My Three Weeks in London

 

This summer I got to have the trip of a lifetime: three whole weeks exploring the beautiful city of London. My technical explanation is that I went to take a class at the University of Roehampton. Let's be honest though, I definitely went for the city. I had always wanted to study abroad, but I never wanted to commit to doing that for an entire semester. I thought there was no options for me on a short term and that I would just have to find time to travel on my own somehow. Then during Christmas Break last year, I happened to have a meeting in the international office on campus and by being passed from person to person, wound up with a packet detailing the various programs that ISEP offered; with the summer programs that were being put on highlighted for me to research.

I went back and forth for months trying to figure out if I would really go through with this. I talked with advisors, professors, and other students who had studied abroad before. I wanted to make sure three weeks would be worth it. The application was due on April 1st of this year, and with about a week to the due date, I decided I needed to do this. Before I knew it, I was accepted and getting three or four emails a day of things I needed to prepare for. The beginning of summer vacation was definitely not a vacation by any means. I think I spent more time on campus meeting with people during the month of May than I did the entire spring semester. Somehow I got it all together by the morning of my flight though.

After a few mishaps in my travel, I finally found my group in the Heathrow Airport and was taken to the University of Roehampton. It was located about 20 minutes outside of Central London and was the perfect escape when I was missing the small town life right in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the world.

My three weeks were split between class and exploring anything and everything that London had to offer. The course I took while at Roehampton was called Magic, Murder, and Mystery in London Literature. It allowed us to see the way London is portrayed in stories and gave us reference points to look for while we explored the city ourselves. Our texts ranged from discussing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, to referencing Harry Potter any chance we could, and many more classic stories.

London was beautiful and filled with every opportunity you could imagine. Not just inside the city, but outside as well. From Oxford to Canterbury, Stonehenge to Bath, and seeing sights like Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace, there was always something new to explore. My favorite place we visited though was the Westminster area. There was Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, and just an overall feeling that you were in the heart of London. I could stand there for hours just watching the boats pass by on the Thames and seeing the hustle and bustle of Londoners running for the Tube.

Three weeks gave me a wonderful experience in London. However, three weeks was nowhere near enough. The history, the people, even the transportation, absolutely fascinated me. I would go back in a heartbeat, and I plan to one day. Those three weeks allowed me to explore and gain a better confidence about myself. I could never be grateful enough for having an experience like this one. One day, I'll travel across the pond to that city again, and whether I'm there for a day or a year, I know it'll be just as wonderful as it was for the three weeks I spent there this past summer.

Like it was Yesterday

                The first thing I noticed about arriving in Florida, is how far the sky went across the horizon. The trees that weren’t palm trees were also bare at the bottom, and when it rained the water didn’t roll downhill as it did at home. I spent a few days exploring Florida, visiting multiples beaches and eating at random restaurants.

                I remember my favorite beach just as if I were still there; the sand was gray and the water was so blue and clear, we were able to watch each other swim around. The first day we spent there, there were absolutely no waves. Jessica and I walked across the beach and placed ourselves into the chairs, which we guessed we had to pay to use, but we decided to wait and find out. Later, a man named Angelo came up to us, we began to grab money to pay, realized we had none with us, and he gave us our chairs for free for the day. I remember this day as the most peaceful day I spent in Florida, I had not a worry in the world. We became regulars at our favorite breakfast spot in Boca Raton, we attempted to eat a pizza that was larger than both of our heads combined, and relaxed in the (hotel, motel) Quality Inn.

                After a few days of our short vacation, it was time to go a little further south, to Coconut Creek and begin working. I became nervous as we drove closer and closer. We finally arrived and began our days of orientation, and can I say YAWN? There was such an overload of information and sitting around all day was exhausting in its own way. Finally, it was the day before camp began and the parents came for move in day. That day, was nerve racking, to say the least. I was more worried about how I was supposed to make a bed on the top bunk (I still believe it’s impossible), rather than what the parents’ names were, let alone how I couldn’t really meet my children (yes, we called them our children, not our campers) because they were running back and forth from room to room. There were so many questions, I couldn’t answer, and neither could my co-counselor, considering we were both new.

