THE FINAL DAY OF CAMP! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
In the morning we packed up our tents, filled the trailers up with our luggage, and had a final assembly. The final assembly was about the teachers and parent helpers sharing their highlights of the camp, including how well-behaved we were, getting to know nature, and how happy everyone was, which was half-true because there was heaps of drama when the boys weren't here (I'm getting off-topic, but me and Gwen pictured the girls to be strongly acidic at pH 1, while the boys were strongly alkaline at pH 14. Last night when the boys weren't here, most of the girls were crying and getting upset about other girls. When the boys came back for dinner, everything was back to pH 7).
After the final assembly, we all headed down to the hot pools. Nothing blog-worthy happened there except for a conversation Gwen & I had with one of Harry's friends:
*We are sitting on one of the picnic tables eating our lunch*
Me: "Hello! Why did you sit here while your friends are over there?"
Harry's friend: "Because we want to. Wait," *facing Gwen* "are you from India?"
Gwen: "Yes, that's correct."
HF: "You can hook up with Jack. He's totally from India. And you," *facing me* "where are you from?"
Me: "I'm originally from the Philippines."
HF: "You can go out with Harry! You guys are perfect together!"
Me: *thinking,* "I consider him as one of my close guy friends, not a potential boyfriend." *saying,* "Harry's already got a girlfriend, I can't knock her out."
HF: "Who cares? Go for it! You guys totally suit!"
Me: "That is racist & discriminatory!"
By the end of our conversation, we were running out of time so we left and went back to school.
On the car ride back, I gained a splinter and Gwen helped me pull it out while I sang songs to vent out the pain I was feeling.
"On my own, preTENDING he's BESIDE ME," I sang. It felt like being pinched by a little sibling.
This inspired all the girls in the van to sing pop songs, excluding the teacher who was driving.
I was near tears as we pulled up on the school front lawn, but the sight of seeing my friends come back from other camps brought me joy. I screamed at my close male friend with excitement and asked what happened on their Beach camp.
Once I received my luggage and had a quick chat with Gwen and other friends, I walked home and everything seemed unfamiliar, even if I stayed at camp for only five days! But I felt glad to be home again. Home, lovely home.
~~~~~
Thank you for reading my Camp series! As I wrote each post I felt a jolt of good feelings rush through my body. This experience will (and is) be part of my life forever.
Note: All names used in this post are not the real people's names. This is used for protective and private reasons.
Another note: No pictures will be posted also for private reasons.
-M.Y ❤
Saturday, 29 November 2014
Thursday, 27 November 2014
Year 8 Camp - Day 4 (20/11/14)
Even though I was wrapped up in my thick blue robe, my pink mink blanket and sleeping bag, I was the coldest person in the cooking shelter.
"Marian, you must be warm as* while we're freezing like crazy," my singing classmate said while she shivered in her sleeping bag.
"Nope, I'm as cold as you are," I replied.
Being born in a tropical country, I'm not used to the piercing temperatures New Zealand has to offer.
Once everyone awakened, we packed up and headed back to the campsite to have breakfast.
Today we had the same schedule as yesterday, but different activities. The girl group went down to the rifle range and there we learned how to shoot papers with rifles (obviously). The papers were hung on a clothesline, and I accidently hung mine up incorrectly, so I owed the instructor five push ups. Very exciting punishment, right? Eventually, I got 3 bullseyes in the end.
The final activity to participate in was orienteering. Orienteering is using a compass to reach certain points in the wilderness or wherever you are. It was a lot like maths, which made me happy - compass bearings and true bearings. This activity took the shortest time to complete. To fill up the spare time, we walked through a forest and talked.
In the afternoon, the boys had to set down their tents for their waterfall visit. There were heaps of them (39 to be precise); they couldn't fit under the cooking shelter so they had to set up their tents there. Meanwhile, the girls were going for a swim, but the boys were quick to pack up so they eventually followed us but they never swam. Gwen & I were walking to the river singing 'Blank Space' by Taylor Swift (our new favourite song) and out the blue Harry and his friend rush down past us.
After dinner and when the boys left for the waterfall, us girls spent our last night walking trails in the forest and seeing the glowworms. We also spent supper sipping our milos and quietly chatting about how camp was. I really missed the boys, to be honest.
