. As much as I'm not a councillor, I'm allocated the 'Merry Men' bunk, along with 2 co-councillors (see below).
There are 3 other bunks, Little Johns, Sheriffs and Robin Hoods, as part of the Sherwood Forest unit. Each tent has 2 councillors and a program staff or lifeguard, plus we have 2 additional councillors, and our unit leader. Each bunk has 6 kids - of which mine are the 2nd youngest. Mine can't pronounce my name properly (it really isn't hard...) so they just call me l.i.am (#thatPOWER).
It felt rather awkward being with the kids at first, but I soon settled into it. The kids behaviour fluctuated during the day, starting from calm and confused at first, to very restless, to hyper but sensible, to calm again. This shocked me, as there were no real issues at all, which I've been told is rare. I'm guessing there are 15 other days the kids can beat the living daylight out of each other instead... I've been told some kids will also use all those days to do just that. Yay...
Almost all the kids are from extreme poverty, and often have little possessions, hence the camp often provides them with basics such as clothing. I felt guiltily that my suitcase is full to the brim with clothing, when theirs are virtually empty. I've made a mental promise also to donate my unwanted clothes (about half the case potentially) to the camp. They need it far more than I do (and it gives me an excuse to do a guilt free H&M spending spree!). Almost all the kids are Hispanic or African-American also, with all from the New York area.
The day was long, tiring and hard. By 6pm dinner, I (and many others) were shattered. The kids, unfortunately, were anything but tired.
There was one moment though that really stood out for me though. One other the kids from my bunk was playing a game with the others. He came over to me to tie his laces. I decided to ask him if he was having fun. His response blew me away. He told me:
"I want to die here! I'm having so much fun, I've made new friends, and you councillors are awesome. I want to stay here forever"
Hearing that nearly made me cry, and alone made the hard work and tiredness worth it. At the time, it nearly reduced me to tears. It really meant a lot to me. I am there to do exactly that, and I will have done my job properly if that is the case. These kids have been through a lot, so it really warms my heart to see that already some appreciate it. Then again, he could turn into a little sh*t rather quickly, and I'll see if he appreciates me then - I've been told this is the case for most of them.
Today was hard, exhausting, but certainly memorable. I guarantee I won't be forgetting that I a while...
