July 20, 2008

Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep last night. We took a long walk along a canal today and stopped by the back side of the London zoo for a nice long chat. For lunch we ate at a market on Camden Street and checked out the various market vendors. After heading back to the hostel to hang out for a little while, we made our way to the Euston station where we took a train to Birmingham. The walk to the hostel from the train station was pretty sketch but inside the hostel was really nice. The hostel had a huge projection screen, computers, and individual pods for the beds which I enjoyed.

July 19, 2008

After breakfast we decided not to change hostels like we originally planned because the manager said he would be able to find us a bed at his place. We checked out Westminster Abbey (from the outside only) and had lunch in a park near Buckingham palace. The three of us then went to a musical called Spamalot. It was crazy how steep it was and considering we bought the cheapest tickets we could find we were very high up. During the intermission I moved down to the stage level and was able to get a seat in the 6th row. This made the musical even better getting to see all of the performers up close and really be able to appreciate their voices and talent. After the musical we made our way back to the hostel for a BBQ they were hosting. This evening we decided to go to a coffee shop and I found an internet café nearby and finally SUBMITTED MY INITIAL MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICATION!! It was such a weight lifted off my shoulders to have finally submitted it (although the apparent weight loss could have been from the $610.00 it cost, haha). We returned to the hostel to find out there was only one bed available. Hiliary and Krista ended up sharing a bed and I had the pleasure of “sleeping” on the floor in the lounge.

July 18, 2008

Another student (Hillary) from Florida State arrived late last night to meet up with us at the hostel. We all had breakfast at the hostel then went to St. Paul’s cathedral which was gorgeous to say the least. Anne, a cute, white haired, pure English lady gave us a walking tour. We hiked up the 522 stairs to the top for a magnificent panoramic view of London. Our wonderful tour guide, Hillary, who spent all summer in London took us to a market for lunch. At that point we were absolutely starving and I inhaled a turkey with brie and raspberry sandwich which was topped only by the strawberry cheesecake truffle I had for desert. We chilled at the hostel for the remainder of the night.

July 17, 2008

Last night was a long night with a few naps. I went to bed just after 1 a.m. and got up at 2:30 a.m. for a group of our campers departure. I made it back to bed about 3:30 a.m. just to get up again at 5 a.m. for another camper departure. The lack of sleep the past few days has worn down my immune system and I am starting to get a sickness that has been going around camp. After another group of campers departed we cleaned up the cottage and went to breakfast. I was able to go to the med shed and get some medicine for the next few days which was nice. I then went back to the cottage and hung out with the remaining campers as they departed.

I had a nice flight from Dublin to London and was able to find the hostel with relative ease after getting off the metro. I met up with Krista (whom I know from Florida State) and we walked around and went to dinner. I was adventurous and tried the fish pie which included salmon, haddock, and prawns and turned out to be quite tasty.

July 16, 2008

During cottage clean up we had a lot of “sick/hurt” campers and you could tell the majority of this was from the campers realizing it was there last full day. I went with a camper to the film special project where we worked on making a short film titled “Pirates of the Barretstown Castle” with the rest of the group. After lunch the campers had autograph time in which they were all given booklets to get each others autograph. We then made our way back to the cottage for wrap up and pack up. This evening was the all camp closing slide show and the video made in special project. After the cottage chat we showed the campers a slide show of just our cottage group throughout the week. The campers were very emotional with the goodbyes.

July 14-15, 2008

The early morning activity was rained out so the campers played various games in the dining hall. We had no translators during the cottage clean up so I had to translate everything during this time which was challenging yet fun. The campers went to the much anticipated Ropes course next and drama after lunch. I started my day off after dinner.

July 15, 2008

I spent my day off researching medical schools and tried to finalize my medical school application after breakfast. After doing laundry, I had the opportunity to just sit back, relax, and watch a movie which was quite enjoyable I must say. I rejoined the cottage at dinner. Afterwards was Cabaret and our group got glow sticks and let the campers dance around with them.

July 13, 2008

I got to use my Spanish this morning to help a camper from Spain and one from Ireland this morning play Battleship together which I really enjoyed. After cottage clean up we took the campers to play on the play ground. Instead of activity area rotations today the campers had “Special day” where they made bandanas and a banner for the cottage. Our group then went by the lake and the campers participated in an organized activity of trying to put a fire out. The catch was they could use a cup to get water out of a canoe, then play rock, paper, scissor against one of us Caras, if they won they could pass through and try to throw their cup of water on a fire where other Caras were trying to guard it with their bodies and meal trays to block. The campers then got to play a game of capture the flag. After cottage time each cottage went as a group to the lake where they “built a boat” out of inflatable tubes and random objects. The goal was for the Caras to make it across the lake on these to retrieve the golden ship. Once it was retrieved there was a giant party where campers could play soccer, croquet, giant jenga and connect four, volleyball, card games, etc.