~~~~~
Day 5 (the final day!) will be posted tomorrow. Thank you for reading Day 4 of my Camp series!
Note: All names used in this post are not the real people's names. This is used for protective and private reasons.
Another note: No pictures will be posted also for private reasons.
-M.Y ❤
* 'Warm as' is a part of Kiwi slang meaning that someone is extremely warm.
"Marian, you must be warm as* while we're freezing like crazy," my singing classmate said while she shivered in her sleeping bag.
"Nope, I'm as cold as you are," I replied.
Being born in a tropical country, I'm not used to the piercing temperatures New Zealand has to offer.
Once everyone awakened, we packed up and headed back to the campsite to have breakfast.
Today we had the same schedule as yesterday, but different activities. The girl group went down to the rifle range and there we learned how to shoot papers with rifles (obviously). The papers were hung on a clothesline, and I accidently hung mine up incorrectly, so I owed the instructor five push ups. Very exciting punishment, right? Eventually, I got 3 bullseyes in the end.
The final activity to participate in was orienteering. Orienteering is using a compass to reach certain points in the wilderness or wherever you are. It was a lot like maths, which made me happy - compass bearings and true bearings. This activity took the shortest time to complete. To fill up the spare time, we walked through a forest and talked.
In the afternoon, the boys had to set down their tents for their waterfall visit. There were heaps of them (39 to be precise); they couldn't fit under the cooking shelter so they had to set up their tents there. Meanwhile, the girls were going for a swim, but the boys were quick to pack up so they eventually followed us but they never swam. Gwen & I were walking to the river singing 'Blank Space' by Taylor Swift (our new favourite song) and out the blue Harry and his friend rush down past us.
After dinner and when the boys left for the waterfall, us girls spent our last night walking trails in the forest and seeing the glowworms. We also spent supper sipping our milos and quietly chatting about how camp was. I really missed the boys, to be honest.
~~~~~
Day 5 (the final day!) will be posted tomorrow. Thank you for reading Day 4 of my Camp series!
Note: All names used in this post are not the real people's names. This is used for protective and private reasons.
Another note: No pictures will be posted also for private reasons.
-M.Y ❤
* 'Warm as' is a part of Kiwi slang meaning that someone is extremely warm.
Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Year 8 Camp - Day 3 (19/11/14)
I woke up to an achy back and numb body. It was probably below 3°C this morning and I had the desperation to put 15 layers of clothing on. From the inside of my tent, I heard no noises outside excluding the morning chirps of birds. I wanted to sleep in, but I couldn't, so I stared into space and thought about what my family and school were up to.
Archery amused me. I've seen so many movies involving the sport, so I thought it would be uncomplicated to play. Little did I know, Merida, Katniss, and Hawkeye only made it effortless. Each time I shot my arrow, it would get close to the target, but not on the board. Once I shot an arrow and I had no idea where it went. A couple of girls' arrows ended up on the board and they got a chance to shoot a more advanced bow. Something did happen to the girls who tried it out, but it will remain private on this blog.
Our second activity was bush study. We discovered new species of trees, from Rimu to Totora. These species of tree were important to the Maori for building wakas (canoes). We also learned about the H tree, which a younger and an older Rimu tree connect their trunks together.
After lunch, Gwen, Harry, and our friends decided to go swimming down the river near our campsite. It was a refreshing swim because the entire day was sunny and it was getting boring in our tents and campsite. Gwen and Sarah were scared of dipping their heads under the water in fear of hypothermia. I tried to convince them that it wasn't bad, and eventually they dipped their heads in.
"I never want to do that again!" Both of the girls screamed.
Instead of spending the night at the campsite, all the girls headed out to a waterfall and camped under the cooking shelter. A majority of the girls brought camping stretchers and slept comfortably while Gwen, a couple of girls, and I slept on the seats of the cooking shelter. The sides didn't have much space so it was slightly uneasy to rest without waking up at midnight. I never thought about it, but I missed Willie's noise and the boys' company during the night. I also couldn't believe that camp was almost over. Two more days to go!
