Camp Erdman: Last Day (Part 6 of 6)

Continued from the previous post...


The third day was only half day and we had to go home. Nobody wanted to go home. Everyone wanted to stay longer. I felt the same. Why couldn't we have just stayed until the weekend at least?

I didn't know when I woke up, but I knew what woke me up. My aching shoulders. On the previous day, I didn't feel any pain except for my hands so I couldn't imagine hurting anywhere else. I realized that my upper arms and shoulders hurt. When I tried moving my legs, I realized I had two bruises on my left leg (I don't know how it got there). I slept all night curled up in a fetus position so I tried to stretch a bit. It hurt to stretch. I laid in bed, listening to the noisy birds chirp. Boy, were they loud! I was wondering if anyone else in the cabin was awake, but it seemed to be only me. I rushed to the bathroom to pee and jumped back in bed. I wondered what time it was. Out of all the students, only two very smart people thought to bring watches: Hoang and Michelle. I didn't know there wouldn't be a clock. The batteries in my watch were used up anyway. I lay in bed for a while and closed my eyes, trying to get a little bit more sleep. Eventually, I heard the noisy kids from an elementary school walk by our cabin. I should have known that it was time to get up at this time. If they were up, we should be up too. I had no logic and no common sense. I continued to lie in bed.

Everyone ended up oversleeping. We were late for breakfast. It was my fault for no waking everyone up. Some didn't even get the opportunity to brush their teeth! Breakfast was the classic scrambled eggs, sausages, and rice combo. After breakfast, we were given time to go back to our cabins and pack our things. After packing, we had some more "quiet time."

After the writing, we met at Crosson Hall and sat in a circle. We took out a piece of paper and wrote our name in big letters at the top. The paper got passed around the circle and each person wrote a nice comment about that person. We did some more picture taking before we left. It was a really quick leave. Everyone was really sad.

My overall camp experience was amazing. The actual experience somehow felt different from what is being written here. Undergoing all those challenges made everyone bond at camp. I like how everyone at camp are such fun people...!

In my opinion, camp itself wasn't so great. I did not expect the camp staff members to be the way they were. To put it in a nice way, I guess I can say they were very "laid-back." They did their job, but they didn't seem too...enthusiastic. I don't know - that's just my impression. I can understand if they aren't because they probably have to do the same things over and over when some silly school kids come to visit. They are used to the stuff we did and they are probably bored with it, but they should at least try harder to be more into it because it was a new experience for us. I learned to trust Luli, but I found some of the other staff members to be quite unfriendly.

I guess the challenges we had at camp made it interesting but I think it was more the people that made being here at camp awesome. During the discussions, everyone opened up and said how they felt. We were becoming more familiar with each other. We created many memories and if we joked around, nobody would understand unless they were one of us. I can't put this feeling in words. But it's easy and simple enough to say that I had a blast at camp.

Camp Erdman: My Misery and the Stars (Part 5 of 6)

It has been a while since I made another camp post. Sorry for taking so long! I'm sure nobody cares by now, but I will finishing up since the next camp post will be the last part.

Note: Looking back, this affair was extremely embarassing for me so I wasn't sure if I should post it. But I have decided to be honest with all the events that happened during camp, even of the things that I am not proud of. This was the only one time I felt unhappy during camp, but it helped me to grow stronger. I think that if this happened again, I would have acted differently.

Continued from the previous post...


A class picture behind the campfire.
After doing the skit, late night snack (this time it was pizza) and "discussion," we made our own campfire. It took us a long time to get a fire going. It is silly how people get fires started unintentionally and here we are trying our best to start a fire! It was really difficult. Once we successfully made fire, people took turns to say a speech. We took some group pictures behind the fire and then went star gazing.

