6/13/2007
The adventures at camp continue.
Wednesday was challenging -- we didn't go horseback riding until late, and it's been raining all week, so pool has been off limits. We finally got to swim today, though -- and I had a blast playing in the pool. This summer is going to be so much fun -- I get to run around outside and play again. You don't get to do that too often when you're 20 years old. We played "tackle Bridgette" in the pool... the guys get a kick out of quasi-drowning the girl counselors. Imagine that.
The thing about "fun" at camp, though... is that there's always someone needing something not so fun. Bathroom runs, help showering, cleaning... someone always needs some help with something. So fun is fun, but it's often short and sweet. It's a labor of love.
The little things make it so worth it... I got one of our less-verbal campers to really open up today, and it was incredible. And then horseback riding... the camper who threw his cane the other day got on the horse, and his face just lit up. Chuck, the camp director, looked at me as the camper rode around and said, "Now if that smile doesn't make it worth it..."
I'm getting to spend a lot of time learning how to communicate with this awesome camper in Josh's cabin... he's deaf, and he's got the best smile. He's so patient with me, and he LOVES Ragamuffin.. watching them communicate is really inspiring. She makes up signs, he pretends to understand her, then he just pats her on the head when she's not looking and gives me the "crazy" sign.
Another cool thing... one of our counselors in our cabin, Kelly, has a prosthetic leg, and one of our campers is absolutely enamoured by it. The campers don't always understand what the prosthetic means (one of them sent Kelly a get well soon card...), but they identify with it. Her disabilitiy is on the outside, whereas theirs is often internal. So they can talk about it without getting too personal. And they can give back by "taking care" of her (even though she doesn't really need it).
One of our campers constantly asks Kelly how the leg is doing, and I'll overhear her talking to other campers saying "I just don't believe it. I don't know how she does it. She has no leg!" One of the other campers started talking about her hip replacement, and how it's like Kelly's leg but on the inside. They really do identify with her. And the camper who is obsessed with Kelly isn't the "softest" camper... she's a challenge to work with, and she's got the most stubborn personality. AND she's obsessed with crafts.. getting her out of the craft building is a battle, for sure. So seing her soften around Kelly is really beautiful. You never know what's going to do it.
Camp isn't always charming, but it's always an adventure. As is bedtime in a cabin with Ragamuffin. I'm going to go work on that.
Goodnight!
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