Wednesday 15 August 2012

Why I Loved Camp

I know, my posts are all getting out of order!  I've not finished writing about camp and I finished there about a week ago, and I've not finished writing about my travels yet which are also almost over!  I'm sure no-one minds too terribly though.



When I made the decision to apply for summer camp, I wasn't in a particularly "good" place mentally.  That's why I applied.  I needed something to look forward to, something I've always wanted to do, and something "bigger" than myself.  I can now say, with absolute certainty, that it was the right decision.

I spent my summer in the blistering heat, corralling a group of crazy, funny, frustrating little children.  It was like herding cats trying to get those beautiful little monsters to go anywhere.  It was full of late nights and early mornings.  I've never worked so hard in my life and my body is still punishing me for it.  It was mentally, physically and emotionally exhausting.

And I loved it.

I left a job which was pretty good, as far as office jobs go.  The pay was decent, the people were great, my bosses were wonderfully understanding.  It's just...it was all a little meaningless.  I'm sure it meant a lot to the people who we were paying money to, but in the grand scheme of things it was just a little...flat.

Sure the money was considerably better, the hours were significantly shorter and it wasn't as draining.  But it also wasn't as fun, it wasn't as rewarding, and it wasn't as life changing.

For the first time in months, I feel like a whole, confident, happy young woman.

For the first time in years, I feel like myself.

All of that is absolutely down to the friends I made and the children I worked with.  There's something magical about the sweet respect (most of) the children gave to me without question, and the absolute acceptance I found in the mish-mash of people I found myself working with.  Children and counsellors from all walks of life, from a hundred different kinds of backgrounds, we all found a place to call home at camp.

I came to camp hoping to make a difference in the lives of the children.

My confession for this post?  The biggest difference that was made...was in my life.  I never expected how much of a impact they would make on me.  I hope that I made even half as much of an impression on them, as they did on me.

Some days were hard, I'll admit that freely.  I won't pretend it was all fun and games.  Some days, some weeks even, they were such a big handful that they'd reduce me to tears.  Some days the only thing that would get me through would be hugs from understanding counsellors and candy.  Lots of candy.  But the wonderful days made it all worthwhile.  The ones where I really connected with a child.  Where they'd give me a huge hug and ask me why I looked sad.  Where they'd run across the field to say goodbye to me.  Where they'd come back to drop off a sibling and they'd remember me, though I never had them in my class or cabin.  Those days are why I went to camp.  Those are the days that I'll always remember.

Those are the reason I'll come back as many times as I can.

Monday 13 August 2012

Fail!

I wasn't going to update my blog until my train journey, to keep me entertained during the many, many hours.  However, the epic fail that is my attempts to leave New Orleans needs writing about!

I came here on August 8th for 3 nights, with the intention of leaving at 7am on August 11th.  Simple enough, right?  Well, August 10th came around, and I heard about the Red Dress Run and an art gallery show going on the next day.  This all sounded very interesting, so I stayed another day.

I never did make it to either event, but still enjoyed the day.  Then I tried to book my train out of New Orleans, and found every single train was booked up.  In every direction.  I literally could not leave.

I stayed another night and booked myself onto the train for the next day (13th).  All was good. I was going to go to Baltimore, then Philadelphia, then on to my job in Vermont on the 16th.

I went to bed on the night of the 12th, was checked out, had my taxi booked, and my alarm was set.  All was good.

I woke up at 7.30am in utter horror.  My train had left New Orleans half an hour ago and I was still in bed.  My alarm was set for 5.40PM.  Nooooooooo!

I sheepishly went downstairs and booked myself in another night, and borrowed one of the staff member's phones to ring Amtrak.  They were very nice about it and booked me onto the next train, leaving on the 14th.

Given my multiple failed attempts to go to Baltimore, I decided to take the "hint" and am going straight to Philly.  I'm a little superstitious and am not willing to ignore the potential warning!  Plus then all the rest of my trains and hostels continue to link up.

So here I am, still in New Orleans 5 days after arriving!  I think I'm just not allowed to leave...!

Thursday 9 August 2012

Dreams Do Come True in New Orleans...

I've been in New Orleans for about a day and a half, and I'm absolutely in love with it.