I was looking forward to star gazing until the teachers told us to lie on the sand. As prissy as this sounds, I don't like the idea of getting my clothes dirty, but I reluctantly laid down on the gritty sand. We were bunched up like a pack of sardines, touching shoulder to shoulder. The night sky was magnificent. I think this was the first time in my life that I saw so many stars in the sky. I only recognized the Orion belt. It was nice for a little while, but in time I wanted to get back up. The teachers wanted everyone to stay down. Suddenly, I felt someone on top of me. It was Juri! I realized that she was making her way across the sand, just rolling on top of us. That crazy girl. I thought she was the only one until another person tried it. And another. And another. Finally, even Ms. Nakamura rolled on top of us! Sam grew excited and decided to try it, but she rolled off course. It was hilarious. I don't know how long I laid down there, but it felt like forever. I think we must have laid there for an hour. Michelle showed me her watch and it blinked 10:40pm! We laid there long after that, me waiting patiently for us to go back to our cabins.

I loved the night sky, but I was freezing. I wasn't wearing my jacket in an attempt to keep it clean but with insane people rolling on top of me, my efforts were wasted. I tried to concentrate on the stars, but my vision grew blurry, even with my glasses on. People started singing random kiddy songs and Disney songs. It went on and on. I wanted to go, but I stayed because everyone else was having such a great time. I wasn't sure if they wanted to leave yet. Some even suggested lying in the sand until morning. I panicked and hoped they weren't serious. I tried waiting some more until I was absolutely stiff from the cold. I was feeling extremely uncomfortable and I felt my muscles tense up. I tried telling myself to stop being such a spoil-sport. As Janelle would say, I should "chillax." Loosen up. Try to enjoy myself. But I couldn't. I tried to rest my legs, but it was hard. I felt like Jack and Rose near the ending of the Titanic movie. Stiff and cold in the middle of the ocean. When I couldn't take it anymore, I forced myself to sit up.

Eventually, everyone got up and slowly walked back. It was hard for me to move in the sand. I felt drunk. When we went back to the camp, I couldn't hold back my tears. I really wanted to shower first, but I was scared of being selfish because I wasn't the only one who was dirty. Ha insisted on going first so I went second in a different bathroom. I finally got to relax when I got in the shower. My arms finally loosened up but my hands were still shaking and I dropped the showerhead I was holding. I then realized that my entire body was shaking. Not only that, I usually take baths so I wasn't used to the showers. I tried to calm myself down. Now I feel embarrassed for acting the way I did. I don't know what went wrong. Why did I have to be like that? I guess I can handle only so much after one day. Jenni was very understanding and asked if I were okay since I broke down crying in front of her earlier. I wanted to stay up a little later to write, but it was past midnight. The girls planned to have a "Project Runaway Show," but we were so tired and exhausted from the day's events that it wasn't held. Some immediately went to sleep. I lingered around longer, talking to Jenni and eating. I don't know when I finally went to sleep, but it must have been morning. That was a first since I have never been able to do this at home.

Camp Erdman: Conquering Your Fears (Part 4 of 6)

Continued from the previous post...

After lunch, we did two hours of drama training with Amy. Then it was rock climbing and the Confidence Pole. The Confidence Pole is exactly what the name suggests: a tall lean pole that one climbs up to test one's confidence. Once one has reached the top, one has to stand (way scarier than it sounds because it is very high up) on top of the pole and then jump to get a bandana that hangs about two feet away. The challenge is definitely many times harder than I made it sound here. Erica and I agreed that this was actually the scariest challenge - more so than the Odyssey. During the Odyssey, we weren't alone and there were people there giving us help and support. On the Confidence Pole, you were on your own. Of course, I chose to do some rock climbing because it was on my list of "100 Things to Do before I Die" and I've always wanted to try it. (However, I never imagined the chance coming so soon as I didn't know where you could get the chance to go rock climbing in Hawaii. Now I know: camp!)


Rock climbing!
Is it a coincidence that Luli just happened to be the instructor for rock climbing?! There are other YMCA camp instructors, but I always end up in his group somehow. He keeps showing up doing all kinds of crazy stuff. Perhaps he really is the superman he claims to be. *laughs*

Janelle went rock climbing first and really struggled. This worried me because Janelle was a lot stronger than me so if it was difficult for her, I would die up there. She later told me that it was mostly her nails getting in the way. Rachel went next and watching her made it look so easy! I couldn't stand waiting any longer so I was the third person to try it.

