Well, I've survived the first week and a half of camp, but just barely! It feels like it has been so much longer than that though. Having to put up that much energy for 8 hours everyday makes every day feel like a week itself. Even though it is soooooo exhausting, it is also so much fun! I have to say though, my favorite day so far was Friday, when we went to see Prince Caspian. That was the best because the kids were entertained for a couple hours without me having to do anything. Watching movies with kids is the best though, because they have the funniest reactions. They all thought everything the mouse said was hilarious and would just die laughing.
Our basic schedule is morning assembly (we sing songs and talk about what we're doing that day) and then the kids have the option of either doing the craft of the day or playing a game (almost always, it's some type of dodgeball game). After that, they divide into their age groups and have snack time. Then we play games or have free play within our groups, then lunch time. Then we have our activity of the day (Tues. and Thurs., for example, are our swimming days, so we head to the pool then). After the activity, it's snack time (again!), and then more free play, usually on the play structures.
Our first week went pretty smoothly, very few problems with our group. And then it was week two. Monday was absolutely disastrous! That day, we went to a different park that had these gardens and was really a very nice park, but we were mostly just on a field. First, what made it bad, was that the kids were complaining SO MUCH. We couldn't get them to quiet down to listen to instructions or anything because every couple seconds they would interrupt, whining about everything under the sun. We tried playing four different games with the kids, which we would start, but one by one, kids just started sitting down and quit the game. We gave up on organizing a game and let them have free play (ironically, a lot of them started playing one of the games we were trying to play before), but that's when chaos broke out. Apparently, at this age, the kids are starting to get into the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing. There was one boy that two of the girls liked, and the smaller of the two girls, this tiny girl named Charlie, was getting jealous and started pushing and scratching and pulling the other girl's hair. It was this big drama and almost all the girls got involved, and we had to entertain the rest of the kids while Paulina had a chat with the girls. Apparently all the girls would try to talk at the same time so she grabbed a lanyard and told them they could only talk if they had the lanyard (that's another thing--EVERY kid here is obsessed with lanyards!). That day really seemed to drag on for forever, I couldn't wait for 4:30! The next day was a lot better though, tempers cooled and the whining wasn't very bad.
Couple days ago I had to work overtime because we went on a trip to Magic Mountain (Six Flags). It was one of the most stressful days EVER. I was in the "fast group"--a group of 7 kids who were fine going on any roller coaster. Of the 6 they went on (yes, only six rides from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.--kids have to eat and drink a lot and go in every gift shop) I only went on 3, because if a kid doesn't want to go on, I have to wait with them for the rest of the group by the exit. One kid chickened out on 2 rides, and one got a stomach ache at the end, so she sat out. I was constantly counting the kids and telling them not to climb on bars and to move up in line and to keep up the pace when we were walking. One of the kids in my group is very friendly, and he'll strike up a conversation with anyone and everyone. I repeatedly had to make him stand by me so he wouldn't talk to all the strangers in line. His favorite thing is when he finds someone with a visible tattoo, he likes to ask about it...yeah. Being completely responsible for 7 kids that are only 9 or 10 years younger than me was a little rough. People we see when we are swimming or on trips always ask me how old I am because I guess I don't look like I'm old enough to be taking care of all these kids.
Believe it or not, I have a life outside of work. We started a tradition of going to a driving range every week with Kim's friends because on Wednesdays, they give girls a free bucket of golf balls. The boys usually use most of the balls, but they make us girls hit some. I am in no way, shape, or form good at it, but I'm better than I was the first week. After golfing, we always go to Starbucks and get hot chocolate. Also, last Saturday, we went to Huntington beach with some friends and had a bonfire. It has been SO hot here--it reached 109 degrees this week--so my skin is getting darker and my hair is getting lighter, being in the sun all the time. It's been so much fun!
Alright, I have to go eat dinner, but I miss all of you tons!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
work, play, and everything in between!
