Hm... what's happened since I last wrote? Monday, October 21st, 2013. Almost two years ago.
Well. I'm back in Australia. I've visited my family in Spain once at the beginning of this year. I have completed my sixth grade AMEB flute exam, will do my seventh sometime in October of this year, and have begun playing the cello- I'm studying grade three on it now, but there hasn't been talk of exams yet.
I've joined a website called DeviantArt and have been doing digital art for a year now. I'm very proud of what I've achieved! Check me out here. Along with my new art experience, I have also learned how to read/write horse genetics fluently and am aware that all previous posts I wrote on horse colors are completely inaccurate. At least I tried.
I have also moved to a new school after receiving an academic scholarship and am very happy there. I am three quarters of the way through ninth grade and just completed an eight-week camp nine hours away from Melbourne, out in the middle of nowhere.
I got back from it last Friday, and my mom has suggested that I write a blog post about (why not?). It was pretty intense. Where to start?
For all intents and purposes, let's just call this camp "Camp". Just in case some internet creep decides to look it up and hunt me down. (._.) I guess I can start with the landscapes. It's the middle of winter here (I guess Spring is coming? It's still cold...) and everything was green. The first week we arrived it was raining non-stop. The last week we spent there it was raining non-stop. But in-between it wasn't too bad- there were even some days where we could walk around with t-shirts!
Camp is in a sort of valley thing with lots of rolling hills filled with tons of mooing cows, four alpacas, and one crazy herding dog named Diesel. Most of the property is covered in paddocks, but there's also a creek and forest (the camp is completely surrounded by a national park). You see kangaroos in the paddocks often, and you are guaranteed to see some form of bird within the first five minutes of waking (well... if you look outside!). During first light you can see frost that covers the ground and make it appear like it has snowed, as well as mist which creeps close to the ground and is condensed into thick, varying layers which cover all the surrounding hills. There's nothing to block your view of the sun slowly rising behind the trees and casting thick rays of light everywhere, and while I would like to say that it's silent, it's definitely not- the birds go absolutely nuts at this time. But it still feels very serene.
I had a north-facing window, so I was always woken by the sun. Annoying sometimes, considering that it always woke me up at around 6:30a.m. without fail, but definitely worth it most of the time.
The sunsets were just as gorgeous (if not more). They were easier to witness, that's for sure.
That up there was the first sunset that really got to me. The camera did it no justice, of course, but you would never see something like this in the city. Not because sunsets like this don't happen in the city, but because there's always some distraction or building in the way. Sunsets, the moon, the stars are harder to notice in the city and that makes me sad.
Then there was the darkness that came with the evening. Usually the moon was able to shine through and you would be able to see the silvery outlines of trees in the distance, or little cow-shaped figures in the fields, but some nights there were so many clouds in the sky that any light was blocked completely. When that happened, you couldn't see anything beyond the illumination on the footpaths (not sidewalks; this was all dirt). Especially considering that most of the horrible weather happened on the first few days that we were there, it was terrifying! The best nights were definitely the cloudless nights- nights in which you could just see that outline of the milkyway sprawled across the sky. Those nights were just gorgeous- they made me so happy.
So yes, in Camp there were green paddocks, a thick Australian bush forest, gorgeous skies of all kinds, and a creek. There was also a sub-tropical rainforest (a very small one, caused by the southern shadow of a large hill) and a large lake/ocean system just a few hundred meters away. Beautiful.
The animals there (which I've already mentioned) included cows, alpacas, various types of chickens and turkeys and ducks, and a dog. There used to be sheep, but unfortunately they were attacked by wild dogs in the area and had to be taken away. The alpacas are currently under debate as they were bought to protect the sheep, didn't, and now aren't really useful for anything but making teenage girls excited about fluffy alpaca babies (which will be born next year). Diesel Dog will stay there for life. And the cows... well, they're delicious. I still find it hard connecting the living, breathing thing in front of me with the hamburger that I will eat later.
