The final leg to our new home

The camp experience began with a gathering with the good people of the North that would also accompany me on the trip to camp. A few drinks were enough to break the ice and get the ball rolling for the camp experience. I would definitely recommend such a social gathering prior to camp as I felt the group bonded very well as a result.

The obvious negative of such a drinking session impacted the following morning, where a 4:30am start caught the brain unaware. This pain was happily met by the delivery of bacon sandwiches, the perfect start to a long day at a camp where bacon supplies would be nil. Surprisingly, travel arrangements did go to plan, with the taxi, coach and underground trains arriving on time with no hitches whatsoever. The only negativity being the check in process in which the best seats had already been taken. It was apparent that an online check in procedure would be advisable on the return check to attain the best sports!

Entering the airport, the group was faced with hundreds of camp America t-shirts around the terminal. It soon became apparent that everybody was from a different camp on the east coast and that very few people were looking for Camp Modin. Perhaps the issue of t-shirts with the camp names on could break the ice a little better in coming years!

The flight itself was expectedly smooth and quick, and all went to plan on arrival at customs. All staff from different camps were greeted by faces from the Camp America team and were quickly shipped off on the shuttle monorail type transportation to a coach which took us to the hotel accommodation.

It is quite unbelievable at the amount of service given by the staff at US hotels in comparison to that in the UK. Staff truly cannot do anymore for you, and whatever you ask for, staff will do there upmost to get it for you. After a quick breifing of travel instructions in which $15 was paid for the next day taxi to the bus station in NYC, a well earned shower and the camp america paid room awaited us.

Throughout the process so far, the only altercation that occured was the change of plan to travel to Manhattan on the first night. Taxi companies appear to enjoy taking ridiculous amounts of money for short distances and a $100 request from Newark to Manhattan was quickly rejected by the group.

Ultimately, this turned out to work better for the group more than anything, as the food delivered at the hotel "sports bar" was much better than what could be expected for the price paid in Manhattan. The rumors are definitely true that portion sizes in this country are enormous in comparison to at home and thoughts of man vs food came to mind. Happily, the group hit the sack to gain some well deserved rest for the 4am start and the 8 hour coach journey, of which I am not traveling on.

Come the morning, the free breakfast (bagel, fresh orange and water) was delivered to us and a taxi arrived promptly to take us to the terminal in NYC. For the first time we could really see the scale and size of New York city as it had appeared as a distant horizon from the airport. Despite visiting beofre, the scale of the buildings still amazes me, bigger than anything we have at home.

I would advise buying tickets for the Grehound coach service at home, as activities are made slightly more hectic on the morning of the long journey when buying tickets in the terminal building. The terminal itself is slightly confusing, however, upon asking staff, the correct gate was found for departure. From here, the long coach journey has taken me to Connecticut and the final finishing point of Maine awaits! Suprisingly, the weather isn't perfect, however, reports are of sun at the final destination. One can only hope!

All set and ready to go!

Introduction

Some time ago now, I decided that something special was in order for the completion of my hellish time at University. During my time in education, I was advised of the significance and importance of self reflection and the ongoing evaluation of myself. It is therefore my last minute idea to initiate a "blog" (as everyone is talking about it) for myself for a completely new experience, possibly even a turning point in my life. Despite this opening paragraph being pedantic, I believe that if this blog can be fulfilled, a diary of my experiences may enrich my life and allow me to progress into the future in an educated way. 

My adventurous nature took me on the route of Camp America, the summer experience working with children. Thinking nothing of it, I jumped at the opportunity of a summer in the USA with the prospective of the ultimate travel program across the states. Some time in the cold nights of winter, I received a phone call from the states, and a telephone interview was conducted. I was happy to accept an offer to work at the Jewish summer camp, Camp Modin, in Belgrade, Maine (Near Waterville). I had never really taken the time to recognise Maine as a state, obviously not hearing much about it in the past, however, it is now the state I associate the most with the USA! 

My past experience as a rock climbing instructor and my degree at university (apparently finally coming in handy) finally gave me the ability to go forth and attain a fantastic job for the summer. The aim of this blog (hopefully) is to a) Give me something to do in my downtime. b) Allow for self reflection (to see if it is actually useful) and c) to show people out there how awesome the camp America and Camp Modin experience really is. Obviously, I cannot really comment on the validity of this statement thus far, but the blog will hopefully establish this!

Tuesday 12 Jun 2012. 

The last few days has consisted mainly of packing for the states. Prior arrangements have been made making contact with a number of people on facebook who will be heading to camp. There are 2 "waves" of people that will be turning up at camp. The advanced councellors and the general councellors with a weeks gap in between. Being a "pioneering" staff member (rope specialist) I am part of the first wave. The Northen "contingent" of us Modin'ers plan to meet in Manchester later to day for drinks, sleep and a 4am coach to London (the cheapest way to travel!). Something I am obviously looking forward to! 

 The last few weeks have consisted of contact over the internet with these lovely people, and I now cannot wait to meet up and let the good times roll. 

 Skype conversation between Me, Nathan (AUS) and George (GBR). These conversations started months ago and have continued ever since! 

Packing for this trip has been a logistical operation running for a number of months. I have tried my best to remain organised, making lists, writing what I have put in bags, etc. In the hope that a system may actually get me somewhere. So far, it seems to have worked! The use of vacpacs has been a valuable addition to the packing process (so much so, I still have space left in my back pack!) 

The extent of my organisational skills. Laying out the "kit" on the floor prior to vac-packing. No doubt I'll find out what is missing when I unpack in the States! 

Now on the final night prior to leaving my hometown, all I can do is hope that everything is in my bag and ready to go. Excitement is an understatement, and I feel confident but slightly nervous that everything is ready to go and is set for an amazing summer!