First Day of Camp

Well, the first day of camp was kind of hectic...but I think that's what made it normal. No, I'm totally lying. It was totally out of control. I remember being confused or maybe a little lost at the other camps, but there was always that structure to turn back to. Here, there is no structure. I don't even know if the kids had fun today because of all the screaming, fighting, and name-calling. And jumping fences. Big fences. And not listening to the counselors. I don't know half the kids' names yet because all the hustling, plus two kids look so similar to me, AND there are no attendance sheets. I asked Kevin about this, and I'm pretty sure he's sick of me comparing everything to Noyce, but I can't help it. Things just WORK there. Kevin thinks that everyone there is a stickler to the rules, but at least there things are under control and the kids feel like they are in a safe environment. We had so many injuries today. Two kids got hit in the head with a kickball. There was a bee sting. And the name-calling and "every kid for themselves" mantra that is now in place is messing with my head. I did connect with a couple of them, but I have a funny suspicion that I'll have to start over tomorrow. Especially with Brendon there. It's hard to act like I'm in charge with him around. I did come up with game plans but didn't end up using any of them because they were all set for toddlers who were shy. The kids ended up still being in one big group, basically, and the games I had in mind would just seem lame to the older kids. And everybody had so much energy that calming them down to start any activity that lasted more than five minutes was just impossible. We played kickball, and that lasted all of two minutes before everybody got confused about which team they were on and random people started kicking the ball and running around aimlessly. Fishy fishy went better, but none of the kids were quiet enough to hear the little kid trying to yell the instructions (Fishy fishy cross my ocean if you're wearing pink). The kids only sat down for all of ten minutes when one of the kid's dad came by to drop off popsicles. They weren't into circle games, which I found surprising because every other camp I've been to, especially Gildersleeve, the kids have been into them. And it was basically only two hours! The first hour was breakfast and cards, then the two hours, and then lunch. During those two hours, more than half the kids asked when lunch was going to be. One girl asked me while the cards were still out. And then I walked home, and I have a blister on my foot. I'm afraid I won't be able to wear the same shoes tomorrow...the horrible lime green t-shirts are...HORRIBLE! I have about 3 pairs of shorts that actually go with the t-shirt. I was so exhausted after walking home in the wretched heat that I jumped into the cool shower when I got home. My inner body was seriously toasting. And I drank lots of water and just had to eat some ice cream to COOL ME DOWN. It wasn't really that my muscles were tired...just my body felt so hot. Good news, though, I didn't get a sunburn. My face was actually pleasantly tanned, and with the sultry combination of my eyes, it was a sight to see. I guess the sunscreen I put on this morning paid off. Oh, this morning. Waiting in that field was tres barbant. I ended up going up 15 minutes early because I thought Kevin would come in early anyway. Nope. I felt so awkward standing there with the mom and kids I didn't even know yet. I'm just hoping tomorrow will be better.