Strange Things
(Written last night as I sat in our incredibly warm living room.)
The coolest and weirdest parts about working at the camp all come from our guests. People of all walks pass through here, whether it's a church group, secular camp, or family reunion.
And all of those can lead to some truly surreal moments.
My first was during a Farmer's Union leadership camp. I had the split shift that day and took a nap during my break; when I woke up and returned to work, I walked back to the sounds of "Californication" blasting down the valley, kids lounging on the grass.
The following weekend, there was a Mennonite family reunion. In addition to their worship services (which involved some of the most amazing singing), there were several folks with unexpectedly heavy Cajun accents.
The next time, I had the late shift. This time, I was serenaded by the sounds of fifty kids playing plastic (PVC, actually) flutes as I walked to the kitchen.
Not long after, there was a Catholic group here that played ultimate chicken -- a variation on ultimate Frisbee that uses a rubber chicken. Which means there were nuns -- in full habits -- throwing a rubber chicken around.
There was a large Hispanic family reunion after that and it led to all sorts of moments. Just to get started, there were the times they were singing in both English and Spanish, and the meals they made involving cow tongue and goat. (The latter led to some odors that I found less amusing.)
This evening, I walked back to the cabin quietly so as to not disturb the scattered priests as they prepared for confession.
In the midst of everything else -- the work, the arguments, the drama, the incidents and stories -- it's almost a relief to be amused by guests. Funny how that works...
The coolest and weirdest parts about working at the camp all come from our guests. People of all walks pass through here, whether it's a church group, secular camp, or family reunion.
And all of those can lead to some truly surreal moments.
My first was during a Farmer's Union leadership camp. I had the split shift that day and took a nap during my break; when I woke up and returned to work, I walked back to the sounds of "Californication" blasting down the valley, kids lounging on the grass.
The following weekend, there was a Mennonite family reunion. In addition to their worship services (which involved some of the most amazing singing), there were several folks with unexpectedly heavy Cajun accents.
The next time, I had the late shift. This time, I was serenaded by the sounds of fifty kids playing plastic (PVC, actually) flutes as I walked to the kitchen.
Not long after, there was a Catholic group here that played ultimate chicken -- a variation on ultimate Frisbee that uses a rubber chicken. Which means there were nuns -- in full habits -- throwing a rubber chicken around.
There was a large Hispanic family reunion after that and it led to all sorts of moments. Just to get started, there were the times they were singing in both English and Spanish, and the meals they made involving cow tongue and goat. (The latter led to some odors that I found less amusing.)
This evening, I walked back to the cabin quietly so as to not disturb the scattered priests as they prepared for confession.
In the midst of everything else -- the work, the arguments, the drama, the incidents and stories -- it's almost a relief to be amused by guests. Funny how that works...
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