So, the we are halfway through the last session of camp. The end draws scarily close, and my summer is coming towards the end. There is only about 8 days left of camp, and I am going all out to make those final days amazing.
I am now on my 3rd different tent of kids. This time, I'm with the Little Johns, the youngest tent on camp. Being the youngest (7-9 years) they present a lot of challenges; but manage the behaviour carefully, and they are also great fun. I've also convinced them to call me "Mr President" too, which is totally brilliant!
Because it's the last session, myself and my co-councillors are even more motivated to plan activities for our bunk evenings. Campfires are always a favourite of mine. On the 3rd night of this session, we had a campfire and mini party for someone in my bunk who was celebrating their birthday. This was easily on of the best nights so far. I was incharge of the fire, so naturally it was really impressive. We cooked s'mores with the kids, which they all really enjoy. There is something incredibly relaxing about campfires, which kept the kids quiet and relaxed, and indeed myself. Again, it is usually the simple things on camp that work well. I quite can't explain why, but I really enjoyed the night. You know you've done a great job when even the naughtiest kids act like little angels!
Life on the waterfront is also still going great. I'm now teaching 2 high ability groups, which I really love. Being from a coaching background, I much prefer those that can swim, but are also enthusiastic and willing to learn. Both groups are exactly like this. One of the kids in the group really does have an interesting story to tell. Aged just 11, she has actually competed in the junior Olympics. Being from the background she has, to achieve that, is incredible. I was used to coaching swimmers with higher ability than me, but to now be coaching an Olympian, it's incredible!
Talking of Olympics, our 1st special day of this session was Olympic themed. Each bunk was paired with another and allocated a country. My bunk was allocated to be Great Britain, meaning I had an excuse to become a super patriotic Brit on camp, not that I really need an excuse. Unfortunately, only 8 countries were represented, meaning there was no appearance from the Peoples Democratic Republic Of North Korea, much to the disappointment of many. Kim Jong Un would not be pleased.
The day started with the opening ceremony. The kids all paraded round with their nations, while their national anthem played. Being a massive Formula 1 fan, I recognised a fair amount of the national anthem from the podium procession (well, just the German and British this season...). The rest of the day was a bit like a kids sports day - several stations of games where everyone's a winner! With typical camp style, the whole day was incredibly organised and ran smoothly absolutely non of the time. Camp is almost intentionally disorganised, but the kids loved the day, so I guess that's fine.
This is also the time of camp where thoughts turn to post camp travel. I have a vague plan, but without internet on camp, it's hard to get things booked. I should have a full plan by the end of the day off though. I know for certain I'm starting in New Orleans, and ending in New York going via Orlando, Miami and Washington DC. Things are slowly getting booked, and most should be done on my day off. It will be an intense 14 days, but I am ridiculously excited for it!
There is now only about 7 days left of camp. The previous 7 were incredible, and hopefully the last 1 will be the same...