Jane: Bonding Night, Camp Myrtlewood (Day 2)

My name is Jane! This is my second year at camp, aka one of the best places on earth. So far I am loving it.

Today at camp I got up around 8:30, a very cold and wet awakening because I slept in the field with some friends. I had my morning time, washing face and etc. before breakfast at 9:30. For breakfast, I had the signature camp potatoes (somehow better than last year), fruit, oatmeal, and a tofu scramble. I sat by the swings with my friends and ate breakfast.

Morning meeting was after breakfast. We sung the Caravan song (if you know, you know) and talked about the upcoming bonding night and how you really, REALLY need to be quiet by the cabins at night. Sleep, ya know.

There was a ten minute break, and then it was advisee time. My advisor is Nathan. Everyone in the group went around and said how were and how their day was going; I said was pretty good, sore from the aforementioned field sleeping but no regrets.

After advisee is our first workshop slot. There were tons of sick workshops to go to, and I went to a yoga sutra meditation with J, a camp counselor. We meditated and talked about how yoga is not headstands and strengthening your physical being, but strengthening your emotional being and using physical activity as a tool to achieve that.

The superheroes assembled afterwards. I am a bathroom superhero, so I cleaned the bathrooms. Hot tip: the bathrooms are very easy to clean.

LUNCH!!! Lunch is from 1:30-2:30. I believe we had bread rolls and soup. Very delicious. I milled about with different people.

We had siesta time afterwards, a quiet time for naps and relaxing. I think I played the piano and had some alone time by the creek.

After siesta there are 2 workshop blocks. I went to partner dancing with Mila. The partner dancing workshops were one of my favourite parts of camp last year, and this year did not disappoint. I got to brush up on the skills I learned before and had fun moving around with people I knew and didn’t know.
The partner dancing workshop bled into the second workshop block, so I ended up dancing the whole afternoon. I did lay on the couch with a friend afterwards because jeez it was tiring.

Then we had a staff panel about the “Transition Into Adulthood” where campers asked staff questions about being adults. I stayed for half of it and left to nap for the other half.

After staff panel was dinner, which was tofu, rice and veggies. I sat in the field and played “Guess the Animal Game” with friends. Basically, you guess what animal someone else is thinking of. It varied from crustaceans in the midnight zone of the sea to Blake Boles’ very difficult to guess creatures of dog and cat.

Afterwards we had evening meeting. We went over logistics and random bits and bobbins. Me and my friends collected grass and made a grass pile (meetings are boring – but neccesary).

Then came the big event: bonding night. Bonding night is an experience that can’t really be described, you really just have to be there. But, basically, the very gist if it is that it is a night where you do have an experience of asking and answering meaningful questions, hold eye contact for periods of time, and then silently receiving and giving anonymous hugs. It is a very teary and vulnerable night. It is one of my favourite things – the hugs are the best. It seems scary to get hugs from people you don’t know but it’s really very healing.

After bonding I went off with people and wound down in the field. We wound down by wandering around, swinging on the swings, and having a mandatory cuddle puddle. It’s not camp without a cuddle puddle.

Then I went and got much needed sleep, and that was today at camp!