For cottage night we played soccer, games, and I taught some of the Spanish kids English. I then started a fire in the fire place in the cottage and all the campers came in for smores.

July 12, 2008

This morning the campers first rotation was games followed by low ropes. In the creative station after lunch the campers drew pirates and came up with a creative story about pirates in line with this weeks theme. Fishing was rained out for a while which was challenging keeping the campers engaged with various inside games. Cottage chat was funny this evening when one of the translators who was exhausted from the long day attempted to translate from English to Spanish but ended up saying it in English. Everyone got a good laugh out of it. One camper mentioned how he always thought he was bad at team work and now after low ropes today where the campers had to work together to complete various challenges he thinks he is good at team work.

July 11, 2008

Due to the consistent Ireland rain the campers had the opportunity to play soccer indoors this morning. I was a little concerned about the higher potential for injuries but luckily there were no serious injuries. On the way back for cottage clean up one camper decided to chew pieces off a Styrofoam cup and leave a trail back to the cottage. I laughed internally wondering what could have made this camper do this but of course had to have him go back and pick each piece up.

We had horses all morning and went on a wet and muddy trail which had both the horses and caras (the staff) sliding around. The campers were allowed at one point to have the Caras let go of the lead rope on the horse and be completely on there own (although we were still right next to the horse). I felt like this was another unique and empowering aspect of this camp.

In Discovery this afternoon the campers ran around the secret garden catching bugs. I had a nice chat with the Discovery activity staff in between catching bugs with the campers. The next rotation was Arts and Crafts which was somewhat ordered chaos. The campers had a type of paint that they could blow bubbles in then press paper on the bubble to make art. However, the campers enjoyed making as many bubbles as they could much more so it turned out to be just paint all over the place.

I facilitated the cottage chat this evening which went really well. I received a ton of compliments from the staff. One of which came from a full time staff that has been doing these camps for about 7 years and said this was among the top three that he had ever seen.

July 10, 2008

Sadly a camper got a bloody nose this morning but it gave me the opportunity to talk with a few of the volunteer doctors from Spain which was enlightening. The first activity after cottage clean up was archery followed by photography which was a program area unique to this camp. The campers dressed up and made a short film which will be played during the closing ceremonies. After lunch we had music which was loud and chaotic. Outdoor pursuit’s was rained out so our group played board games inside.

For the evening program we played battleship over walkie talkies. Each cottage had the chance to set up there ships then sequentially picked a location and each cottage would radio if they had been hit. The addition of spies walking around trying to get a sneak peak at each group’s ship locations brought more excitement to the campers. I had a great long chat with one of the full time staff this evening following the cabin chat.

July 9, 2008

After breakfast we had cottage clean up. One of the full time counselors had a great way to facilitate this process by making game cards and handing out cards at random with various task to do such as picking up trash, sweeping, etc to each camper. The free flow activity we had this morning everyone dressed up as pirates and we ran around camp on a secret mission taking pictures of the other groups.

Canoeing this afternoon was different in that the campers were able to go out on a canoe by themselves. Of course the water was only a few feet deep where they could stand up had anyone tipped in the canoe as well as a few adults in canoes near by. The campers seemed to feel a great sense of empowerment from being able to go out on their own and it encouraged team work amongst the 2-3 that were in the same canoe.

I had my hour off during Arts and crafts then the campers returned to the cottage for cottage time. The desert tonight was AMAZING it was some yummy ice cream combined with the tastiest waffle ever! There were skits for the evening program, most of which were non-verbal to ensure everyone could understand them and avoid having to translate everything into each language.

July 8, 2008

So let me just say the croissants at this camp are possibly the best food I have had all summer. After making cottage signs we went down to the horses where volunteers who may not be comfortable leading a horse had the opportunity to lead so they would feel more comfortable when the campers were around. I thought this was a great idea.