                Then, arrived the first day of camp. It was our first transportation and we were all still excited to be greeting our kids bright and early Monday mornings. Oh, and did I mention that it was already in the 90’s that early? Sweating was normal and wearing your hair down was nearly impossible at times. All of my children arrived, and the first week flew by before I could remember what even happened. What I remember now, is how I didn’t know where the nurse was, and I tried to clean up after the girls at lunch time. They clean up after themselves, duh Kayla. It was an overwhelming week, and I was more than ready for the weekend. As usual, the weekend went by faster than I would have liked, and my sunburn from spending all that time at the beach was murdering my back.

                The first four weeks were slow, and when we had to spend 12 days straight working (thank you, weekend warriors) it was miserable. After all of that time, I had grown close relationships with all of my girls. I learned many things about the, but most importantly that Gabby was as fabulous as can be, Payton was everyone’s friend and knew all of the songs I did, Jenna and Jordyn (the twins) were the sweetest and most innocent of children you could find. Isabella was her own person, and she had the most beautiful red hair to fit her personality, Micayla was the horseback rider and she was quiet, but very kind. Madison was independent, and loved to dance. Sabrina was the sassy one, who could be so sweet and kind at the same time.

                The week I remember, because it was an important week at camp, was color war week. It was a week where the camp split children and counselors into two teams and spent all of that week earning points for your team in any way you could. Everyone lost their voice, even the children. We did march in’s to morning line up and dinner, those were always my favorite part. During march in we would all do a chant, while marching, do a cheer/song in front of the judges, then march into where we were to go. Everyone put so much effort and heart into color war that it was hard not to look around at get angry at those who didn’t. I remember the apache relay being the most intense part of the color war. 2 hours is a relay that honestly could only happen at ELC. On the last day of color war, the entire beginning half of the day was spent doing color war events. There were songs, dances, volleyball games, dodgeball games and banner presenting. When they came to an end, the owner of the camp (Matt) announced that the team who had won, won only by 5 points. I was on the blue team, and the blue team did not win. Tears were shed not only by campers, but also by counselors. We were more than happy for the white team, and glad that color war was over so we could go back to normal again.

                I also learned that at such a young age, these girls understood much more than I thought they would. They had their own problems and it was most noticeable at bed time. We would have flashlight time, which was a short 10 minutes or so when the lights would go out, and they would use flashlights to talk to one another, write letters to parents or play a game. After that, they would leave the room to go to the bathroom or complain, which was okay, because counselors for Aphrodite (the youngest division) had to have patience, so we could deal with it.

                As the weeks went on, I even grew close with girls outside of my bunk, one of the girls asked me to be her babysitter next summer. They all called me “Boogy-Monster Rob Bob Steve…. Smells like poop.” Through all of the stress, it was the hand holding as we walked from activity to activity, the hugs, the “can I sit on your lap?” or “can I wear your sunglasses, it’s bright in here” that kept me sane.

                The last day of camp came before I knew it, I didn’t realize it until I was writing letters to my girls who had stayed all eight weeks, or making the paper plate awards. ELC was my home, and my family. I had made so many friends and became a friend to many campers. The life of a camp counselor was wonderful, I would love to be a role model and friend to children once again.

                When we drove back to Ohio, I began to realize how much I’d missed home. I missed how the hills cut off the never ending sky line with their beautiful greenery, and the smell of fresh cut grass, along with the smell of cow poop. I missed being able to roll my windows down, and let my hand hang out to feel the cool breeze run through my fingers. I enjoyed my experience at ELC, and traveling, but going away for so long made me realize how important the small town of Ripley, Ohio really is to me. No matter how far I go or for how long, I always know my way back home.