Camp Runels Summer 2019

Welcome to Camp Runels 2019! 

Damn Runels - back at it again with another summer. It's been a year, but we are back with another summer adventure at Camp Runels on Little Island Pond. The decision to return to camp for a second summer was pretty instantaneous. I knew from the second I said my goodbyes, that I would be right back as soon as possible. Nine months in-between didn't even feel long, it just felt like passing time until I could go back to camp. 

The travels to camp began with an early morning flight direct from Glasgow to Boston. Something I am so thankful for is direct flights - I now appreciate them whenever I am lucky enough to book them. Six hours later, I landed in Boston Logan Airport, and began summer number two. This time felt different, I was visiting my friends rather than meeting all new people, and I knew my job inside-out rather than being thrown in the deep end of tie-dye and lake swimming. I was ready for it, and I was so excited to see my home away from home.

Little Island Pond (5:08AM)

It felt strangely surreal to be back. Almost like recognising a scent but not being able to quite put your finger on it. It was the same - but it was so different. There were new people, new environments and new experiences. I remember walking back into the staff house, and no one was really on property, and it felt like I had never been gone. I remembered watching Mamma Mia on the tiny television, eating cheesecake with tongs and lying in a hammock listening to the sounds of the trees. Pre-Camp was like I remembered; long and informative. A lot of 'getting to know the new people' and 're-capping on how we do things'. It's pretty standard stuff that we all just have to do. The best thing about pre-camp is the freedom to catch up with your friends - people I hadn't seen since the previous summer (oh and lots of photo shoots). 

Nessie the counsellor!

Session 1 - Daisy/Brownie Sampler (Daisy/Br Resident Camp)

Session 2 - Sweet Treats (Brownie Resident Camp)

Session 3 - 300 Acre Wood (Brownies Resident Camp)

Session 4 -  Fireflies/Brownie Bites (Brownies Day Camp)

Session 5 - Insta-Worthy (Senior Ambassadors Resident Camp)

Session 6 - Brownie Magic/Adventure (Brownie Resident Camp)

Session 7 - Marvelous Mythical Magic (Brownie Resident Camp)

Overall, camp is a tough gig. I think I returned this summer knowing that it wouldn't be the same as my last, but not really preparing for what that meant. There are both positive and negative aspects of this, considering that whilst you are meeting new friends, it's also hard to let go of the old friends who didn't return. Your campers are getting older, but some have returned more mature with stories to tell you - that they've been holding in all year. The job changes slightly, and you have to learn new ways to do things, whilst teaching others how to do things. You're a returner, not a newbie. I prepared my mind as much as I could for this, but when it came down to processing my actions - that was tougher. Regardless of the tough times, it was all 100% worth it. Whether camp is for you or not, it is important to recognise that everyone will have a different experience.

Canobie Lake Park

The Yearly 2018

This is way overdue but that's cool, I never claimed to be follow the man-made concept of time. Here's a capsule of my favourite music of the year 2018. (Some released in the year 2018 and some I discovered in the year 2018)

~

Black Panther: The Album Music From and Inspired by Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd and SZA.

- Redepmtion (with Babes Wodumo)

- All The Stars (with SZA)

- Pray for me (with Kendrick Lamar)

- King's Dead (with Kendrick Lamar)

The Vaccines

- I Can't Quit

- Put It On A T-Shirt

- Nightclub

Mabel

- Fine Line (with Not3s)

Childcare

- Bamboo

- Put Down Your Pen

- Man Down

The Wombats

- Cheetah Tongue

- Turn

- Lethal Combination

dodie

- Human (with Tom Walker)

- When - Live

Raleigh Ritchie

- Me Myself and I

- Sicko

- Time in a Tree

Rex Orange County

- Loving is Easy

- Corduroy Dreams

- Sunflower

- Uno

- Rex (Intro)

Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse (Soundtrack From and Inspired by the Motion Picture)

- Way Up (with Jaden Smith)

- Sunflower (with Post Malone and Swan Lee)

Mac Miller

- Nothing from Nothing

- Dunno

Favourite books of 2018

I make a yearly goal for myself to read lots of books. I love books and the stories i read are slowly becoming more and more real in my head. I know I should probably get my head out of a book and back into reality, but i'll try to manage both. This year i'm honestly quite shocked with some of the stuff I chose to read - cause to be frank it wasn't my ideal choices. Going into 2019, I aim to read more books that I am actually interested in - rather than just reading them for the sake of ticking a box.