The campers arrived this afternoon. There are campers from Barcelona, Madrid, and Ireland in my cabin so I’m excited about being able to use the little Spanish I know and learn (re-learn) more. We went to Archery and fishing this afternoon. They ran out of fishing poles so we went searching for sticks and made our own poles which I think the campers really enjoyed.

One camper asked me today, “How old are you?” so I said “12, why how old do you think I am?” he immediately replied “emmm……15.” The session this week is Siblings so they decided to allow the campers to play soccer this week. The soccer game was fun but I now know why they normally don’t allow it as I had to take one camper to the med shed after the game. The cottage agreement was much more difficult then previous camps since everything had to be translated and written in two different languages.

July 7, 2008

This morning was great. We played some get to know you games and learned about the camp philosophy. After lunch I had the opportunity to learn about the German education system which was neat. One part of the camp philosophy that I thought is applicable to everyday life is that when giving praise statements you should always include because or at. Basically the idea is don’t just give blanket praise statements but rather make them specific.

We had some free time after lunch which allowed me to work out and get refreshed. After the rest of orientation we met with our cottage team over dinner then played an all staff game. We played a game of soccer this evening and hung out. Other common Irish words that I have picked up on today are “cheers, savage, and brilliant.”

July 6, 2008

The south coast tour this morning was packed so they brought in a 2nd bus and although I had a pretty good seat I decided to go to the other bus. I lucked out because not many people wanted to get off the bus so there ended up being about 15 people on the bus I was on compared to over 40 on the other.

There was great commentary throughout the tour that even included some singing. The highlight of the trip was Powers Court which was a very beautiful castle and gorgeous gardens. Once we returned from the tour I had to go immediately to the bus station to get picked up to go to my next camp here in Ireland called Barretstown. My first impression was the other volunteers and staff use “grand” quite a bit as well as surprised by a group of teenagers skinny dipping in a canal right next to a main street on the way.

My first impression of the actual camp was it seems like a gorgeous pure Irish camp. We had dinner, a tour of camp, and the opportunity to just hang out and get to know some of the other counselors this evening.

July 5, 2008

After a few hours of lying in bed last night I was finally able to fall asleep. I had complimentary toast and cereal for breakfast at the hostel. My toast caught on fire in this make shift toaster which was quite entertaining. I bought a city bus pass for today and a 4 ½ hour South Coast tour for tomorrow.

I spent today doing lots of site seeing. First I walked around Trinity College, parks, and a shopping mall. I took a tour of the Guinness factory in the afternoon and then more site seeing until the rain came so I returned to the hostel. I rested up and found a place to eat for dinner and true to Ireland’s nature I got caught in the rain again.

July 4, 2008

I arrived at the Newark airport this morning and man was it a process getting checked in. There were quite a few disgruntled customers over the airport change and so many were trying to check an enormous amount of luggage which caused the line to be backed up and delayed even further. However, once on the plane it was one of the most enjoyable flights I have ever been on. The service was great, it was really nice having a personal screen to watch movies, and we were constantly fed. First we got a blueberry muffin and drink, drink and pretzels with a moist towel, Lunch: water, coke, chicken and rice (which I didn’t like so I got the veggie option which was great tortellini), salad, roll, cheese and crackers, and desert. I watched 10,000 B.C. and American Gangster.

Once we landed in London I was directed to the wrong terminal and told I needed to run to the right terminal or I would certainly miss my next flight to Ireland. When attempting to go through the UK Border Agency I was detained because I had no written documentation from the camp. I should have told them I was going to Ireland just for pleasure but he seemed nice at first so I told the truth but then he told me that I had to have a government issued letter saying it was okay for me to come volunteer at camp. The guy was extremely rude such as when I asked if he had any idea how long this will take, he responded “as long as I want it to and don’t worry about making your flight because you’re going to be here for a while.” Lucky for me he went to talk to his manager in the back somewhere and someone came out to fill his position. I was able to talk this gentleman in to being on my side and he went in the back and got the approval to let me go. As I was proceeding through the rude guy came out and told me that officials would be waiting for me when I arrived in Ireland for further investigation. However, I thankfully had no problems in Ireland and wasn’t even checked. I took a bus to what I was told would be close to the hostel I was staying at but it turned out to be over a 30 minute walk. It wouldn’t have been as bad had it not been 1 in the morning, raining, me in Croc’s with no grip and slipping so much it was basically like ice skating the entire way there.

July 2-3, 2008

I spent the majority of the day resting and getting recharged around Jackie’s place. I also worked on various things such as a place to stay in Dublin, emails, a phone interview, and of course my medical school application.