I'm staying in the AAE Bourbon House Hostel, which offers a free shuttle from the airport and train station.  Naturally, that's the point that sold it for me!  I'm paying $19 per night, booked through Hostel World, for a 6 bed, female dorm.  It's in the Garden District and has plenty of bars and places to eat nearby.  The staff are wonderfully friendly and it's overall a really nice hostel.  There's a full kitchen, with a pancake station in the mornings, and a common room with free wifi.  Laundry is $4, once the hostel laundry has been done.  Walmart is a short walk down the street, and there's two fridges (one in the kitchen, which shuts at midnight I think, and one on the patio).  It's also full of British people!  I'd definitely stay here again.

I didn't do much exploring on my first day, as it was about 5pm by the time I was checked in and changed into clean clothes.  Instead I went out for some dinner at a nearby pub (Down the Hatch), recommended by the hostel staff.  It was a pretty dingy looking place outside, but the food was deeeeeelicious.  I had a grilled chicken and mozzarella cheese sandwich (po-boy?) with fries.  They were soooo good!


After that I went back to the hostel, stopping to take photos along the way, and played around on my laptop.  I was exhausted after the long train ride, and ended up in bed by 10.30pm!  Living the high life here in New Orleans...




It wasn't a completely wasted evening, as I did get some planning done for the next day.  I booked myself onto a free walking tour of the Garden District with Free Tours By Foot.  It met at the corner of Washington Avenue and Prytania Street, outside the Lafayette Cemetery.  That was about 20 minutes away from the hostel, but I gave myself about 45 minutes as I have a tendency to get lost.  Not sure how much trouble I could have with the directions "Turn right on Felicity, follow it for 0.5 miles.  Turn left onto Prytania, follow it for 0.5 miles", but I would rather be safe than sorry!  It was a hot day, so I recommend taking a drink.  I also recommend a waterproof jacket...

The tour was about 2 hours long (approximately a mile of walking), and took us around the cemetery to begin with...





...and then along some of the streets (I forget which, sorry!) to show us some of the fancy houses.  The houses were spectacular, and the history involved in them were fascinating.





Side note, the tour guide told us that the house in the final photo above is thought to have been Walt Disney's inspiration for the "look" of the Haunted Mansion ride.  The Disney geek in me loved that!

Not long after these photos were taken, it began to rain.  The tour guide gave us an abridged version of the remainder of the tour as we all got quite wet.  One of the other people on the tour, a lady from The Netherlands, kindly shared her umbrella with me - thank you!  The tour was very much worth it, with a lot of interesting information given...for free!  I wanted to go on the French Quarter tour tomorrow but it's sold out already.

Once it was done, we sheltered under an awning, waiting for the rain to let up a little.


After the rain subsided a little, I headed down the street a few blocks until I reached Magazine Street.  I walked down a ways, stopping to snap a couple of photos of the fire station.


I found a nice looking cafe, Joey K's, and went in for some lunch.  I went for 2 pieces of fried chicken and fries.  The service was fabulous!  They accidentally cooked me chicken tenders, so the waitress brought it out to me, apologised for the mistake and explained that they were cooking my fried chicken but thought I'd probably be hungry, so let me have the hot chicken tenders anyway (wasn't charged for them).  I got french bread while I waited, and free refills of my soda.  The food was lovely, and I definitely recommend them.  They also offered to give me a trash bag for when I was about to go back outside into the rain!  I used my styrofoam take-out box as a rain shelter most of my way home.  Luckily my fried chicken stayed dry!


I was about 20 minutes way from the hostel, and the rain was really coming down.  The closer I got, the worse it was!  I stopped in a petrol station for a few minutes, where I had the full sympathy of the staff and customers.  I also stopped in the doorway of a nice shop, where the sales assistant was busy "documenting this crazy weather" with her rather fancy looking camera. The streets started to flood, with the water coming up level with the sidewalk.  Each time I crossed the road my flip flops were sucked off my feet (leaving me running back to grab them before they floated away!) and the water came up to my ankle and above.  Trash cans were floating away, but the water was too deep for me to want to go and rescue them.  By the time I reached the hostel, I was soaked to the bone and was carrying my flip flops.  They took one look at me and just handed me a towel!  I couldn't have got more wet if I'd jumped in a pool!  It's almost 3 hours later and my hair is still damp.  I'm now curled up on the sofa in my sweat-pants and camp hoodie, not wanting to risk going back outside for a while.  Apparently some places in the area are without power, so I guess we didn't get hit too badly...