I thought it was easy, but it was harder than I imagined it to be. I didn't think too much about strength because I assumed all you needed to do was grab onto these tiny rocks and reach the top. Of course, it wasn't so simple. (Why am I such a simple minded person?) Before I went on, Luli stopped me and pulled the harness tighter on me. I guess he was scared that it was loose but I felt it was secure enough. I was really embarrassed when I first started because I couldn't even lift myself up on the rocks. No one else had trouble getting themselves up. I knew I was weak, but I didn't realize I was this weak. If I couldn't even get on the wall, how could I expect myself to climb up? I had to take off one of the rocks on the side and put it on the way bottom so I could step up. Watching others gave me time to think up a strategy. I planned to follow the rocks in a certain way (go zigzag) but it was harder than I thought and I couldn't do it the way I planned. Many times I got stuck, not knowing where to go. When I was halfway up, I really got stuck. I had no rocks I could reach. I couldn't climb any higher. I knew I was testing everyone's patience because I was extremely slow. I also knew everyone was watching me down below and this made me feel really bad. I didn't want Luli to help me, but I wasn't going any forward, so he gave me some instructions on where to go. When I was really stuck, he told me to go for a rock that I could barely reach. Everyone told me to just go for it and that it was okay if I fell. I jumped but slipped. That was when I felt like I cheated again. I could feel Luli pulling me up and I eventually grabbed the rock.


I'm almost there!
Afterward, I slowly climbed my way up and reached the top. When I came down, he patted me and said, "Good girl." =.=; After I took the harness off, I felt like I was still wearing it since he pulled it so tight around me. I walked around feeling like I had a wedgy. Cam went after me. I hate him. He reached the top quickly because of his height. Ms. Nagareda was also pretty cool. Juri was the most impressive. She was the fastest girl to reach the top.

After rock climbing, I felt really tired. I was glad to have an excuse to not try the Confidence Pole. I actually don't regret it, either - that challenge doesn't really interest me after going up on the Odyssey III. Erica, Jenni, and Misaki did not go on either one because they were all dead tired.

After the activities, we had some free time to do whatever we wanted. If we chose to, we could stay in our cabins and sleep or rest. We could go swimming or do some archery. I ate an orange and went out to the camp store to buy a postcard as a souvenir. I was disappointed with how ugly the postcards were because they were only drawings of the place and not actual photos. Camp Erdman is so beautiful - I don't understand why they don't take advantage of that. On my way to the store with Jenni, Erica dragged me along and forced me to take some pictures with her and others. We walked by the beach and fooled around. I talked with Tammy and Misaki. I never intended to go swimming, but I wanted to some archery. However, my hands were sore from going on the Odyssey and rock climbing. It hurt to move my fingers. My palms were bright red and scratched silly with small cuts and blisters from holding onto the ropes. In the end, I didn't do any archery. I did some archery at school before and I remember needing to pull really hard. If I knew my hands were going to be sore, I would have brought gloves along. Archery would be no problem. After walking around on the beach, it was our "quiet time" again. This time we wrote about:

1) What we did to accomplish our goals of building better friendships.
2) Whether or not we were successful with building better friendships with the two people we named previously.
3) How we grew personally so far.

I built better friendships through the challenges. Everyone also cheered for each other during the rock climbing so I felt that everyone was being very friendly, encouraging and supportive. I don't really talk to Ha or Ally very much, but they were helpful during the Odyssey. Ha would hold her hand out for me to jump over and Ally and Sam would pull me up when we were finished. I think I definitely grew personally through those challenges. All my life, I've been quite a baby. I didn't want to try new things. I stuck with the familiar. I didn't want to get dirty. I was scared of everything. I didn't take risks. Once I tried and failed, I would cry about it and not want to do it ever again. I always cried. I think that part of me changed a bit. I'm trying to live my life fuller and to be at least a little bit more daring. The one thing that Ms. Nakamura emphasized on our first day to her class was that we would "try to step out of our comfort zone." By challenging myself, I think I did just that. Plus, all of that was a big workout!