July 3, 2008

I met Lyze and Nikki (two of Amanda’s sisters) for lunch today in time square which was great getting to see them and catch up. Another cousin of mine, Steve (Jackie’s brother) came into town and so we all had dinner together, played some cards, and just chatted for the rest of the evening.

I got a pretty sketch voicemail today saying I needed to call this number immediately in regards to my flight although they didn’t mention which flight, who they were, or what airline they were with. However, I decided it was in my best interest to call them back. It turned out to be Virgin Atlantic and they said my flight had been cancelled for tomorrow morning to Dublin. The guy spoke very broken English and after reviewing my file for quite a while he said everything was okay and that I needed to be at JFK at 4 a.m. for a 7:30 a.m. flight. I asked why I needed to be there so early and it was then he said that my flight had been cancelled from JFK and I would be transported to Newark for a new flight. He said he couldn’t tell me my new flight time or email me my new itinerary so after some time I decided just to end the call. I called back later this afternoon and was able to find out my new flight time from Newark and decided just to arrange my own transportation there since it would be easier then trying to be at JFK by 4 a.m.

July 1, 2008

The campers from Ohio left early this morning with quick good byes. I thought to myself I can’t believe how fast these weeks are going by. The good byes were not very emotional for the campers unlike the other camps so far this summer. While this is not necessarily a bad thing I wonder to myself if it’s a result of not having cabin chats which certainly help develop the group dynamic/cohesiveness. Another thing unique to this camp which was a great idea I thought was a 1 on 1 evaluation with the Unit Leader. We worked on making birthday cards for the campers which will be sent to them on there birthdays by the camp administration.
I had the wonderful opportunity to ride from camp with Robert and Aly Fox (who works with New Camp Development for the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps). We had a lot of good conversations and decided to go to the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp to show Robert what another camp was like. They were in the process of preparing for camper arrivals tomorrow for a new program they have started called Hero’s Journey. From my understanding this will be a camp out for older campers who will learn outdoor survival skills who will also be trained by state troopers and at the end of the session there will be a simulated crash and helicopter rescue. It was awesome to go back and help give the tour. I was dropped off at the New Haven train station where I took the metro north to Grand Central and the subway to my cousin’s place in the financial district.

June 30, 2008

After breakfast we went to the pool again but the chlorine levels were too high for the campers to swim safely so we went to the waterfront to do some fishing. The campers were able to catch a lot of fish and quickly forgot about not being able to swim. We ended up going to the pool for the second rotation after they were able to get the chlorine levels under control. At the volunteer lunch today we filled out evaluations and did a short reflection of our time at camp. The talent show was this evening and our campers acts consisted of a beat box with rap and dance, Diablo, partial back flip, and a song. The song was Carry Underwood “All American Girl” which was phenomenal. It was performed by a quiet camper who spent the entire session with a smile on his face. Seeing this camper come out of his shell and really belt this song followed by the first standing ovation of the night was great. The oldest campers graduated and the parents got to come which was neat. I had a great talk this evening with Robert a good friend I have made this session from Uganda that is working on getting a Hole in the Wall camp started in Africa.

June 29, 2008

Our first rotation was creative arts where we played various games such as Mafia and Rock, Paper, Scissor evolution. The second rotation was the barn which was particularly pleasing to one camper who loved getting to ride a horse. There were also rabbits and pigs for the campers to pet. After lunch and rest time our campers went to waterfront again which was fun getting to take a few out on a row boat. We then went to the indoor heated pool which the campers loved finally being able to swim after talking about it often since they had arrived. After dinner was the camp dance which was great to see the campers various personalities show through with some running around wild, some dancing, some dressing up in costumes, and some playing games in the adjoining room.

June 28, 2008

After breakfast we had Arts and Crafts which has a new huge facility to work with that doubles as the lodge during the weekend adaptive ski program throughout the year. The campers thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to make things such as a wooden plane, tie dye shirts, and ceramics. The next rotation was Outdoor Extreme where we made dream catchers and did team building games in the forest. I was a little disappointed to see the games in the woods weren’t wheel chair accessible. The afternoon rotation was basketball which was disappointedly rained out and so we went to the game room and back to Arts and Crafts instead. We then went to the waterfront and did some fishing from the dock and out on a boat which the campers really enjoyed. After dinner we had cabin night but our planned outdoor activity was rained out so instead we had pizza and wings inside (yes… more food! ;) ). We were able to redirect the campers disappointment about the outdoor activities with mafia inside, card games, movies, etc. After we got the campers to sleep we had counselor night out which is a really great concept unique to this camp. Another cabin sent over 2 people to watch our cabin and we all went to Friendly’s ice cream which was nice getting to know the other staff more and just enjoy some time off camp.

