My Camp Experience in America...

MY SUMMER AT CAMP LADORE, AMERICA!

Time has flied by this Summer...it feels like yesterday I was writing my other post saying that I was going to camp in 4 weeks. And now, here I am...chilling in Florida with some of the friends I made at camp. But as the saying goes -

 "Time flies when your having fun"

and the word fun doesn't even explain the Summer I have just had...it was AMAZING. 

So I went to a camp called Camp Ladore, it was based in Waymart, Pennsylvania. No joke, it was the most beautiful place I have ever been, physically and emotionally. By this I mean that the scenary/camp land was so so beautiful and the people there were just something else, this Summer I have met and got to know some amazing people.

So...where to start.

When I arrived at Camp I got placed in village "Seneca" ...this was the village for girls and boys ages 6-10.

My Seneca Family 

New kids came every week. Some of these children come from different backgrounds, some were from hard families, some were from rough areas of America and it really made me open my eyes and realise how amazing it was for me to have this opportunity to work at Camp Ladore, to look after these children and help them have the most amazing, fun week.

The camp tradition was so different to what I was living like at home...especially sharing room with 3 other people with one tiny bathroom and bunk beds, also having pancakes with syrup, sausage, cereal and fruit for breakfast when at home I don't even eat breakfast, then having a portion size which I'd usually have for dinner at home for lunch and the same for dinner...that was a big change. Raising the flag pole every morning was exciting, we sung songs...the cheesiest, but most hilarious songs! (which I now know word to word)...but by the end of camp I was gutted I was leaving it.

We stuck to a strict schedule throughout the Summer, apart from the 2 break days we had a week when the children went home. We woke up at 7am and went to bed at 11:30pm. And between them hours we were on the go with activities. These activities are things like boating, arts and crafts, athletics, farm...the list goes on. The kids loved them. The councilors did the most ridiculous things to entertain the children...here are just some examples:

The kids covered us in pancake mix and turned us in to Mummys...

Mr and Mrs Ugly Pagent..the kids also dressed us up for this!

But as you can tell, we enjoyed it just as much as the kids did....

We had camp fire every Sunday, this involved the kids doing there own skits (plays, songs etc) councilors doing their own skits also! ...oh and we eat smores.

Some of the kids really opened up to me, and it was very upsetting to see them leave. Some even cried when they said bye to me, which made things ten times more upsetting. 

But enough of the negative stuff, overall the campers had me in hysterics, they were hilarious. But sometimes they could be complete the opposite and be really naughty, which in all honestly, I had about 3 naughty kids throughout the whole Summer in my cabin. (not complaining...) 

So, when the kids weren't there...

Throughout the Summer I made some amazing, life long friends...some who live in America, some who live in England. Living with and seeing these people every day gave me the chance to really get to know people for who they really are, rather than their first impression. Some people took half way through the Summer to get to know them properly, which was a shame. But for the friends that become really good friends, they were basically sisters to me and saying bye to them was the hardest thing ever, as well as saying bye to everyone else. Not going to lie...was a tad emotional and we all had a little cry. But that's when Skype and Oovoo became my best friend!

I've learnt a lot this Summer, not just about general things, but a lot about myself. I can see myself arriving back in England as a new person, not too new, because that'd be weird, but the way I look at life, the way I live my life (YOLO - which by the way has been my motto of this Summer) didn't think I'd make it through the Summer without my Mum waking me up in the morning like she does at home or my parents making my dinner and washing my clothes for me. BUT I DID :-) so yay me...I made it, nearly. I've still got 10 days in Florida, a flight from Florida to NYC, couple of days in NYC and then a flight home...I'LL DO IT. I know I will. ;-))

Thank you to everyone who I met this Summer, you really did make it amazing for me, to my American friends...you best be looking at flight tickets to come see me. And mainly thank you to my family, without my parents this Summer wouldn't have existed.

Love you lots and lots!

Hope to see you next year, Camp Ladore!!!!!

PEEEEEACE.