Mad Skills

I have accepted a postion at for July at a camp called Esperanza - Ferrier point. I am "assistant director." Ferrier point is located on Nootka Island (not pronounced newt-ka or but rather more like nutka. I was informed of my erroneous pronunciation at church on Sunday and though this infomation I hope to save you copious future humiliation) on the North West coast of Vancouver Island. The camp is small. Sixteen campers who are practically adults. Camp is a month long.

Before I embark on new and exciting adventures I often spend a great deal of time imagining my experience. I base my current imaginings on the list below, one visit to Point no Point when I was five, a trip to Uclulet two falls ago, going to White Rock, and taking the ferry to the Sunshine Coast. Needless to say, my visions for the month of July are, necessarily, somewhat skewed. I imagine no running water (I think I'm correct on this point at least because we're supposed to bring biodegradable shampoo and soap), catching a salmon as long as my arm, being thrown into the ocean repeatedly (this based on many years of being thrown into one very icy lake), not getting enough fresh vegetables, being often and severly sunburned, campers who are all taller than me, being often soaked with rain, collecting shells, sleeping by the ocean. I think It will be beautiful place to be and allot of fun. I'm trying to imagine Halima and the girls I will share a tent with.

It is interesting to me that I have gotten this position. Take a moment to peruse the list of responsibilities below:

"Assist with all areas of the program.
You will be directing the teen girls and Halima O'Brian will assist you.
Camp set-up (tents/tarps/general living area etc.)
You will be reponsible for taking an active part in the dailey [sic] running of the camp.
Assist in directing dailey [sic] devotionals/prayer/campfire.
*Kitchen duty(cooking/cleaning/arranging cooking schedules, possibly travelling to
Campbell River to purchase groceries etc)
**Food gathering (fishing/crabbing/etc.)
***Assist in directing work projects.(projects yet to be determined)
Assist in directing hiking excurtions(includes food prep/gear/safety/leading/etc.).
Assist in camp discipline.
****Assist in directing the sea canoe journey(prep/camp set-up/paddling /leading/etc.).
Assisting with First Aid and caring for the general health/hygene of the camp.
*****Some general maintenance on quad/boats/motors and operating the mentioned equipment.
I understand that you have a background in canoeing...I may ask you to do the canoe
orientation...from paddling to safety."

*Campbell River... where's that?
** Once Noelle and I caught a fish. We were in a Canoe. We couldn't take the hook out of its mouth. We couldn't knock it on the head hard enough to kill it, it thrashed in an alarming fashion isolating us in our respective end of the canoe. It took 'Fred' an hour to die. Someone else had to clean him. Fred was just a little pike.
***Ruth's carpentry skills yet to be determined.
****Sea canoeing eh? Never done that before
*****Ruth's "general maintanance skills" questionable. Also operating skills have yet to be determined.

As you can see my plan is to learn allot this summer. Now can you just imagine the skills...