“I Have a Feeling That France Is Going To Win the World Cup” – Curtis (today)
Besides the seats in St. Petersburg Stadium, there may be few better places to watch a World Cup match then at an international summer camp. Many of our campers and staff have been living and dying with the success or failure of their home teams, and as every game finishes word of the results spread quickly across camp. Over the last couple days we’ve projected the semifinal games in a shady spot near the deck for campers and staff to watch. On Tuesday, our French campers were celebrating their win! By Wednesday evening, we were consoling our English friends.
The final match is perfectly timed, as we’ll be celebrating International Day on Sunday as well! International day is a celebration of the many countries and cultures that make up camp. Campers and staff from all over the world make booths for their home countries, and the rest travel from station to station, experiencing and learning a little of what each booth has to offer. It’ll be a festival-like atmosphere with food and games, and it’s always fun to see the effort and creativity campers put into their booths.
Some of our favorite camp activities happen in the last couple weeks of the session, and one of the most legendary and highly anticipated evening activities is Hot Rodicus. On that night, camp is visited by the villain Rolo Booth, and the counselors of camp are transformed into his gargoyle minions. Campers must find and chase their counselors all around camp, apprehending them one by one until Rolo’s plans are foiled. There have been “strange” things happening around camp the last few days, signs of Rolo’s impending visit. No day goes by without at least three campers asking me “is Hot Rodicus happening tonight?” Very soon, it will be…
One of the best parts of my job is getting to visit the all the different classes that happen at Windsor Mountain on any given day. This rotation at the waterfront there is a sumo wrestling class, where campers put on as many lifejackets as they possibly can and take turns trying to push each other of the floating blue mat and into the water. In the Culinary Arts Building they’re making lots of delicious food (one of my favorite places to visit), and one particular class is specializing in Columbian cuisine. The Jam Band class sounds amazing; some of the songs they’re working on will be recorded in the sound studio and performed during our Folk Fest music festival on departure day. Some of our Ropes Course staff are leading an afternoon Rock Climbing Trip, teaching campers how to climb on some cool natural rock formations nearby. I’m loving the different activities going on this rotation, sometimes I really miss being a camper!
So far this summer has been a joy, and my favorite part of everyday is just sitting with campers and staff at mealtimes, getting to know the different personalities around camp. I love that I can look around the deck and see the whole community as they eat, talk, and play. At this point in the summer we’ve all grown close enough that every face seems familiar, and I’ll be sad to see so many of them go when the session ends. Until then we’ll keeping enjoying the classes, the traditions, and the little moments during the day that make camp wonderful.