Camp Shenanigans (extremely long read!)

Heyyyy, I’m baaaaaaack from camp (not exactly sure how to feel about that ugh)!

Okay, so before I officially start this post, I just wanted to say a BIG thank you to everyone who left me a Happy Birthday on my last post. It was honestly so damn sweet to come home from camp and read all your lovely comments. So thank youuu xx.

. . .

Camp was literally so, so amazing. The people were amazing, the weather was amazing, the food was (not really, but still) amazing, and the adventures were amazing. And while I’m really sad it’s all over, I’m so happy with all the friends and memories that I madeeeee. So much happened last week, and now I have so many hilarious, awkward, and some serious stories that I can now share with you guys yaaay!

But before I start my rambles with y’all, I thought it would be a good idea to let you guys know some of the basics about the camp, and what kind of work I’m doing when I’m up there. This may mean the post will jump all over the place, but that’s okaaaaay. Not everything can be tidy and perfect all the time hahaha.

Alright, so just for location protection, I’m going to make a name up for the camp…Let’s name it Killer’s Creek  ( an inside joke with my friends). Killer’s Creek Camp is a western inspired christian camp, with a few of the main activities including horsemanship, archery, rope course, canoeing, chapel, camp outs and team games. The camp holds different round-ups for the ages of 10’s-18’s, and it is run by full-time staff and volunteer staff (what I am). There are four different categories and specialities that you can apply for when signing up to work at the camp. These are in hospitality (Working in the kitchen, cleaning, decorating, and just general maintenance), cabin leading (Being assigned a cabin with a group of ranches to run through activities and look after for the week), horse staff (Help out with teaching horsemanship) and program staff (run the programs and the schedules).

I’m in hospitality, so I spend heaps of time with my friends cooking and cleaning in the kitchens, which I actually really love doing! HEHE, I get full access to the pantry (its paradise in there omg) and I get free milkshakes from the ice-cream parlour. So it’s pretty damn sweeeet.                                                                                                                                                     After last week though, I’ve been thinking a lot, and I might have a go at leading a cabin in the summer holidays! I’d have to start off with leading a younger age group however, because there is no way in heck that I would lead a group who were all my age…Too much responsibility and pressure! Hehe

But anyways, like I said earlier, a lot happened last week. Like I honestly had no idea that so much drama could occur in the kitchen. Apparently its the hotpot for gossip sessions hahaha.

So because the week was so jammed packed, I decided that I’d just make a ‘ short’ (heads-up. it ain’t gonna be short hehe) list of events that happened each day, and use any stories or adventures for later blogs! I’ve got quite a few real juicy ones to share (;

Sunday – Rocked up to the campsite at 2:00pm with my sister (She’s 17), Bethany. Once we signed our names in and found out which cabin we were staying in (I was sharing a cabin with one of my friends Iesha. yayyy), we then had to head over to the barn where there was a staff meeting being held in 5 minutes. While I waited for it to begin, I hugged and said my hi’s and hello’s to some of my friends (Hannah and Iesha who both work in Horse Staff) that I met at the last camp, in March. Damn, I had missed them so much. They both live so far away from me, so I hardly ever get to see them. Its okay though, because we get to hang out 24/7 every holidays hahaha. Anyways, after we chatted and caught up, the meeting started and we all did a quick introduction of ourselves. I’m pretty shy when you first meet me, so I freaked out a little bit with that part, but I managed to get through it without much embarrassment hehe. After I finished talking, I glanced around the room and I noticed some people from the last staff training weekend camp, that I hadn’t yet gotten to know properly. Lisa (16), Toby ( 16. not gonna lie, he’s pretty damn attractive ahem), Aimee ( 16) and Lyv (15). They seemed to be those ‘cool’ or ‘popular’ teenagers that are always shown in the movies. I secretly (or at least I thought it was secret) really wanted to be their friend. They just seemed so chill and confident. But it wasn’t even confident in a bad or arrogant way. It was the nice and more quiet kind. So yeah, when it was their turns to give their introductions, they all said they were going to be working in hospitality that week. I was so happy omg hahaha. Not much happened after that, to be honest. Lisa, Aimee and Lyv were sent to the kitchens to help cook dinner, and Toby and I both got given free time (hehe perfect). So I just hung out with him for the rest of that evening, and played a few team games with the kids (they had arrived at 5:00pm). Lights out and bedtime for everyone was 9:30, but I’m pretty sure no one actually fell asleep till after 12 (well, at least that’s when Iesha and I stopped talking hehe) haha. Besides that, it was a pretty relaxed daaaay aha.

Monday – Oh my gosh, so for the hospitality staff, we were told that we needed to be in the kitchen 7am-sharp. So because I take forever (and i mean forever) getting ready, I decided I’d get up at six thirty. And let me just say this, I am not a morning person. Like at all. And me being me…I forgot that my watch (its one of those fitbit kinds, where you need to use the website to change the time) was an hour ahead. So I literally got up at five flippin a.m, thinking it was only 6:30. I got dressed, put my make-up on, and was quietly (I didn’t want to wake Iesha) heading out the door, when I hear Iesha go ‘Skye…? What the heck are you doing!?’ Hahaha, oh my gosh. I was so confused, because I was wondering why she was still in bed. ‘I have to be in the kitchen.’ ‘At 6!?’ ‘Nooooo? It’s 7?’ And at that moment, realisation dawned on me (Ha, get it, because it was dawn? no? ok…). Yeaaah, I’m hopeless at life hahaha. Literally that whole day went so slowly after that. I was so tired, and all I can really remember was that I got to know Lisa and Aimee a little better, some of the kids caught gastro (I kinda freaked out a little bit, because my fear of vomit), and we got to help make the bonfire that night.