Ok, time to update! So we did a lot of fun stuff when our friend Bryce was here, including Disneyland, Universal Studios, Santa Monica Pier, 3rd st. Promenade, Olivera st., Zuma Beach, and we even got a special tour of Disney Studios from our ward chorister, who works there, and got a lot of really cool movie posters for free. On our tour, we also got to see some of the costumes from High School Musical 2, and we even snuck onto the set of a t.v. show ("Brothers and Sisters") cause they weren't filming, and also into 2 of the sound stages where they filmed "Pirates of the Caribbean". It was a lot of fun, and we were so grateful to Sister Miller for the tour--most people have to pay a lot of money to get a tour like that, and they don't get nearly as much detail and no free posters, and definitely no sneaking on sets--and we got to go for free.
Now! Some really exciting news! I got hired at the YMCA as a day camp counselor! It has been fun so far. Last week we had training all week--first aid and CPR certification, dealing with special needs children, child abuse prevention, etc. My co-workers are great, especially the camp director (and my boss), Bryan. He is hilarious and really laid back. I'm working with the 4th and 5th graders, the "explorers". My leader, Paulina, and the assistant leader, Kristina, are both really great, as are my co-counselors, so I'm really happy about that. Kim's working with the 1st-3rd graders, and they seem like a good group as well.
So! We had our first day of camp today and it was just at the park for today. It was good getting to know the kids and also getting to know some of the personalities. For example, there is one little girl in my group who is very defiant of the leaders. She asked if play dough tasted good, and I said probably not. She asked if she could try it, and I said no. Then she looked straight at me and licked it. I had to take it away from her, and she said, "I'm just going to eat it when I get home." It's kids like that that earn me my paycheck, haha. One unfortunate thing about this age group is that they're pretty smart and sneaky. One girl learned that just because one counselor says no, others might say yes. We really have to watch out for things like that. We also have 2 special needs kids in our group. One of the boys has down syndrome and he's actually in my stake, so I usually pass him in the halls at church. He is such a sweet kid though, and so well-behaved. The other one is autistic. He is so incredibly intelligent (seriously, he was telling me about his favorite book: 1984. What 5th grader reads Orwell?!), but he's one we really have to keep an eye on cause he'll just wander off. He will stick everything in his mouth too, so we have to watch for that as well. But I am convinced that it is the best job ever! Today we got to play a lot of games in the sun (it was sooooo hot out! And I'm definitely getting a farmer's tan!) Later this week, we're going swimming, going to the nature center, and even going to go see Prince Caspian! I think I'll like days at the park the best though--it's so much less stressful taking care of kids in a park rather than in a pool or an amusement park!
Oh, and last week was a big week for the Barlow family! Hannah had her 8th grade promotion, so Kim and I got up early before work that day to do her hair and makeup, and then after work we went to lunch with her and the family. And then, Taylor had his high school graduation friday night--it was a lot warmer than mine! But I felt sorry for the poor name readers--there is a large population of Armenians at the school, and here's an example of some of the actual names of the graduates: Miganoosh Silpwatanaskul, Oganesovich Hambarsonpour, and Hagop Chakavanmongkol. It was insane! I took a lot of pictures for the family after the ceremony, and we were about to leave, but then Taylor was like, "Wait! I want one with Michelle, too!" We all laughed about it later, saying that in 10 years, he'll look back at those pictures and be like, "Who is this girl?!" But afterwards we went to dinner at a Benihana-type restaurant. Oh, and a side note about living in the Barlow household: my favorite part of FHE is when we sing, because either someone forgets the words or the tune or something along those lines, so half the time we're just laughing, it's hilarious. They all really like "If You Could Hie to Kolob", but only Taylor and I know the words to the first verse. Honestly, we sing it every other week! haha.
Those of you still reading this (I know, sometimes when I write it just turns into a novel), and for those of you interested, Ken wrote me this week and told me that he and his companion got his first baptism this week! He is doing awesome down in Houston (despite the heat and humidity!) and it really sounds like he's on fire--tons of investigators and such. I've also been hearing from Chris Kiser (old friend of mine, for those of you who don't know) in the MTC. He's going to the Argentina Cordoba Mission, and he's working hard on his Spanish.