In 2018, I read 25 books. I would say for a year of graduating college, starting university and working abroad for two months - that's actually an achievement. 


The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

"Can you plan happiness?

It's been a year since Paige's first boyfriend died in a swimming accident and it's time she rejoined the real world. 

So she makes a plan:

1. Date a boy (long-standing crush Ryan Chase seems like the perfect choice)

2. Attend parties (with best friends by your side: doable)

3. Join a club (simple enough, right?)

4. Travel (might as well dream big)

5. Swim (terrifying. Impossible)

But when she meets Ryan's sweet but so nerdy cousin, Max, he opens up her world and Paige's plans start to change. 

Is it too late for a second chance at life? "

Rating: ★★★★★

This was one of the first books I read back in January of 2018. I picked it up on a whim, not knowing much about it and having never have read any of Lord's other books. I was completely hooked and to this day I couldn't tell you why. I remember slowly getting into this book, and then reading more and more, until I sat down one night and read more than half of it in one sitting. It was about 2am when I sat gathering my thoughts over how incredible this book was. The characters were super well developed and I related a lot to Paige and her personality. As well as that, I completely fell in love with Max as he sounds like my ideal man. 

Simon VS The HomoSapiens Agenda by Becky Allbertalli

"Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met."

Rating: ★★★★

This book was on everyones to be read list ... about 3 years ago. I admit I am very behind the times with books, but I have finally been attempting to catch up. I heard this book was going to be adapted into a movie and so decided it was finally time - and yes i did finish it while on the way to the movie theatre. Overall it's definitely another LGBT uplifting novel that I think young adults and teenagers should read to understand what life is like for some people who are within the LGBTQ+ community. I loved the character of Simon and I thought his friends and Blue were really well written as well. Side note: Nick Robinson and Katherine Langford were amazing in this movie and really did the book proud in my opinion. 

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

"Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life."

Rating: ★★★★★

Again, this is another book that everyone read about 3 years before I did. (I'm very behind with the times okay..) But finally, 2018 was the year I read this book. This book is so powerful and so culturally relative I honestly feel like it should be studied and introduced into schools. It's so important, especially for Americans to be educated on the issues within this book like repressed minorities and teenage shootings. Without getting too political though, I loved the pace of this book and the overall storyline as well as characters like Seven and Star. Also the movie was also incredible.

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

"My name is Amanda. I’m 18. When you look at me, you might see that I’m pretty and popular; you might think my life is easy. But being me has never been easy. Because I haven’t always been Amanda. When I was born, I was named Andrew. Now, at my new school, I finally feel like myself. But do I owe my new friends the truth about my past?"

Rating: ★★★★

After multiple recommendations, I decided to finally pick up this book. I started reading it while working in America and I made myself stop so I could actually focus on it when I wasn't busy. I then read it on my plane home from America and because obsessed. This was such a wholesome story which is what I love from YA books - and it reminded me a lot of The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson. It's so heartbreaking but so joyful at the same time.

Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven

"Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed 'America's Fattest Teen'. But no one's taken the time to look past her weight to get to see who she really is. Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin too. Yes, he's got swagger, but he's also mastered the art of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a secret: he can't recognize faces.  The more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world - theirs and yours."

Rating: ★★★★

Un-problematic characters are overrated and I love characters that you can relate to in some way. Jack and Libby were both very unique characters in their own ways, and it made me interested in their stories and how the tackled the problems in their lives. I was also a complete sucker for the love story overall. It's not a book I planned to read in 2018 but i'm really glad I did.