The Camp Me

As I led campers in parents in a boisterous rendition of “Bananas of the World” (video of randoms singing it less enthusiastically here), and screamed at about 80 moms, dads, aunts, uncles, cousins, and – most enjoyably – grandparents to vomit their bananas, I realized that this NOT the American me.  This was the Camp me.  I don’t know if anyone in the States would believe what I was doing, and I didn’t really believe what I was doing.  But I was jumping around, shouting (aka Going Bananas), and totally comfortable doing it.

During my first two years I’d been able to mesh well with my group (as long as they were at least a little bit interested in camp).  That was my strength.  I was good at leading morning classroom activities.  But this year I also felt good about running afternoon Olympic activities and doing the shows, which I did not feel confident about before.    

And since now I’m getting really into linking these videos that can give a taste of the job, here’s what an ACLE warm up circle looks like.  Pretty similar to any other camp circle, except that you have to explain what everything means and go really slowly at first to at least give them a shot at getting pronunciation right.

But back to that show.  The structure of shows is pretty standard.  Directors introduce the show, kids sing a song together, groups perform their shows from youngest to oldest, tutors sometimes lead campers and parents in a loud camp song, tutors present kids with diplomas.  In past years there were usually technical difficulties and shows would rarely run smoothly, but somehow all three this year ran super smoothly. 

The pajama party show went well, although one girl said a line way too soon, interrupting the first murder, but the killer figured it out and just murdered the first girl at the same time as the second.  And when they lined up at the end, they held the boy was part of the hand-holding/raising.

As for next year… After last year I didn’t think there was any way I’d return, since I would have a job through early August.  Two years of ACLE is normal, but three is pretty rare.  Even after deciding to go back this year, I wasn’t sure it was the right call.  I wasn’t sure until my first day of camp this year. 

After this year, I think that if there is any way to do it again next year, I will, even if just for a few weeks again.  However, I hope that I won’t be able to do it again.  I hope that I’ll have a job that makes it impossible.  But if I don’t, I would love to go back to camp, meet new families, and see old friends.