~~~~
As expected for the week, Day 4 will be posted later at night. Thank you for reading Day 3 of my Camp series!
Note: All names used in this post are not the real people's names. This is used for protective and private reasons.
Another note: No pictures will be posted also for private reasons.
-M.Y ❤
Once everybody was up, Gwen & I got changed and then ate breakfast with the other campers.
"Today's agenda includes a rotation of different activities, ranging from orienteering, archery, rifle range, and bush study," the headteacher announced.
She also told us that two of the girls groups were going to form together and make one full group. Our first activity was archery.
She also told us that two of the girls groups were going to form together and make one full group. Our first activity was archery.
Archery amused me. I've seen so many movies involving the sport, so I thought it would be uncomplicated to play. Little did I know, Merida, Katniss, and Hawkeye only made it effortless. Each time I shot my arrow, it would get close to the target, but not on the board. Once I shot an arrow and I had no idea where it went. A couple of girls' arrows ended up on the board and they got a chance to shoot a more advanced bow. Something did happen to the girls who tried it out, but it will remain private on this blog.
Our second activity was bush study. We discovered new species of trees, from Rimu to Totora. These species of tree were important to the Maori for building wakas (canoes). We also learned about the H tree, which a younger and an older Rimu tree connect their trunks together.
After lunch, Gwen, Harry, and our friends decided to go swimming down the river near our campsite. It was a refreshing swim because the entire day was sunny and it was getting boring in our tents and campsite. Gwen and Sarah were scared of dipping their heads under the water in fear of hypothermia. I tried to convince them that it wasn't bad, and eventually they dipped their heads in.
"I never want to do that again!" Both of the girls screamed.
Instead of spending the night at the campsite, all the girls headed out to a waterfall and camped under the cooking shelter. A majority of the girls brought camping stretchers and slept comfortably while Gwen, a couple of girls, and I slept on the seats of the cooking shelter. The sides didn't have much space so it was slightly uneasy to rest without waking up at midnight. I never thought about it, but I missed Willie's noise and the boys' company during the night. I also couldn't believe that camp was almost over. Two more days to go!
~~~~
As expected for the week, Day 4 will be posted later at night. Thank you for reading Day 3 of my Camp series!
Note: All names used in this post are not the real people's names. This is used for protective and private reasons.
Another note: No pictures will be posted also for private reasons.
-M.Y ❤
Tuesday, 25 November 2014
Year 8 Camp: Day 2 (18/11/14)
Yay, I survived day one of Forestry Camp! Am I ready for day two?
I took off the blanket covering my face and woke up to a fresh but soaked tent. Gwen & I woke up at the same time and we immediately got out of our tent; observed the scenery full of light and people still in their pyjamas. It was still 6:50 am but a majority of the Forestry campers were awake & active.
The agenda for today is to hike up a forest, but little did we know that it ended up to be a 3 kilometer long hike. After climbing endless hills and sweating 6 liters per minute, we finally reached our destination: a desert (supposed to be a lagoon) full of tumbleweeds and gray tussocks. We ate our lunch there and explored the dry land. As Gwen & I sat down from the sides we saw two separate groups of boys standing opposite of each other; much like the American Indians versus the Settlers. They road and 'attacked' each other with sticks. Once we finished our lunches we then set off down the same track and arrived at our campsite.
There was nothing else to do, but rest our poor, languishing bodies inside our tents. Gwen & I played Pictureka, laid down on our sleeping bags and talked like besties do. The other campers either ran about outside, played instruments our guidance counsellor brought in or did the same thing as us.
Flash forward to supper, the best time of the day. The 'torch rebellion' gathered outside the cooking shelter and socialised with each other. I had interesting conversations with old & new friends. One flowed like this:
*I'm pretending to hold my torch like a lightsaber*
Harry: "Marian, what are you doing?"
Me: "Look, Harry! Can't you see the gas coming from the torch?"
Gwen: *Probably thinking* "Why am I friends with a failure?"
Harry: "I want more Milo and biscuits. I'm really hungry."
Me: "Then go up to them and say, 'I'd like more, please,' or come up with a bold approach; 'I want some more!' like what the guys who created the name for smores said." (I didn't actually say that 'smores' part.)