After dinner, we played charades for a while. During the first round, I pretended to be a mime and during the second round, I pretended to skydive. The last one was the hardest, though. We had to act out "The Lord of the Rings". Sam did an amazing impersonation of Sméagol and repeatedly mouthed the words, "My precious..." over and over. She made some gestures, pretending to put on the ring. We were the Ring Wraiths going crazy when she put on the ring. People couldn't tell what we were doing and Ha shouted out, "Brokeback Mountain!" Everyone burst out in to laughter. How could she mistake "The Lord of the Rings" for a movie about gay cowboys? According to her, we seemed like the gay cowboys and Sam looked like she was...with her finger. They're so crazy! I would never have guessed that in a million years. Then we put on a short skit for the highlights of camp. Janelle, Michelle, Juri, Cam, Sam, and I were in a group. It was a lot of fun and everyone said this was the first time they've seen me act so crazy. @_@; Was I really?

To be continued...

Camp Erdman: Odyssey III (Part 3 of 6)

Continued from the previous post...

The moment everyone had long anticipated finally arrived: Today, is the Odyssey III Challenge Ropes Course! The Odyssey III was the biggest highlight at camp. It is also the greatest and scariest challenge the camp has to offer. Newly installed in January 2006, the Odyssey III Challenge Ropes Course is only available to a handful of camps around the world. In fact, there are only six that exists in the entire world. It is a great privilege that one is located here in Hawaii! Aren't I lucky? =D

Everyone looked slightly nervous as we slowly walked toward the Odyssey. There was much talk about whether people were going to try it or not. Before camp, we even had to send in a liability form. I walked with Cam and he exclaimed how high the Odyssey looked. I asked him if he was going to try it.

"Well, we paid for this thing so we might as well try it. I'm not going to waste my money."

I realize that what he said was very true. Although it was gigantic, I actually didn't feel at all scared. Rather than fear, I felt a sort of adrenaline rush. It's strange why I felt this way when everyone else said how scared they were. I was surprised to see Luli again, carrying some equipment. The class split into two groups and somehow, I ended up in Luli's group again. There were eight girls including Ally, Misaki, Hoang, Erica, Ha, Samantha, Juri, and myself.


Odyssey III high up.
After we put on our harnesses and helmets, Luli guided us to the high-level (thirty feet) first. He claimed that if we tried the harder challenge first, the low-level one (eighteen feet) would seem very easy afterward. Ooh boy. ><;


Hera we are, thirty feet up high. I'm wearing orange!
On the first obstacle, we were allowed to hold on to the ropes at the top. An occasional pole suspended by the ropes would show up and we were allowed to grab onto it. Although this turned out to be the easiest, I remembered how much my arm ached as I held on for dear life. It hurt so much that it literally felt like it was about to break off. I continued to hold on because I didn't want to fall. I felt so happy when we finally finished the first course. Walking on a thin rope thirty feet up high in the air was a terrifying experience, but it wasn't so bad afterward.


Our first obstacle with the poles.
The next challenges weren't as easy because we weren't allowed to hold on to our ropes at all. There was one where I had to push a rope in front of me and I kept losing my balance and falling backward. Luli would keep holding me up. I really need to work on my core muscles! u_u; The hardest challenge was when we had to share a rope between two partners. Erica and I were partners holding one side of the rope while Hoang and Ha held the other side. We couldn't hold onto anything else except that one rope. This really required teamwork and it was difficult for us because we kept apply different amount of pressure on the rope at different times. Erica and I would pull with all our might and it wouldn't be balanced because Ha wasn't helping Hoang pull the rope. When Ha did grab for the rope, the force became so strong that Erica and I couldn't hold on because we were weak. Erica kept threatening to fall but I tried to hold her up the best that I could. I'm glad she's so small because it would have been more difficult if it were a heavy person. XD There were many times that her imbalance through me off as well and we were both about to fall, but Luli was in the back of me so we didn't. I knew that we were safe even if we fell because we were attached securely in our harness but I still refused to fall.


Another challenge we had to do - and it's way harder than it looks!
Misaki's crow bar would get stuck every time so it was difficult for her to move forward when the rope was holding her back. During this challenge, it was the first time Misaki and I talked so much. She confided in me how scared she was. Although I didn't say much, I felt that I was actually the weakest in the group. Even though Misaki's crow bar kept getting stuck, she was brave enough to move on forward and keep on going.

