So I spent most of last week at girl's camp. I had some good experiences, but there was some stuff going on that made me... confused.
For one thing, there was Ward Day. It was halfway through the week. The time between breakfast and dinner was spent with 11-year-olds. I was put as a 4th-year, so I had to help be in charge of them, which included teaching them when it came to certification stuff (which I hadn't actually done at actual girl's camp before, so I needed to learn it while teaching).
May I just say I felt this was unnecessary? I mean, sometimes they let girls go to the whole camp when they're eleven (but almost twelve) in other states. They don't just give them a day to run around, they're there for the whole week, just like everyone else. Especially because the campsite is usually about 2 hours away! It's stupid to just be there for a few hours!
Same with what happens after that. Bishops and other ward members come for dinner and maybe stay for the campfire afterwards. I mean, I didn't think it was that bad to hang out with the bishop and Young Women leaders over lasagna, but did you really have to make them drive all the way here for a meal?
The way everything was arranged, including the schedule, was different. For one, everyone was in a cabin depending on their year (and the YCLs name their cabin, often referring to a movie). The one for 4th-years (our groups were Big Hero 6 and The Snuggly Duckling- the latter a reference to Tangled. I was part of the Ducklings) was the biggest and nicest, but also one of the farthest from the rest of the camp, so that generally sucked. Everyone ate every meal at the same time in one big cafeteria-ish lodge. There was a set time after lunch for 3 hours in which you could do whatever the heck you wanted, and there were sign up sheets for activities like canoeing, archery (which I tried- I am not good at aiming and don't even know how to aim with a bow, and so therefore was the only girl to kill a tree), and making a dessert of some kind. They had a pool and Slip-n-Slide, though I don't know if anyone used the latter. Everyone did something that had to do with camp certification every day. There was something called the campfire every night, which I did have before, but I think this was longer and later. On one of the last nights they did something called the Circle of Lights, where everyone got in a circle while holding a (real) candle, and we sang hymns and spiritual camp songs.
And then there's the camp names.
I believe I mentioned the last time I went that I picked out the name Shanghai as my camp name. As far as I know, we were really the only group to do that, but it was still fun. Here, it's a whole nuther deal.
See, they had me fill out a paper a few weeks before camp that asked questions about my likes, hobbies, what I wanna be when I grow up... You know, just stuff about me. They also left a space so my parents (and my sister) could write about me. (I wish I got to see what they wrote.) They used that information to decide on my camp name. Only 4th-years get camp names. It's not just a random name for fun, it's a name that says something about who you are. Therefore, it's a big deal. Girls dream about the moment they get their name since their first year.
The campfire in which the whole naming ceremony would happen was crazy. When they rolled around to that, the excitement, anticipation, nervousness, all kinds of emotion was in the air. There is a near-sacredness about this moment. In a way, I think it's almost like a mini-patriarchal blessing and a part of your self-discovering journey as you get into adulthood. Mine was Rhythm, probably more to do with the whole playing-drums thing than anything else, but I know that it means more. Here, let me write the description they proclaimed:
"[Rhythm] is the meaning of thought expressed through the measure or movement in sound or form. Rhythm brings balance, joy and satisfaction. It is as individual as a heartbeat and as dynamic as the pace of populations around the world."
I thought about it, and I thought maybe it means I have my own rhythm different from everyone else- like that line in "Cool Kids" that goes "And they all got the same heartbeat, but hers is falling behind." And it's a good thing. That I'm unique in my personality, in the way I think, how I dress, everything, and I should be darn proud of it. Also, there's that part in the description that says "Rhythm brings balance, joy and satisfaction." I totally agree that a song with a good rhythm is better than one that's confusing or changing a lot, therefore bringing balance, joy, and satisfaction. In my own life, things are constantly changing, but I'm still satisfied with my general everyday and feel like I have never really changed that much since I was born (like I've always had the same constant beat). I might be more complicated, but I'm still kinda the same, right? And, hopefully, I really do bring joy to the people I know, especially my family and close friends.
I'm also taking this as a sign that maybe I should focus on music more. While I'm definitely a drummer, music isn't my life. If my camp name has to do with music, does it mean it should be my life or at least a bigger part of it? Or that it will be? Am I supposed to bring the rhythm to something important in the future? I dunno, but... Whatever it is I do when I'm older, music-related or not, I hope it's whatever's best for me and those around me, and that it's awesome. (Maybe it'll be that I'll be the mom in a rock band in the basement like my dad did when I was little. I do not remember that at all, but he loves to remind me of it anyways.)
Back to the naming ceremony. They did it alphabetically by first names, so I went up about halfway through. They called us up one by one, gave the description of us, gave the name ("We bestow upon you the name Rhythm.") and then said the definition of the name while everyone is gasping and "aw"ing and getting emotional. They placed a tiara on your head as they gave you the name. On your way back to the seat, the other 4th-year girls were blowing bubbles of congratulation (including me- they gave me a bottle, and I thought it was a cute touch) towards you and you got big hugs from your tearful friends.
I made friends quite fast while there- really, I think I felt closer to these girls than I did my first time around at girl's camp. I made a friendship with (using camp names as codenames) Galaxy (everyone loved her name, especially her), Scout, Safari (though I started just calling her Saf); friendship-but-not-as-close with Valor (her real name is Lily and she loves cats too! She's actually making a Furry), Masterpiece, Saffron (she's so cute), Sweetpea, Starburst, Sriracha, Akira, Kazoo, and the girls I met at the Zumba activity- now dubbed Shamrock and Jazzy. For the Secret Sister thing I received a friendship bracelet from Pirouette (real name Phoenix, which I think is really awesome) and I gave some stuff to Sweetpea. I wish I could've done a better job of making the things I gave her look nice and meaningful, but I hope she still liked the stuff anyways.
Galaxy, perhaps my bestest camp friend of all, actually lives in Utah and just visits Oregon for the summer, so therefore has been to this camp more than any in Utah. She is huge on anime- apparently has watched over 200 series. She also loves cosplaying at conventions. I'd call her a real otaku. She can be loud and obnoxious and be physically slow, but I still like her.
I'm hoping maybe, once we live in Utah again, I'll go to a convention with her, whether it be Anime Banzai or Comic Con or whatever. Maybe I can even get in on whatever cosplay she's doing.
Well, I'd really like to hang out with Scout too. She loves drawing and is ridiculous. I told her about Gordon Ramsey (Future Me, imagine if they actually acted out that Kodak Moment we sent in! *bends over laughing* Also, remember when that girl passed out during first aid demonstration and the Dwarves, Larry and Darryl and Darryl and Darryl and Darryl, did their skits and when the Titanic showed up?) using words like "gorgeous" and "sexy" to describe dishes when clearly they aren't women, and she started a whole thing of speaking in a British (though accidentally more Australian) accent and telling you to do stuff like caress the cheese and tell it it's beautiful so that your pizza will come out the sexiest it can be.
I did not mean to start that, but I apologize anyways for anyone- especially adults- if they were nearby and heard the whole conversation.
Anyway, she's real cool, and likes a lot of the same stuff as me, and I wanna stay friends with her! Too bad I might not end up being at camp next year... Who knows, my dad might get a new job before I even have the chance to try the school in this neighborhood. We could end up sticking around until I graduate. We just don't know.
Just a reminder that this week we're going to go visit family. I might manage to post something once or twice within the next month, but I generally won't have access to the Internet. This is my first time going to Mexico after getting into fanfics and stuff, so I'm terrified about how many story updates I'm gonna end up missing. *tear* Within the weekend I can get, like, 10 updates, so 3 weeks? Ooooooh boy.
No comments:
Post a Comment