Harry: *Leaves, probably thinking* "Why did I communicate with a total failure?"
Yes, supper is the best time of the day.
~~~~
As expected for the week, Day 3 will be posted tomorrow, along with a new Letter to Electra on Electra & Marian. Thank you for reading Day 2 of my Camp series!
Note: All names used in this post are not the real people's names. This is used for protective and private reasons.
Another note: No pictures will be posted also for private reasons.
-M.Y ❤
I took off the blanket covering my face and woke up to a fresh but soaked tent. Gwen & I woke up at the same time and we immediately got out of our tent; observed the scenery full of light and people still in their pyjamas. It was still 6:50 am but a majority of the Forestry campers were awake & active.
The agenda for today is to hike up a forest, but little did we know that it ended up to be a 3 kilometer long hike. After climbing endless hills and sweating 6 liters per minute, we finally reached our destination: a desert (supposed to be a lagoon) full of tumbleweeds and gray tussocks. We ate our lunch there and explored the dry land. As Gwen & I sat down from the sides we saw two separate groups of boys standing opposite of each other; much like the American Indians versus the Settlers. They road and 'attacked' each other with sticks. Once we finished our lunches we then set off down the same track and arrived at our campsite.
There was nothing else to do, but rest our poor, languishing bodies inside our tents. Gwen & I played Pictureka, laid down on our sleeping bags and talked like besties do. The other campers either ran about outside, played instruments our guidance counsellor brought in or did the same thing as us.
Flash forward to supper, the best time of the day. The 'torch rebellion' gathered outside the cooking shelter and socialised with each other. I had interesting conversations with old & new friends. One flowed like this:
*I'm pretending to hold my torch like a lightsaber*
Harry: "Marian, what are you doing?"
Me: "Look, Harry! Can't you see the gas coming from the torch?"
Gwen: *Probably thinking* "Why am I friends with a failure?"
Harry: "I want more Milo and biscuits. I'm really hungry."
Me: "Then go up to them and say, 'I'd like more, please,' or come up with a bold approach; 'I want some more!' like what the guys who created the name for smores said." (I didn't actually say that 'smores' part.)
Harry: *Leaves, probably thinking* "Why did I communicate with a total failure?"
Yes, supper is the best time of the day.
~~~~
As expected for the week, Day 3 will be posted tomorrow, along with a new Letter to Electra on Electra & Marian. Thank you for reading Day 2 of my Camp series!
Note: All names used in this post are not the real people's names. This is used for protective and private reasons.
Another note: No pictures will be posted also for private reasons.
-M.Y ❤
Monday, 24 November 2014
Year 8 Camp: Day 1 (17/11/14)
- Sleeping bag? ☑
- Torch? ☑
- Poncho? ☑
- Novel? ☑
- Warm clothes? ☑
- Hygiene gear? ☑
I guess I'm ready to go!
I walked to school with my two bags also accompanied by my mother. Once we arrived, everyone was in mufti putting their gear into vans and it was a sporadic sight. Gwen then came and greeted me, along with her sister, Bernice.
After Gwen & I bid farewell to our family, we headed down to a classroom to have a final meeting before we set off. There the year eight forestry campers met the parent helpers, said our prayers and organised the activity groups. It wasn't a long process and soon we were off to the forest.
Once we arrived at the camping site, it was pouring down with rain but everyone had to set up their tents on the wet grass. In this part, Gwen and I didn't know how to set up the tent since we have never gone camping before, but luckily two of the parent helpers aided us. By the time we finished, the tent was soaked with rainwater and I had to dry the inside with tea towels.
We had our first meeting discussing how things were going to be; there was going to be a music room, supper before bed, and no showers - hold up, no showers? A surge of drapetomania suddenly rushed through my veins as I heard this. I already knew that there wouldn't be any showers, but every time I heard the statement, I shuddered.
After a long day of setting up, we ate dinner (now, I won't write down what we had because I think you would not be interested) and had supper, the best part of the day. Supper was the best part because it was when people gathered around with their hot beverage in one hand and a torch in the other, forming a "torch rebellion," according to Gwen.