When we finally finished the second level, we were supposed to jump down. We would swing across on the rope (almost like a roller coaster) and go back and forth (depending on our weight) until we reached the ground. When it was time for Ally and I to jump, we shouted, "1...2...3!" Ally jumped on the count of three, but I froze. I was thinking to myself the whole time, "Finally we're finished with the high-level! Jumping down looks like fun. I can't wait until it is my turn to jump." I kept telling myself that this was easy. But when the actual time came, I froze! I FROZE! Nobody else froze, not even Erica and Misaki (the ones who were supposedly scared). I was the only one who hesitated. Luli stood behind me and said, "Well, it looks like you need a little help." Without any further warning, he pushed me off. Once I was in the air, it felt so much better.

We had only thirty minutes left before lunch after finishing the high-level. We decided to quickly go through the low-level. Misaki didn't want to go on the low-level, but we all persuaded her to try it. The high-level was harder but because we went there first, the low-level should be easy-peasy. In fact, to challenge ourselves even further and because we were also racing for time, the low-level became a sort of race between our team and whoever got across first would be the winner.

It was easy, except for one of the courses in which we had to jump from one platform to another on the ropes. Misaki went first. She leaped, missed, and fell. After watching her fall, I grew scared. I cheated and walked on the ropes even though I wasn't supposed to. This proved I was the biggest coward. I regret cheating now and I feel really disappointed in myself. It was the same at Ice Palace. I always needed to feel safe. When I'm skating at the big side, I would stick to the edges. I wouldn't even challenge myself to let go and skate in the middle because I was terrified of falling. When I was up at the Odyssey, people said that it was scary at first, but once you fell, it became fun. I knew nothing was going to happen to me but for some reason, I still couldn't bring myself to fall. I don't know why I am so petrified of falling. When we had to jump on some more platforms, I decided to just go for it and leaped. I was glad to be able to hold on to Misaki's hand when I reached the other side and also have Ha help me.

One of the other challenging obstacles in the first level was when I couldn't hold on to anything but my partner. In this case, my partner was Sam. We held onto each other's shoulders and slowly crept along, counting one and two as we took each step. This really tested our sense of balance and while everyone else rushed and fell, we concentrated on each step and made our way carefully through without falling once.

I felt so happy after completing the Odyssey III. We didn't go to camp just for fun. Teamwork and communication was stressed, emphasized, and said repeatedly. This is Leadership camp, after all. During the Odyssey, we had to work together with our teammates and trust and depend on our partners. If one person fell, it is easy for everyone to fall with them, which was why we needed to work together. People you don't normally talk to are there to help you. Some said they were glad to experience going on the Odyssey III, but wouldn't try it again. Ooh, I would love to go a second time but I highly doubt I would. It seemed like a once in a lifetime chance for me.

For lunch, we had huge burgers. It was so huge that I couldn't fit it through my mouth even when I opened it as wide as I could. Cam sat next to me and laughed at me with everyone else.

To be continued...

Camp Erdman: First Day Challenges (Part 2 of 6)

Continued from the previous post...

After the orientation, we played some games at the open courtyard and then ate lunch at the campfire place by the beach. After eating, Ms. Nakamura gave us some free time to go back to our cabins and get settled. She told us to meet her at the open courtyard at 12:00pm with our notebooks and pens. It would be our “quiet time.” Everyone had to find their own private spot somewhere on camp grounds and for twenty minutes, we wrote about:

1) Anything. Our thoughts and feelings at the moment and any worries or concerns such as homework left unfinished...*coughcough*
2) The personal goal that we want to achieve here at camp.
3) Names of two people you are not close to and want to get to know better.
4) Our expectations from camp.

My goal was to relax and be able to communicate with others better. I only realize now that I am not much of a people-person (not at all). Outside the safe circle of my family and friends, I am very shy and tend to be antisocial. I have a hard time communicating with others...and I especially hate those awful, awkward silences! I expect to have fun at camp and to also become a stronger person, both mentally and physically.


The prettiful ocean.
I finished what I had to write quickly (I’m lazy!) and spent the rest of my time staring out into the ocean. It is quite stupid to spend all your time with your head buried in a notebook when the scene right in front of you is so breathtaking. The view was spectacular and unreal. The wave currents were strong and crashed onto the shore frequently. No one is allowed out into the sea, not even the best surfers. My glasses eventually became covered in what I thought was sand dust at the time but later found out was salt. It was crazy - the amount of salt there was. The salt hung very heavy in the air. By the end of the day, everyone’s hair was clumpy and well...salty.