There's a hostel bar crawl later tonight that I might go along on, and then tomorrow I'm planning on going to explore the French Quarter.

All in all, I absolutely adore New Orleans and already plan on coming back for Mardi Gras sometime!  It's full of the friendliest, most helpful people I've ever met.  I know there's a high crime rate, but I've seen nothing but good things so far.  Touch wood it stays that way.

Also, I love the fact that there are beads everywhere!  It's like a treasure hunt...




Wednesday 8 August 2012

Venturing into the Big Wide Somewhere!

Throughout this summer I've been toying with different travel ideas for when I finished at camp. The destinations changed almost every time, but one thing stayed constant – I wanted to travel by train.

Five years ago, the summer after I turned 18, I travelled around Europe with friends by train. I travel that way a lot in England, but suddenly it took on a whole new romanticism. It was convenient; cheap with a hint of nostalgia. I was hooked.

A week before I was due to leave camp, I applied for further work at a Family Resort in Vermont. Three days before I left Indianapolis, I was hired. This changed my plans slightly, but I hadn't booked anything yet anyway. I would still be given the month to travel after this new contract ended, but I decided to fly straight home. I had always planned to go home at the beginning of September and I didn't want to change that part.

As I had 9 days between camp ending and my new job beginning, I was able to get the best of both worlds. I could meander across the country for those 9 days, then work for the 3 weeks before going home. That way I wouldn't go home utterly penniless but would still get the chance to travel. My intended route was Indianapolis to New Orleans, New Orleans to Charlotte, Charlotte to New York, New York to St Albans.

The day before I left camp, I finally booked my rail pass (15 days, 8 segments), and reserved my first leg of the journey. A bus from Indianapolis to Champaign, then a train from Champaign to New Orleans. Half an hour before I had to leave for the station, I booked my hostel in New Orleans. Nothing like leaving it until the last minute...!

I finally said my reluctant goodbyes. With well wishes, farewells and “stay in touch”s ringing in my ears, we pulled away from The Bubble. Camp has been my home, my life and my comfort blanket for three months now. It was terrifying to be leaving the safety of it's grounds for the Great Wide Somewhere...alone.

One of the staff dropped me at the bus station, and suddenly I was by myself. The thought that the children might have finally driven me mad crossed my mind once or twice. What was I doing?! I'm a 23 year old, tiny young woman, with a suitcase almost as big as me, and a backpack that isn't much smaller. I have no sense of direction, no useable phone (well, I do, but it's extortionate to use abroad), and no real street sense. Why was I about to go on this crazy adventure?

It was too late to turn back now. That's partly why I left everything so late when I booked it all, then I couldn't talk myself out of it and change my mind! Staggering under the weight of my belongings, I headed to the Amtrak ticket office. The woman was very sweet, asking where I was heading, checking I intended to fully use my ticket (I'll use as many segments as I have time for!) and made sure I knew not to lose my rail pass.  (Apologies for it being on it's side, I can't figure out how to rotate the photo!)


Next it was time to board my bus to Champaign. While checking my ticket, the bus driver asked if Champaign was my final destination. When I told him I'd be catching a train to New Orleans, he gave me directions to the train station (get off the bus, go into the terminal, go upstairs). I felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe this wouldn't be so terrifying? Americans are renowned for their open, friendly and helpful manner. I started to relax. I wasn't really alone, not in America!


It was slightly surreal to be sat on a coach watching Indiana roll by. As it was a 2 hour, 20 minute journey, I grabbed my blanket and had a much needed nap. Suddenly we were in Champaign and it was time to go. The driver helped me with my suitcase, and reiterated the directions to the train.


As I was about the enter the elevator, I was stopped by a little boy who wanted to know if I was British. This surprised me, until I remembered that my bag has a Union Jack on it. Him and his brother asked me several questions about England, including asking if we used horses instead of cars. I finally excused myself, as their mom was calling them. With many shouted good wishes, and secret smiles from bystanders, they left. Their exuberant, innocent questions brightened my day no end. Definitely a good welcome to Champaign! It's a good job I'm a camp counsellor and am used to being accosted with endless questions from random children!