Tuesday – Mmmk, so Tuesday went a little bit smoother than Monday (with tiredness anyways), and I was able to spend a lot of time playing archery and team games with the kids. Haha, there were these two twin sisters (both 9 years of age) who kept on asking to give me a piggyback! And like, I work out a lot, so I’m not particularly ‘light’ (as I have a lot of muscle and I’m really tall). Whereas the two little girls…Well they were really short and slim! So of course I said no, because I honestly thought I’d break their little backs om. But coming towards the end of the day, I saw them nagging one of the male leaders (this guy was really big and buff hahah) if they could give him a piggyback. The guy hesitated for a while, but eventually gave in and said ‘alright…if i start to get really heavy though, make sure you tell me!’  And sure enough, the 22yo big, heavy and buff leader was being piggybacked by the little 9yo! I honestly couldn’t even believe my eyes. Like I thought there was some kind of trick to it…But the girl  ran up to me and said ‘Pleaaaaaaase Skyeeeee? Can I give you a piggyback nowww?’ And guess what? She literally lifted my whole body off the ground and carried me around the camp. If that wasn’t an inspiration for working out and getting strong, I don’t know what is! HEHE

Wednesday – Hahaha, Wednesday was pretty hectic. First Toby got kicked out of the kitchen for the day because he ‘might have been contaminated with gastro’ from one of his kids, we did horse riding (I got to ride a chestnut horsey yayaya), canoeing, chapel and the ice cream parlour! It was such a fun day, but I was literally so tired by the end of it.

Thursday – So every 9-13 camp has this ‘concert’ night on Thursday, where each cabin has to come up with an act to play in front of everyone. They can do anything from singing, dancing, skits, ect. So it was like 20 mins before the show was meant to start and Toby runs up to me and goes ‘Skye! Will you be in my act!? No one else wants too, and I really need someoneee.’ Now I was going to say yes (because i couldn’t say no to him), but the thing is, I had heard him scheming earlier with Bahlin about how their act was gonna be ‘eat it or wear it.’ and like, guys. In the past, leaders who have played that ‘act’ would be like vomiting for two days after, because the food was that bad. So I said no, but he started begging me and said that he’d buy me a chocolate-bar later.  I couldn’t really refuse that HEHE. Anyways, I told him that I would just wear whatever evil vile he gives me, because there is no way in heck that I’m gonna vomit in front of 150 kiddies (him included). So to fast-forward a lil bit, when it was time for his act, he goes ‘mmk. I have three volunteers that I have picked. Skye, Hannah and Iesha. Will you guys come up here?’ so we all went up front, sat on this bench and waited while he got his kiddies to bring us three cups to smell (the evilness was in the cups) with our eyes shut. AND I FLIPPIN SWEAR, THIS ONE CUP SMELLED SO DAMN BAD. LIKE I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA BE SICK JUST SMELLING IT! Ugh I hate him so much haha. After we smelled them, he went ‘ok..on the count of three, you each have to grab one of the cups.’ AND GUESS WHAT CUP I GOT. THE TEA, COFFEE, EGG AND VEGEMITE ONE. It was literally vile. And I had to wear it. How was that faaaair? Hannah got this cake thing that was covered in salt, and Iesha got this half frozen ice cream that was covered in salt (I would have eaten that any day omg). Hannah was the first one to eat something, and she managed to keep it down really easy. But when it was Iesha’s turn, she literally threw it up once she had the last mouthful (I felt so bad for her oh my goshhh). And then it was my turn. Yiiiiiiiiikes. So Toby comes up to me and says in the mic ‘So Skye. Are you gonna eat it or wear it.’ AND OMG. HIS FLIPPIN EVIL AS GRIN. I WANTED TO MURDER HIM HAHA. ‘uuuuhm….i think i’m gonna wear it…’                        Literally every single damn child laughed and squealed. the little demons.                             SO HE MADE ME KNEEL DOWN SO CHARLIE (this kid I used to love to bits ) COULD POUR THE VILE, BROWN, STINKY STENCH ALL OVER ME. AND OMG. IT STANK SO BAAAAAAAD. LIKE I HAD TWO DAMN SHOWERS AFTER, AND I STILL STANK. and literally the next day everyone was coming up to me and smelling my hair and saying ‘ewwwww. you smell like Vegemite nowwww.’ and I just. I flippin hate that guy so much hahahah.

Friday – Some real drama happened on this day, but I decided it deserved it’s own post for that haha.

Saturday- Ugh, I hate it when Saturday comes while I’m at camp. Because I have to say goodbye to all my friends, and I know I won’t see them again for another whole term. And ughhh hahaha I get so attached to people it’s crazy. The only highlight about Saturday was being able to get like a billion hugs. Because seriously. Those things are so magical omg hehe.

Bruh, that was a lot of writing. I just got so carried away whoopsy! If you managed to read all that congrats. You’re a legend hahaha.

Thanks again for the lovely comments, guys. You never fail to put a smile on my faceeee x.

Stay Happy & God Bless!

Skyeee xx.