We met with our drama training teacher at Crosson Hall after our free twenty minutes. The tall and lanky lady introduced herself as Amy from the Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY). We played some games and learned words like tableau. We did things like auto-imagery (freezing pictures) and formed letters with our bodies. Our session with Amy ended after about two hours. By that time, I felt a little exhausted. I had no idea so much more was coming.

We met with Luli in the grass and did some more activities involving planning, communication, and cooperation. Teamwork was stressed every time. We did an activity involving bamboo sticks and two golf balls. @_@; After that was completed, Luli told us a crazy story from his childhood. When he was five years old, he decided he was going to fly and jump from the second floor of a building. His mother was standing right outside. He jumped and flew to the ground. Nothing happened because he got caught in the hanging clothesline. It forced him to twirl a bit but it saved his life. He got away with no injuries. I was thankful for that because it would have been terrible if the clothesline was not there and something happened to him right in front of his mother.


Teamwork!
In the next challenge, all eighteen of us stood inside a red rope that was to be our "spaceship." We were to pretend we were in outer space. Our friend (a stuffed animal named Bumble) was thrown at a distance and we needed to bring him back safely inside the spaceship. The rule was that we could not go out of the spaceship by ourselves and everyone needed to be connected somehow or we would die. At first, we held hands and ran to get Bumble, but Luli kept kicking him father and farther away until we were stretched as far as we could go. Holding hands was not enough because we still couldn't reach Bumble.


We were struggling here. Gahh...just a little bit more.
Everyone resorted to getting down on the ground. I grabbed onto Ally’s ankle while Erica held on to my foot. That still wasn't enough to reach Bumble and we ended up holding onto one another's shoelaces. I winced at needing to get down on the dirt and getting my clothes dirty, but I had no choice. We eventually retrieved Bumble into the safety of our spaceship.


My lame drawings.
Our next game involved three wooden platforms and two boards. We were to pretend we were desperate Alaskans stranded atop glaciers. There was a big storm coming and we needed to hurry home before we all die. Our goal was to get to the third platform (representing home). The boards could not touch the water (the ground) and neither one was long enough to reach the other platform alone.


Ally carefully crossing the boards.
It was a long and tedious process and took a lot of planning and thinking (I admit I took no part in this because I’m stupid). After what seemed like hours, we all made it across. We did accidentally let the board hit the ground 3 times so two people were "blinded" and Jenni "lost her leg."

The next challenge was the spider web. It was the same one he joked earlier about being the biggest spider web ever. When I walked closer, I realized it was made of wooden frames and ropes and was about the size of a goal post in soccer. We were to get everyone across the web through the holes. We could only use each hole once before it "closes up." Touching the ropes were also forbidden and we were allowed only seven touches. The holes looked extremely small and I didn’t know how were going to get through them. Janelle volunteered to go first so she could help carry others across. She slid in through one of the bottom holes.


"Here" indicates the hole I went through.
I was one of the last ones to go through. Without warning, people started to grab me and I was in the air. I didn’t even know who was holding me up and where, except for Sam who said, “I’m sorry, but I have to grab your butt, okay?” That made me laugh. It was slightly scary watching everyone lift one person up and through the small holes without touching any of the ropes, but I was surprised to feel so secure when it was my turn. No hands were wobbly or shaking and I felt extremely safe. I felt no fear of being dropped. I trusted these people completely (Tammy didn’t - she was scared to death and kept screaming). In fact, I’ll admit that it felt good when everyone was carrying me. *laughs* It was also awesome that there were people on the other side to receive me and carefully put me down.