June 27, 2008

After breakfast the entire camp went to Great Escape which is an amusement park close to camp. I was told that the co-founder of Double H Ranch (DHR) previously owned this amusement park and when he sold it he wrote into the contract that DHR could bring campers once per session for free, forever. The campers loved getting off camp for a day and enjoying roller coasters, prizes, and other rides. During chill time I was on duty and with the Raccoon cabin being right next to the small baseball field we spent the majority of the time there. I pitched batting practice to the campers, played four square, and tossed the football. After dinner a big hit with our campers was the game room attached to the dining hall which included a few pool tables, foosball tables, and a golf and racing game. We had night ropes this evening which was really great. Both myself and two of the other volunteers went there early for training and were able to help with transfers and support on the ropes course.

June 26, 2008

After breakfast our cabin group split up task to work on prior to the camper arrivals. I made a wooden raccoon sign for our 10-12 year old boys. We played various games with the campers as they arrived such as Connect 4 and tossing a Nerf football. For lunch we had pizza and wings which was pretty yummy I must say. After lunch I went with two campers around camp searching for frogs and shooting some basketball before the carnival got started. Our group’s afternoon rotation was basketball followed by dinner, cabin time, and a camp fire where one of our campers showed off his talents with a Diablo. We had a brief cabin chat but with the 2-3 campers per room the facilities aren’t as conducive to cabin chats and some of the other camps have been.

June 25, 2008

While I did have a nice 2nd flight, I wasn’t able to get any sleep throughout my travels and finally made it to upstate New York around 9 a.m.. My first impression of Double H Ranch was it’s very much a summer camp. My sleeping arrangements are quite nice with a queen bed but it’s somewhat isolated from the camper’s which is not as appealing. After a tour of camp we had volunteer orientation and you could sense that everyone was exhausted. We met with our cabin group and I can tell it’s going to be a fun session with the amount of fun and laughs we already have had. There is an enormous amount of staff here. Even without the program staff we will have about 10 counselors and 8 campers.

June 24, 2008

Scott and I dropped off the rental car this morning. I intended on spending the day sitting in the airport and working on my medical school application but I couldn’t check my bag until four hours before departure. I decided to make my way back to Berkeley using the public transportation to work on my application. I had to take the BART bus to a train and then quite a long hike uphill with my luggage back to Amanda’s dorm. When I arrived back to the Oakland airport my flight that evening was suppose to be from Oakland to LA to Chicago to Albany, NY. However, I was informed that the flight from LAX to Chicago had been cancelled in Oakland. My flight to LA ended up being delayed for two hours and when I got there I found out two other flights going to Chicago had also been cancelled. I was lucky enough to talk my way on to the first flight offered unlike over 130 people that didn’t make it on. To make it even better I ended up in a premium economy seat with tons of leg room and a 15 inch movie screen.

June 23, 2008

We intended on doing a tour of Alcatraz this morning but they ended up being sold out for the day. However, we made the most of the situation and ended up doing a self guided walking tour which was great. We went down Fisherman’s ally, saw old historic boats, Ghirardelli Square (some yummy smells here), the Crookedest Street, Coit Tower (which offer a 360 degree view), and Union Square.
After walking over 6 miles on our tour we decided to take a cable car back to where we parked. We then met up with Amanda at Berkeley and got a brief walking tour of the campus.

June 22, 2008

Today Amanda took Scott and I to the Muir Headlands where we climb a mountain and had some scenic views out across the water. We ate lunch in Sausalito which also offered a nice view out into the bay. We were going to go to the Alameda Fair this evening until we realized it was almost an hour away and decided to opt for a movie.

June 21, 2008

We went to the Chabot Space and Science Center today which offered free admission in celebration of its 125th anniversary. Two highlights at the center were the Sea of Life presentation in an IMAX theater and a space show in the planetarium. There was an amazing sky line view on the way to the center which we explored on our way home. This evening we went to the West Coast Beat Boxing Championship which was another rare find in the newspaper. It turned out to be one of the most amazing shows I have ever seen. Scott and I were blown away by how many different sounds the competitors could make and how great it sounded.