I've had one of the best five days of my life.
I was a cabin leader at Camp Campbell.
And I will now document how it was. SO CLICK CLOSE NOW.
Nature Name: Narwhal.
The most of these 5th graders had no idea what a narwhal was and how to pronounce it. But cmon, I had the most original name. None of that Panda Tiger Lily Phoenix shit. NARWHAL.
Cabin Group Name: Manzanitas!
I learned what a manzanita is. It's a little shrub in the chaparral with little tiny apple look-a-alikes, hence "manzanitas".
Field Teacher: Mark Beetle.
I got the cool, indie teacher with his beanie, skinny jeans and flannel, and full beard. Loved 311 and clearly, The Beetles. Always with his guitar. A cool fella that I could talk music with.
Cabin Leader Buddy: Ariel, aka Super Nova.
A second timer so she kept me up to date. Good conversations. Good, chill person. Great taste in movies. Open-minded and comfortable to be around. Half the time, I was lost with out her.
Cabin Kids: From Smith Elementary
-Andrea- My little helper. I gave her a green slip at the end of the week because she's been my right hand buddy. Always kept me in check, asked me the time, knew all the things I missed. She was the little leader. Girls thought she was bossy, but she was such a great help. Favorite!
-Adrian- AKA AJ, or as how I referred to her, 'Age,' I told her AJ was too long for me. Another one of my green slip kids. She was always prepared. Very mature, but very funny and intelligent. She was...different. And looked like Matilda! But she reminded me of Tay most of the time. Idk if it was because I missed her, but what a coooool kid. Really one of the coolest kids I'd never thought I'd come acrros. Favorite!
-Alena- Slowed me down for the most part. Woke me up almost every night to pee. A nice girl, but cmon... She became very attached, like everyone else I suppose, but I wasn't that comfortable with her.
-Jessica- Alena's best friend, they're like two peas in a pod, kind of outcasts of the group. More bearable than Alena, but like her, not one of my favorites. Nice girl though.
-Marissa- LATE. Always late. She didn't pine for my attention as much as the other girls but when she did, it was either a long story or..."I need to pee." She wanted a green slip. Then again, everyone wanted one.
-Anya- Lovable girl! Friendly to everyone, including the other leaders. She always did chores. She woke up in the middle of the night to buddy up with someone that needed to pee, unlike everyone else that refused to be a buddy. I could've given her a green slip. A favorite!
-Vanessa- Super best friends! She was a sweet heart, didn't try to get my attention too much either. Didn't cause too much problems. Doesn't always stand out to me, but makes one of my favorites.
-Brianna- The one that reminded me of Nikki. She reminded me of Nikki and I's science camp week. Best friends with Adrian, she understood my personality the most. Fun-loving and friendly, but didn't have to try so hard to be coool. A favorite!
-Bianca- The pristine looking girl that wears Juicy Couture. Rich, popular girl. Quiet and kept to herself, but not shy. Just not her exact circle of friends. My ONLY yellow slip. But only because another cabin leader caught her horseplaying with some little boy. Favooorite!
-Hunter- Funniest girl of the cabin. But never, ever tried to be funny. Didn't try to get my attention. Loves puddles and her rainboots. Named Best Soccer Player of the Cabin because almost all of them played. Made me laugh so much. She was a wild child!I called her Killaaaa because she was hella thug! Probably my second favorite kid.
-Amanda- And my very favorite! I gave her my cookie chip name tag because she kindly asked for it and I thought it'd be nice for her to remember me by. Every night, when everyone else fell asleep, she'd be up, and I'd hear her cry. She said she hates falling asleep last. She's always alone. She wakes up alone at home. She hates being alone. When she'd cry, I'd talk to her until she fell asleep. We talked about her family and her pets and anything else she wanted to talk about. Always stayed at my side. But didn't once annoy me. My favorite!
Evaluation: Overall, couldn't ask for a better field teacher, cabin leader buddy, and cabin group.
From day one I thought my set of kids would be great. When we got to our cabin they all kept telling me how they wanted me as their cabin leader, if not me then Tiger Lily..but everyone wanted Tiger Lily because she was the pretty blond girl, aha. And almost my whole group of kids were blonde-haired blue-eyed kids. I am now completely accustomed to "Naaarwhaaal" said in a tiny cute voice, followed by a request, story, joke, or miscellaneous statement to get my attention. We all got pretty attached to each other. They were attached to me like sticky on honey and they carved out their own little spaces in my little heart. I didn't know I'd like being with kids so much. They heard me cuss. They heard me talk to Ian. They asked me personal questions. They exhausted me. They made me laugh. They kept me up. They told me I was the best cabin leader ever. For these five days, they were my everything. And I wouldn't change any minute of it. Probably, not even the mud and rain. I'll have to throw away my shoes and wash my clothes till they're ripped into shreds, but these kids were worth it.
Final Thoughts: I already miss my cabin kids. I already miss being at camp. And... I'm upset I forgot to bring my camera. NAAARWHAAAL. The same camp songs are playing in my head.
