Foxtrot's Theories

At camp... Uh... I'll just tell the story.
We got to school at eight. We boarded the bus. I was sitting next to this kid who dumped me without me knowing I was going out with him. He refused to even look at me. Oh well. He wouldn't give me any of his chips either. Now, the chips I actually wanted.

It was a four and a half hour drive. We stopped half way for a toilet break and then boarded again. Towards the end of the journey, up and down massive hills, seeing as the camp was in a valley, our ears kept on getting blocked and then popping. That was pretty much it.
I didn't get sick on the way there. Yay!

On arrival we began an argument about lasagna and our mothers. I said that they always give us the most pathetic lasagna at camps. I said my mum's was better. Another girl agreed that her mum's was better. Then I said my mum make the best lasagna ever.

It ended up a fully blown argument that lasted all three days, and still ongoing now, involving myself, a few friends and my homeroom teacher. It included factors of all sorts, like the ingredients used to the fact that I was the only Italian one so I claim the rights to what qualifies as good lasagna.

We arrived and had salad rolls. Everyone else complained about what we were eating. That is awesome lunch to me. I mean, I don't see what their problem was. They should just appreciate it, despite the fact that it isn't junk food.

We were allocated rooms. None of my friends put me in with them, so I was with another girl in my class whom I now know well. And whose mum makes lasagna inferior to my mum's, I've decided that much. There were four other girls who disliked us and who didn't speak English whenever we were around. Ah well, such is life.

We had our first activity, leap of faith. We climbed about six metres up a pole and stood on a box only big enough for our feet, and then we jumped off, trying to hit a ball tied to a string. Well, I'm scared of heights as of New Years Eve. So I was up on this box shaking. I jumped though. Nobody thought I would. I've got a habit of being unpredictable. I did it again and ended up with the best time. It was a big surprise for everyone.

I forcibly (I just realised it isn’t ‘ively’ it is ‘ibly’) made my teacher go up there. All beforehand my friends and I discussed what we wanted at our funerals and how we were going to die and all of these things that bothered our teacher before he had to climb up. I also told him that oxygen gets a little thin up there. When he got up I asked how the weather was. He jumped. When he got down we told him that if the siren for the next rotation rang we'd have left him up there, and then come back later to prod him with a giant rod.

We had the high ropes course. We went up, across, down. And I talked to my teacher more. I spent most of camp doing that. He has a cat and likes cute and cuddly things. We had fruit.

Then I was on the trampoline, and I went on the playground. Then I watched my teacher and this other kid I know play chess and the winner got a heart-shaped leaf that I found. It was special until I realised that there was a whole tree of them. I didn’t play chess at all on camp. I’m not bad, but I’d rather watch. The kid who apparently dumped me played, like, every other game against everybody. He won every time. I still think I’d have beaten him, I’m that intimidating. He is pretty good though, and seeing as there was hardly another thing to do, I just sat and watched.

Next was dinner. Risotto, salad, noodles. Everyone complained. I liked it, it was something different. Going back for my third serving, something that anyone, let alone a girl, would do, I was talking to the football boys (they eat) about wanting a big, juicy piece of steak. It was good, but I missed have a big chunk of meat all the way through camp. I mean, there was a little, but hardly as much as I’m used to. We had ice cream and chocolate mousse for dessert. We don’t have dessert at home, so that was nice.

We had free time. All of the girls hung around the cabins or showered. I watched some more chess and picked up feathers. I mean, I don’t like to be with people but I wasn’t totally alone, I mean, there were always people. I got thicker into the lasagna discussion. I argued about chess. Good times. I suppose that is what I mean.
Everyone went on a night walk. Basically up a hill and down a hill, came to about a kilometre. We saw an orb weaver spider. Of course, when I pointed that out, only my teacher cared, because that is how it works. It was dark and I didn’t have a clue what was going on. I’d have liked if maybe the instructors could have told us what exactly we were looking for. I’m sure they were only trying to get us to work our energy off. Ah well, such is life. We got back to camp and played some physical games in the gym. Then we had scones and went to our cabins.

The cabins were like complete houses. We had out own separate rooms in groups of six, but there was a kitchen and lounge room. In one of the rooms one of the girls saw a mouse. Well, serenity gone. So a herd of screaming girls jumping and running came streaming out the door and on top of furniture at eleven at night. Such is life. And it was pretty hilarious, seeing as they were all in pjs and it was freezing.

