I realise I have been some what neglectful of my duty to occasionally post something on this wonderful site. But you have to understand I have 24hour care of 9 kids aged 11 and 12, on my own, each week. But here I am again and I'm going to try to fill you in on the last 5 or 6 weeks...
Each week during Hector Spring school pretty much involves us doing the same activities each week. So it's really the kids that mix things up for us. But we always have such different groups each week that you hardly realise you're doing the same thing over and over again because it's jsut so different! The other week I had a group of 11 boys in my care, wow. It was a pretty crazy week but I learnt alot. One morning I was even asked from across the breakfast table whether there was goat in the toast. Yes goat. In the toast. To top things off my boys had to be up before sunrise each morning to pray. Sunrise is at 5am so alarms were set for 4.30am. After finally getting them quiet at 11pm I was awoken to 11 boys up and moving around at 1.30am in the morning as they thought it was time to go...This happened again at 3.45am and after they'd finished praying by 5, there was no going back to sleep apparently and there were yells and laughter and shouting until I threw them all out of the tipi at 7.30 to go to breakfast. A good 4 hours sleep that night. Luckily the following nights, the alarm failed to go off. Nothing to do with me I promise.
My last group of Spring (this was last week) was a group of 9 girls. They were great girls and I had a wicked feeling about the week from the word go. First activity I had with them was team building so I took them out to Hector Field and started playing some games with them. To get them all excited I decided to play the screamy runny game. Which involves just screaming and running pretty much as you may have guessed. Unfortunately one girl fell over on a rock and broke her ankle and was sent home. Brilliant...1 down, 8 to go. Even so the rest of the week was a good ending to spring, probably my best group yet!
So right now I am back on Vancouver Island and Uncle Fred and Auntie Roberta's with 2 of my friends from camp, Michael from Melbourne and Lauren from New Zealand. Fred's in Indiana bringing back a truck he just bought so Bertie's looking after us very well of course! We arrived on Vancouver Island into Victoria late last night around 11pm from Port Angeles, U.S. There was a period of time yesterday in a small town called Poulsbo that we weren't sure whether we were going to make it back to Canada but we made it!
I'll rewind briefly to the start of our 2 week break we have off between our Spring and Summer season. Last Saturday night all the staff got together and we had a wicked 80's themed night in Canmore before we all went off our seperate ways for the break. The night was so much fun and some of the costumes that came out were absolutely amazing! Pretty sure the rest of Canmore who saw us wandering the streets that night were fairly shocked. On Sunday my roadtrip crew (there are 5 of us) loaded up the Voltswagon golf with 5 massive packs and 5 of us and began our epic drive through The Rockies. Just outside of Banff we drove past a Moose! My very first Moose experience along with most of the cars occupants (including a Canadian), so we were all very excited. We were still driving at 1am in the morning having got fairly lost trying to find the house where we were staying for the night before continuing to Vancouver. This night time drive did provide us with a chance to see a Beaver waddling along the road and a raccoon. Michael preceded to chase the beaver which very quickly started spitting at him and thumping its tail on the road. This was followed quickly by michael hopping back into the car. The Canadians told him not even attempt doing the same with the raccoon.
We started our drive again the next day and drove for another 4 hours or so before reaching a town that begins with 'O' and that I can't remember at this point in time. Conveniantly right across the road from where we stopped the car was a field of cherry trees. Lauren and I ran straight to them and started to eat them straight off the trees. Soooo good and I recommend fresh cherries to everyone. We stopped right after a car being driven by the guy who obviosuly owned said cherry's gave us a fairly obvious look as he drove past. We then drove to a roadside stand and actually bought some fruit.
So the next night was spent just outside of Vancouver at Laura's house (one of my fellow roadtrippers). I should mention that we're doing a photo scavenger hunt during this break and so we're versing all the other groups from camp. We aim to win. So much of the next day in Vancouver was spent walking around in wedding dresses in Value Village. Coaxing strangers into playing games with us in a mall, doign handstands in a public sphere, asking a cashier at McDonalds for a free smile many many more. So far we've done 60 of the 130 ridiculous things to do. I'm still trying to find somewhere to donate blood and one of us needs to be seen to get arrested. unfortunately we've asked about 10 police officers if they could pose in a picture arresting us, all have said not. One did lend us their handcuffs though. We even asked the US customs officer on our way to Seattle. He told us to please try not to get arrested in the US. Good advice probably.
From Vancouver Michael, Lauren and I caught the Greyhound down to Seattle where we were staying with someone Michael's sister knew call Dagon. Such a nice guy and we had a great time in Seattle. Did a bit of shopping, mainly to make myself feel better after finidng out I only have $7 in my bank account after taking out $80. So that money was going to have to last me until I got back to Canada and was paid. Also went over to Bainbridge Island for the day which was nice and relaxing.
Deciding we needed to find the cheapest way possible to Victoria we caught a bus to downtown seattle, Ferry to Bainbridge island, a bus to Poulsbo which we got to at 1pm and then found out there were np more buses until 5pm which meant we had 4 mins to be at our connecting bus at 6.04pm in Fourcorners to get us to our next bus in Sequim so we could then get to Port Angeles to catch our 9.30pm ferry to Victoria. We were planning on the 5pm ferry but obviously that was now out of the question. The whole day was pretty hectic but eventually we made it onto the ferry. We did have a stranger buy us dinner though because he saw us counting our change to try to figure out how to feed 3 of us with very little money. Another lady working in a diner which we decided was too expensive for us offered us a place to stay. And a lady over hearing it was our first time in the US came over and gave me a hug and welcomed me. The people are just so nice in Port Angeles!
Admittedly the problems didn't fully end there. Seeing as it was now so late and we were arriving into Victoria, a fair way from Fred and Roberta's, we decided to stay with a friend who lived closer. Unfortunately she wasn't answering her phone when we hopped off the ferry so we heading hesitantly on yet another bus in her direction anyway. Thankfully we got through to her and all was good again:) The bus driver was also very close to offering us a place to stay.
Sorry to end this so suddenly but I really need to get to bed!
Will try to post more often!
Hope Perth is doing well
Alex
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