I was picked up from New York around 3pm on Friday, arriving into camp at about 5pm, but I've been told the journey is normally far quicker (Friday traffic) and we stopped of at Dunkin Do'nuts.
I expected the camp to be basic (seems as it's an underprivileged camp) but I was slightly shocked with just how basic it is. The camp itself is a series of wooden huts and platform tents. These are all on a rocky hillside, leading down to the waterfront where I'll be working. It was rather grey when we arrived, but the lake (or indeed my office for the summer) looks great! A sandy beach leads down to the water, with a few jetties on either side. Everyday I wake up I still appreciate the beauty of this place, especially with the low morning light between the trees.
Starting here was almost like starting uni again. Strange location, check; strange routine, check; very strange people, check. This seems to be working out well though. As most of us are new, we are all in the same boat, we have made an effort, and are getting along well. The camaraderie of the lifeguard training is also helping massively. The only downside is we are losing 6 of 10 of the trainee lifeguards, who are going back to their own camp. It sounds bad, but I'll probably miss these guys more than most of the kids when they leave...
The food has been a big plus point. It has surpassed all my expectations, and is really great. For breakfast yesterday, we had waffles; we have had various pasta and rice dishes for lunch and dinner; and Saturdays peanut butter cookies we simply incredible.
Wifi on camp is severely limited, so don't expect posts to regularly from now on. Likewise with phone signal, which can't really be found anywhere. This rules out Skype unfortunately whilst on camp. Although, this is still better connectivity than most parts of North Yorkshire, so this could be classified as a step up (always thinking positive!). Apparently they are getting DSL phone/internet lines installed, which they are very excited about! I'll do my best to keep you up to date.
Also, I'll try and get some photos onto Facebook soon, as I've a fair few.