Calves are the cutest thing ever, that's for sure! Chicks come close, but not quite. While at Camp we had to take care of three "poddy" (orphan) calves, which were very cute but also pretty rude when it comes to manners and letting each other eat. One time they had a massive fight over who should get fed first and I ended up getting milk all over their heads as well as my raincoat. BUT. They are not nearly as bad as the older poddies. Oh no. The older poddies are cute, too- they're still babies themselves. But oh, they want their food as much as the younger ones. And they're bigger. I had to go in and feed them a few times by myself. My strategy was leaving one bucket by the fence just out of their reach so that at least some of them would be distracted, and then jumping into the paddock with the other bucket screaming my head off as I heard them running after me mooing their heads off. I didn't quite get run over, but whenever I got to the trough they were right on my heels and I had to do a little bit of push and shove to get all the feed in there.
The message: cows are vicious. If you have feed, approach with caution. Wait, no- if you have feed that you want to get somewhere, run with all your might because they will get to it first if you don't.
They're still heart-breakingly cute, though!
The alpacas are the most hilarious things (I have a whole bunch of derpy alpaca sketches lying around):
The chickens are very cute (they're like a little flock of admirers when you come in through the gate)
And while I don't have a picture of Diesel Dog, he was an absolute sweetheart. Very cute to watch from a distance!
So obviously this wasn't quite a normal lifestyle. We did have classes, though- just not the traditional kind. The curriculum focused on environmental, community, and personal sustainability. So basically: how to take care of the environment, be an accepting and helpful member of your community, and take care of yourself. Classes were very helpful, but really only for the environmental sustainability part- the rest I think I had to figure out myself.
I think I have changed as a person. I wrote 904 words about that. There have been lots of things that have opened up my eyes to who I could be- the behavior of my house mates, expeditions, taking on tasks like house chores or running assemblies- and I'm proud of what I have learnt. I just need to worry about what I'm going to do with that knowledge, I guess. It was easier to do so in a small setting like Camp- there were less variables, more set tasks. Here at home it's going to be harder.
One of the most rocking experiences in terms of self-learning was my second expedition. I was stuck with a (frankly) pretty useless partner and had to do everything by myself- packing, unpacking, setting up the tent, directing her to places, reminding her of things, etc. etc. The first day wasn't that great. I was letting her behavior bother me; I wasn't very impressed. But by the third day I realized that I honestly shouldn't care at all, worry about just myself, and enjoy my time. That expo was one of my greatest experiences at Camp, not because sea kayaking is awesome but because I learned a lot about what I can do and what I should do- be helpful, don't judge others without knowing them, and don't care about the little things. The first expo was beautiful and fun, but I didn't really learn much from it (I'm not referring to practical skills here!).
The first expo was pretty awesome- yes, I hiked a total of 32km in 3 days but it was ridiculously fun! The first day we hiked by some pretty gorgeous scenery-
but the second day was the best. After hiking for an hour or so we had to go through a knee-deep, freezing cold brown swamp. It may not sound that great, but it was awesome! And then we arrived at out destination- a lake surrounded by sand dunes close to the ocean.
I was one of three who was brave to put on her bathing suit and roll (down the incredibly steep sand-dune incline) into the lake! It was freezing, and there was sand everywhere, but it was definitely worth it. In the summer terms I'm sure it's a very popular choice to jump in.
For the second expo I don't really have many photos since my camera wasn't waterproof, but the route wasn't as interesting. We did, however, see a wild emu (!!!!!! EXCITEMENT) and this amazing bio luminescence on the shores of our second camp site.
(I'm the one farthest to the left!)
Another sort of "campy" thing we did was Solo- six hours by yourself under a tarp. You set up your own tarp and basically have to entertain yourself and think about what's happened to you over the last few weeks for the whole time. I went a bit stir crazy for the first few hours, ripping out clovers and various other plants to stick them into my visual diary, but eventually I settled in and I actually think that the time was too short. I did get enough time to write a letter to my future self, though! I'll get it next year.