Going to bed took a while to settle down. My music classmate named Willie had his tent set up next to mine and Gwen's and he was full of hype. He yelled our names, made inappropriate noises, and didn't rest until midnight.
~~~~
Day 2 will be posted tomorrow at night (around 9:00pm or earlier), describing a 3 kilometer hike and interesting conversations with exciting people. Thank you for reading Day 1 of this series!
Note: All names used in this post are not the real people's names. This is used for protective reasons.
-M.Y ❤
Monday, 10 November 2014
I AM BACK! (11/11/14)
HELLO, MARIAN'S EVERYDAY LIFE!
I have missed blogging so much! I am sorry for the month long hiatus. If you have forgotten why I left, I had final examinations. Yes, one month just for five rounds of exams. It was definitely worth the break though, I focused on dimensions other than my intellect; social, catching up on reading time, catching up on sleep, and getting my chores done.
I will personally write about each exam and what I thought about it in chronological order.
Science - First final! This was the most difficult since we (as in my classmates & I) had to fill in five booklets based on the topics we had studied during the year. The easiest booklet to complete was acids & alkalis since we had a test on it the same week.
Mathematics - Easier than I expected. I was studying the formula for the area & perimeter for the circle (π x diameter, or π x r^2), true bearings, and the difficult topics, but on the test it ended up to be simple questions like, "what is the sum of 768 + 3499?" It felt like I had wasted my time & effort on studying. The exam was easy as pi.
Religious Education - Definitely the easiest out of the five. It was open-book and I had all the notes for it, so I finished without hesitation in less than two hours. But the notes in my book didn't have the answers for the general knowledge questions.
English - In this exam there were two booklets. In one of them, we had to read different passages and complete the questions asked. The second booklet asked us to write a character description from the novels we studied about during the year. I wrote about (Oli)Via Pullman from 'Wonder' since she is my favourite book character ever.
Social Studies (the final exam!) - This exam had four sections to it, and two of those sections were NZ current events and essay writing about change, cause, and consequence. I wrote about the American Indians and how the settlers took over the land. This exam was about 90% easier than I expected.
Exam preparation -
My next post won't be published until the week after the next! That's when another hiatus starts, but don't worry, it's not as lengthy as the last. Just five days. I will be at year eight camp and electrical devices are banned except cameras. I promise to take photos during the week. See you soon!
-M.Y ❤
A new Letter to Electra will be published tomorrow on electraandmari.blogspot.com.
I have missed blogging so much! I am sorry for the month long hiatus. If you have forgotten why I left, I had final examinations. Yes, one month just for five rounds of exams. It was definitely worth the break though, I focused on dimensions other than my intellect; social, catching up on reading time, catching up on sleep, and getting my chores done.
I will personally write about each exam and what I thought about it in chronological order.
Science - First final! This was the most difficult since we (as in my classmates & I) had to fill in five booklets based on the topics we had studied during the year. The easiest booklet to complete was acids & alkalis since we had a test on it the same week.
Mathematics - Easier than I expected. I was studying the formula for the area & perimeter for the circle (π x diameter, or π x r^2), true bearings, and the difficult topics, but on the test it ended up to be simple questions like, "what is the sum of 768 + 3499?" It felt like I had wasted my time & effort on studying. The exam was easy as pi.
Religious Education - Definitely the easiest out of the five. It was open-book and I had all the notes for it, so I finished without hesitation in less than two hours. But the notes in my book didn't have the answers for the general knowledge questions.
English - In this exam there were two booklets. In one of them, we had to read different passages and complete the questions asked. The second booklet asked us to write a character description from the novels we studied about during the year. I wrote about (Oli)Via Pullman from 'Wonder' since she is my favourite book character ever.
Social Studies (the final exam!) - This exam had four sections to it, and two of those sections were NZ current events and essay writing about change, cause, and consequence. I wrote about the American Indians and how the settlers took over the land. This exam was about 90% easier than I expected.
Exam preparation -
.JPG) |
| Preparing for the social studies essay section. Answering the consequences question. |
 |
| My 'learning wall' which features the topics I have studied during the year. |
-M.Y ❤
A new Letter to Electra will be published tomorrow on electraandmari.blogspot.com.
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