I found the Amtrak desk and was greeted by wonderfully friendly staff. They offered to check in my luggage (though I had to throw out some toiletries so it fitted the weight limit). Teasingly, they told me that I won that day's Early Bird Award. It was 8 hours until my train! When I mentioned that I was going to find some lunch, they recommended the Seven Saints pub. I've decided to not pass up a recommendation, without good reason. The best way to see a place is through the eyes of its locals. The Seven Saints looked a little seedy on the outside, but inside it was a nice little pub. I chose an unadventurous grilled cheese sandwich and onion rings, but it was utterly delicious. Definitely worth going to and watching the world drive by.


Next I went on the hunt for a book store. The bartender recommended that I go to Jane Addams Book Store, a few blocks away. On my way I found a Fair Trade shop called Ten Thousand Villages. I love Fair Trade shops and couldn't resist going in to browse. I would have bought it all if I could! I settled for a Nepalese bracelet and a Bangladeshi notebook. Sadly, the tiny wooden nativity was out of my budget, and the recycled paper photo-frame wasn't practical enough. Maybe when I'm rich and famous! Or at least when I have more luggage space...


Jane Addams Book Store was a literary heaven. Rows and rows of tall bookshelves. It was a maze of knowledge. Sadly I had to restrain myself here too, and left with empty hands and a heavy heart. I'll have to console myself by adding more books to my Kindle instead.


I was excited to check my watch and see it said 5pm. Only 5 and a half more hours to go! I later realised that my watch was still on Indianapolis time, which was an hour ahead. Alas!

After stopping to admire some city artwork, and having a quick rest on the bench in front of it, I headed back to the station.


Time to regroup and decide what to do next. I googled Downtown Champaign and was a little disappointed to see there was mostly only shopping and eating available. Two things I didn't need to do! It's a lovely, quiet, friendly place but not a sightseeing destination. At least, not downtown.

I sat for a while, writing in my new notebook, then decided to go for another wander around Champaign. While flicking through a magazine in the station I found out there was an art gallery nearby. Despite their website telling me they were open until 7pm, it was closed when I got there at 6pm. Slightly irritated, I walked down a few streets I hadn't been down yet. There were a lot of art related places there, but all were closed. I ended up in a coffee shop, having a chocolate overdose. Chocolate pancakes and chocolate milkshake to eat in, with a chocolate mudslide cookie and pain au chocolat to take away! Feeling slightly sick and already crashing off the sugar high, I went back to the station again.


Feeling bored, and not wanting to play on my laptop because I couldn't find a power outlet, I snuggled down in a corner and had another nap. It had been a long last week at camp and I was very tired. A kind passenger woke me up when they were all leaving for their train. I appreciated them making sure I didn't miss what they thought was my train (nope, three more hours left!). Thank you, whoever you are!

Finally 10.30pm rolled around and it was time to board. The train pulled in and it was, without a doubt, the biggest train I have ever seen. It had an upstairs! I've never seen a train with an upstairs before.


The stairs were very narrow, which I didn't like too much, but upstairs was huge. Our carriage looked like First Class. The seat were huge, with a lot of space in between each row. It was much more comfortable and spacious than I expected. This was a good thing, since to have booked a bed would have cost me an extra $300. The one big negative point for me was the fact there was no WiFi. The bus had it, so why didn't the train? Sulking slightly, I snuggled into my seat and went to sleep.


It wasn't the best night's sleep ever. I woke up a lot, but it wasn't too terrible. After camp, with the camp-outs on a tarp and the tiny bunkbeds in the cabins, I can probably sleep anywhere! I slept on and off for about 12 hours. The final five hours of my trip I alternated between dozing, watching the world fly by, and playing on my laptop. The south is a very pretty place, from what I've seen so far. Quite different to what I'd seen of America before. Other than Florida, which doesn't count, I've never been this far south.

My trip so far has been a wide range of emotions (boredom included) but always exciting. I'm looking forward to seeing New Orleans, even though I don't know what I'll be doing there yet. I was hoping to do some planning on the train, but that was not meant to be. I'm still questioning my sanity, but I'm glad I decided to throw caution to the wind and do it anyway.