My roommate and I located it. We got a guy with a torch to help, only the genius couldn’t move the refrigerator, so what’s the point of some tough guy then? I moved the fridge myself and the mouse was in there. We didn’t get it out, just left it, rather than pull the motor apart at that time of night. If the genius girls hadn’t left food lying around it never would have happened. The teachers came too do something about it, but everyone had gotten over it by then. So we went to bed.

As soon as the lights were out, at about midnight all of the partying started. Ergh… I was going to get some sleep, but that became a more long-term goal. Seeing as all the cabins were pretty close and all good friends, the more popular girls right next to us hosted the party in their room, then the next night it would be the boys’ turn. So everyone came with food and drinks and a little music. Teachers would come around every now and then, and then everyone not in that cabin would bolt out the back door, and then come back shortly afterwards. Well, I was invited, although I kindly declined. I was going to try and get some sleep, but rather I stayed awake in my room all the while seeing as there were so many people and I wanted to stay on guard, because I didn’t quite trust them as of yet. I mean, they could’ve brought alcohol and got drunk and stupid. They didn’t, only energy drinks, but just to be safe.

My friend in my room, the one with the mouse and the lasagna, hung out with me. It was that loud in the room with the party next to us, we tried to get some sleep on the couches in the other room. It was the first room teachers would see if they walked in and the fastest one to get out of if the building was on fire. The teacher would come in with a torch, he’d look over us and ignore it. We clearly weren’t there to party.

All of this partying was very polite though. Before entering our rooms, people would knock, ask if we were decent, and then come in. They weren’t trying to hurt anyone. Only there would be punishment if they were caught seeing as it was late and I did want to sleep. Such is life.

By about three the party was over. Everyone went to their own rooms and I went to bed. Only person in any trouble that night was one boy, he tapped on a window and it broke, cut his arm and a little of his wrist, so they took him by ambulance to hospital. I know it is an unlikely story, but all true. Everyone was pretty close at camp and at our school, so we were very worried. He’s alright though.

We woke the next morning, shared one bathroom with one sink and one mirror between sixteen girls, and went to breakfast. Gossip was still around from the night before, but I was happy to be eating again. We had toast with baked beans (weird but it was alright) and this thing I called egg mush, which really was just mushed egg. I liked it, everybody complained.

Our next activity was… Um… It was only a few days ago and I’m forgetting already… Initiative games! Yea, we played games in our activity group. There was a big spider’s web made out of wire and we had to get all twenty of us through it without touching it, only using each hole for one person. The bigger people, myself included apparently, picked up the little people so they could get through the top, small holes. It got there in the end.

Then we had more fruit and I filled up a water bottle. We weren’t following a timetable anyway, seeing as we’d arrived late on the first day. We were told when to go to our next activity or meal by a siren. It sounded like a dying bird. There were a lot of birds there as well. I spent much of that day complaining about the lack of sleep, even thought I wasn’t tired. It still wasn’t appropriate to be up so late. My teacher was going to do the duty that night, so he would be around, I thought I was going to sleep soundly.

Anyway, rather than jump to that, I must go in order. We then had rock climbing. About eight metres and we just had to climb up. We held the pulleys for our classmates. I held it for my teacher just to freak him out. I’m like, ‘Sir, would you buy life insurance from this face?’ That is what I say anyway… I didn’t drop him, but I liked to see him worry. See, best way to get a teacher to be nice to you, do not kill them. Hehe.

We had lunch; hamburgers and chips. I liked it. People complained because there were things like carrot, lettuce, tomato and beetroot in them; they didn’t like that they were healthy. I loved it!! The chips were still deep-fried…

Next was an activity called the Maze. We were blindfolded and had to hold onto one another’s shoulders to guide our way around the campsite. It was one of those activities that were designed to help us trust each other. Most of the activities were something like that.
Next we had more fruit and I watched some more chess. There wasn’t all too much else to do, but it was good because that kid’s winning streak attracted a small crowd, all the oddballs like me. Only they left after a while, I continued watching until the next activity.