So that's the latest from me! I'm having a great time here, but I miss you all like crazy! My shift at work goes from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., so feel free to call me anytime after work, I'd love to hear from all of you!
Love you all!
These are pictures from Disney Studios:
Now! Some really exciting news! I got hired at the YMCA as a day camp counselor! It has been fun so far. Last week we had training all week--first aid and CPR certification, dealing with special needs children, child abuse prevention, etc. My co-workers are great, especially the camp director (and my boss), Bryan. He is hilarious and really laid back. I'm working with the 4th and 5th graders, the "explorers". My leader, Paulina, and the assistant leader, Kristina, are both really great, as are my co-counselors, so I'm really happy about that. Kim's working with the 1st-3rd graders, and they seem like a good group as well.
So! We had our first day of camp today and it was just at the park for today. It was good getting to know the kids and also getting to know some of the personalities. For example, there is one little girl in my group who is very defiant of the leaders. She asked if play dough tasted good, and I said probably not. She asked if she could try it, and I said no. Then she looked straight at me and licked it. I had to take it away from her, and she said, "I'm just going to eat it when I get home." It's kids like that that earn me my paycheck, haha. One unfortunate thing about this age group is that they're pretty smart and sneaky. One girl learned that just because one counselor says no, others might say yes. We really have to watch out for things like that. We also have 2 special needs kids in our group. One of the boys has down syndrome and he's actually in my stake, so I usually pass him in the halls at church. He is such a sweet kid though, and so well-behaved. The other one is autistic. He is so incredibly intelligent (seriously, he was telling me about his favorite book: 1984. What 5th grader reads Orwell?!), but he's one we really have to keep an eye on cause he'll just wander off. He will stick everything in his mouth too, so we have to watch for that as well. But I am convinced that it is the best job ever! Today we got to play a lot of games in the sun (it was sooooo hot out! And I'm definitely getting a farmer's tan!) Later this week, we're going swimming, going to the nature center, and even going to go see Prince Caspian! I think I'll like days at the park the best though--it's so much less stressful taking care of kids in a park rather than in a pool or an amusement park!
Oh, and last week was a big week for the Barlow family! Hannah had her 8th grade promotion, so Kim and I got up early before work that day to do her hair and makeup, and then after work we went to lunch with her and the family. And then, Taylor had his high school graduation friday night--it was a lot warmer than mine! But I felt sorry for the poor name readers--there is a large population of Armenians at the school, and here's an example of some of the actual names of the graduates: Miganoosh Silpwatanaskul, Oganesovich Hambarsonpour, and Hagop Chakavanmongkol. It was insane! I took a lot of pictures for the family after the ceremony, and we were about to leave, but then Taylor was like, "Wait! I want one with Michelle, too!" We all laughed about it later, saying that in 10 years, he'll look back at those pictures and be like, "Who is this girl?!" But afterwards we went to dinner at a Benihana-type restaurant. Oh, and a side note about living in the Barlow household: my favorite part of FHE is when we sing, because either someone forgets the words or the tune or something along those lines, so half the time we're just laughing, it's hilarious. They all really like "If You Could Hie to Kolob", but only Taylor and I know the words to the first verse. Honestly, we sing it every other week! haha.
Those of you still reading this (I know, sometimes when I write it just turns into a novel), and for those of you interested, Ken wrote me this week and told me that he and his companion got his first baptism this week! He is doing awesome down in Houston (despite the heat and humidity!) and it really sounds like he's on fire--tons of investigators and such. I've also been hearing from Chris Kiser (old friend of mine, for those of you who don't know) in the MTC. He's going to the Argentina Cordoba Mission, and he's working hard on his Spanish.
So that's the latest from me! I'm having a great time here, but I miss you all like crazy! My shift at work goes from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., so feel free to call me anytime after work, I'd love to hear from all of you!
Love you all!
These are pictures from Disney Studios:
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