(yes, that's actually me)
Another big part of the Camp program is, of course, the fact that you live in a house with (in my case) six other girls. Luckily we only have to share a room with one, but you still have to cook, clean, and do many other skits and presentations and things with everyone.
Let me tell you- it's ridiculously hard. People that you thought you could get along with perfectly could very well be your worst nightmare. But then, of course, there are also going to be people who surprise you. I didn't know my house mates very well before Camp. I didn't really know anyone in the whole camp- all my friends are going next term. So that was hard too.
But not only is it ridiculously hard because people drive you crazy, it's also hard because you see people doing amazing things and you start doubting yourself. My roommate is the most amazing person- she is open, approachable, always there when you need her, and always has an eye open, literally waiting for an opportunity to help others. Yes, I did get a bit jealous. But then I also stepped up my game.
I think it's good that there was such a mix of people in my house. It taught me a lot- what I want to be and what I don't want to be. So while there were some days where I was just sad and disappointed and all those things, I think it was worth it because I learned something from it.
Cheesy, I know. But true.
Another big part of the Camp program was the CILPs (Camp Independent Learning Projects). the CILPs were these huge projects that we basically spent the whole term on. I did mine on the birds of Camp- I made a whole 29-page field guide. My house mates (and some of the teachers, I think!) thought I was crazy- I was constantly suddenly stopping speaking and staring at a random thing in the distance, creeping up to things, running away without shoes, that sort of thing. Lots of fun! And I identified 60 birds (not including the chickens, turkeys, and ducks). It was all great fun... until the two weeks before it was due. My computer broke down for a few days, which caused enormous stress, and then for the next week and a half I spent every spare moment sitting in front of the screen and just writing things down. I know that the teachers said to not leave it until the last moment; but the thing is I just set myself too much work to do! It's alright, don't worry, I got it done. And I think a lot of the teachers have taken a peek and are considering using it. YES!
The second run, on Sunday, is the challenge run. This run changed every week- the first one was a run around the property with our house (horrible, as most of my house mates were rowers), the next was a challenge to get to different checkpoints (a bit sad, because my team was completely unmotivated), one was a run over two large hills around the property (my foot was bothering me so that didn't go as well as it could have), another was a 7k run across (relatively) flat land (which I enjoyed very much, actually), and another was a run over a very very large hill (torturous). Even though they were different distances and times, I could definitely tell that I was improving by the end because I was catching up to all the rowers by the end!
The last big part of the program was the bead system. It's an award system- there are different bead colors which represent different things and which are awarded to different people. There are 7 beads, and there is one that you earn after Camp. The colors are:
Red- Camp Involvement
Yellow- Personal Challenge
Brown- Expedition
Green- Environmental Sustainability
Blue- Leadership
Pink- Community Sustainability
Black- Pledge (this is for a project we have to complete after Camp called the Action Plan; nobody will earn this one until a while)
I managed to earn a fair few. In order of when I got them: Brown (after my second expo), Yellow (when beads were being awarded to the house- my teacher said that he had noticed me achieving my running goals, which was true), Red (this was given to me in a personal conference- he talked to me about how I had done a lot of things he would not have expected of me), and Green (apparently the whole house voted for me). I'm really proud that I deserve these awards and would like to keep trying hard to uphold this sort of reputation.
Anyways, Camp has been a pretty awesome experience. I was asked that if I were able to, what would I change? and my answer was that I wouldn't change a single thing. It's been hard, yes, but I think that that's part of why it was so amazing. Because I learned things I never would have otherwise. I am extremely grateful that I was able to enjoy this experience.
Stay safe from the older poddies, my friends. And enjoy all the sunrises and sunsets you can get. I'll certainly enjoy mine.