We had our final activity for the day; we went canoeing. Haha. I was working with this kid who just didn’t get how to use it. Funny how it is always somebody else’s fault rather than my own, but I’m sure it wasn’t me. I saw an iguana and I pointed it out to the group. It looked pretty cool. We played a game where we had to balance, standing up on the front of the canoes, and jumping over the top of them from one to the other. Most people didn’t want to try it. I did. I tend to put my hand up for everything. I got over them all, but I let my guard down on the last one and fell in. I didn’t jump in, but I let myself fall. I was curious and I’d wanted to try it, I mean, it would be a new experience; I’d never fallen into a river before. It was fun. My clothes were wet.

I still didn’t have a shower. The showers there were scary. Besides, nobody had any complaints… Hehehehe. I watched some more chess. Ahh, that was it. It was a life-size chess board, outdoors. It was awesome. A little drizzle on the first day, but nobody went inside. The weather provided even though it was cold.

We had dinner. It was Australian lasagna. I didn’t like it, but I ate it and didn’t complain, except I did discuss it with my friend and my teacher. They liked it. It wasn’t traditional tomato and a little bit of alcohol in the sauce type of sweet, it was full of sugary preservatives that gave it a sweetness I didn’t really like. It was just so… Aussie… Yea, I’m still a little European, despite riding a kangaroo to school. (If anyone believes I seriously do ride a kangaroo I will throw some Aussie lasagna at you. Hehe, but I am serious.) Desert was apple cake.

We watched a movie and had apple cake, and then went to bed. To cut a long story short. The movie was called ‘You Got Served’. It was about dancing and young people, gangs and I’m pretty sure drugs a little. It was alright, but I’d have much preferred another walk. Oh, and by the way, my pjs are red and have Tweety Bird on them. I wore them with a jumper on top to the movie. I must always be weird, but it was so comfy, and it saved me getting dressed afterwards, rather then when they party may be starting.

The party… Ergh… It was at the boys’ cabin this time so I could stay back and get some sleep. Some kids didn’t go to the party, so they stayed back. They did an all nighter; Red Bull, Mother, V, Rockstar. Energy drinks made them stay awake, and the number of empty bottles lying around the day later meant they had stayed up all night. It would be impossible to sleep after that many, and I’m surprised they didn’t have a heart attack. I suppose my teacher didn’t get them, but they got in too early. I couldn’t really say anything. I mean, for my own safety, and it wouldn’t be worth it unless anything dangerous was happening. So I went to sleep and woke up hourly, somehow. I’m pretty sure at least one of the girls in our cabin was awake at all times. We were on guard.

The next morning we packed up our things. For breakfast we had tin-can spaghetti on toast. Weird, but it was alright. Hence I say nobody liked it? Not likely, sorry angels.

We squeezed in two activities, one we missed out on the first day. We had the giant swing, about ten metres. We were harnessed in and hoisted up. My harness wasn’t on properly; it seriously hurt on the way up when they hoisted me to the top. They though I was holding onto the rope because I was scared, I wasn’t, I was in pain. Ah well, I pulled the string and the swing began. It was cool, but I don’t remember it, I was too distracted by the pain. They thought I would scream, I didn’t. I whimpered. It hurt. So that wasn’t fun. A little bruising around my hips and all the other places where the harness was, also the harness on my arms dug in. Such is life.

Then we went swimming. To cut a long story short, not that it was very exciting. I mean, it was a useless activity to drive into the middle of nowhere for. We could swim anywhere. On returning to the cabin to change into my trackies, I found the door was locked. Rather than going and finding a teacher it was easier to break into it. I bent the hooks that held the fly-screen, slid it out, used the groove of a sunscreen bottle to open the lock from the outside and shimmied the window open. I am too good. Odd thing to be proud of, but it was pretty cool I could figure it out.

I watched some chess and we had lunch. Salad sandwiches again, yum. They had ham in them this time. No beetroot though, seeing as hardly anyone liked it. I love beetroot. It was nice though. Only I don’t like that there was margarine. I can’t stand it. It was nice anyway.

We boarded the bus. We saw the other half of the year nines arriving. I suppose they were pretty sick of the bus. Oh well, their problem. It was a four and a half hours back. I talked to this other kid about firecrackers, of all things, and that was pretty much it. I got stuck in traffic a street away from school. Then we went home.

That basically just sums it all up in about 3,000 words. It was a very good experience, for me anyway. I liked camp. And I’ve just rambled on forever. I wouldn’t say I’d like to do it again, once was more than enough, but it was a very interesting experience and we had a lot of fun.