From top-bottom, left-right: Erica, Misaki, me, Jenni, Janelle, and Hoang.
We finished the last challenge half an hour earlier than planned (it was 4:30pm) so we had free time until dinner at 5:30pm. We played around and took so pictures by the ocean. Erica looks so happy to be on the top of our pyramid! XD I was really curious about dinner and worried about what we were going to eat, but it was pretty good. There was bread, chicken, rice, corn, and chocolate chip cookies. I drank punch but I wished there were water or milk. After dinner, I swept the cafeteria floor. Jenni is such a sweetie because she offered to stay behind and help me. That was when I noticed pictures of the YMCA staff members pinned on a corkboard by the closet. It was interesting to see that the staff members come from all over the world - I remember seeing Taiwan, Japan, New Zealand, other states in the U.S., and Kosovo. Luli was from Kosovo. Oh yes, Ha. The words "Brussels" and "Kosovo" really sound alike! =)

After dinner, the teacher told us to return to our cabins and grab our flashlights. We played a trivia quiz game in the open courtyard for a while. I was on a team with Rachel and Tammy. Random questions were asked and I could only answer one: "What are the four main islands of Japan?" (This was before the Japan Wizards Competition took place, but I would kill myself if I didn't get it.) Our team came in last place since Rachel and Tammy couldn’t answer any question.

After the game, we went inside an octagon area in the main building and were given 20 minutes to come up with a 10 minute dance routine. I panicked for a while because I never choreographed a dance routine before. I kept thinking,
"Jang Woo Hyuk...help!" But Misaki and the rest of the group (Vincent, Julia, and Rachel) helped a lot so we made it work. Part of the dancing involved Julia and I doing the Egyptian dance. That was so much fun! On that night, I also gained new respect and admiration for Vincent for doing his wiggly dance in front of everyone. It was hilarious. It was also fun to watch what all of the other groups came up with. Everyone had entertaining dance routines. We all danced to a catchy and repetitive eighties song. The only lyrics seemed to be, “Jump on it!” (Does anyone recognize the lyrics?) After the dancing, Ms. Nagareda, our other chaperone, arrived. She is a PE teacher at school and was recently granted the title, "Coach of the Year." =D

She came just in time to conduct our scavenger hunt. We had to find a big toe covered in dirt (no, you did not read wrong), a four inch rock, a five inch strand of brown hair, a piece of plastic, a soda cap, etc. Our team came in second place because Ally and Juri were very competitive. Jenni and I didn’t have much work to do. XD

After the scavenger hunt, we grabbed our late night snack at 8:30pm (a corn dog) and broke into two groups. We had discussions about what our experiences were and how we felt after today. I looked up and realized that there were no stars out on that night. Erica reminded me that it was cloudy today so the clouds were covering all of the stars.

After the discussion, we went back to our cabins. We were supposed to be in bed by 10:30pm at the latest because there was a big day ahead of us tomorrow, but of course, no one listened. There was whispering going on all night so I had trouble falling asleep.

To be continued...

Camp Erdman: Arrival at Camp (Part 1 of 6)

** Please note that my camera is broken, so many of the pictures here were provided by my fellow classmates. Thank you! =)

I was excited to go to camp, but I tried not to think too much about it because I knew I'd start worrying about all the things that could go wrong. I started packing only two days before camp and barely managed to fit my belongings in the suitcase. My huge pillow took up the most space so I had to jump on it to flatten it. The next morning, I arrived a little before 8:00am in front of the cafeteria at school. We waited no later than 8:30am for everyone to show up. In the end, there were eighteen of us, nineteen including Ms. Nakamura. There were fifteen girls and three boys.


A shot taken during the bus ride. Pictures don't do justice.
The bus ride was inevitably long, but I didn't mind because I love riding on school buses as much as I hate riding on public city buses. Is that so weird? Perhaps it is because I only ride the school bus when there are field trips. I like to watch the scenery fly by the window. The busy city slowly changed into a forest of trees to endless plains, which stretched as far as the eye could see. I was amazed because I've never seen anything like it and it seemed to go on forever. Eventually the plain fields made way for an enormous field of sunflowers. I didn't know such a place existed in Hawaii. We also passed by a ranch (I saw horses!) before finally arriving at camp. I am a city girl so this was my first time traveling to the countryside. I didn't even realize this at the time, but YMCA Camp H.R. Erdman is located on the beautiful North Shore of Oahu. The camp fit in snugly between the Waianae Mountains and the pristine beaches of Mokuleia. Now I can say I've been to the other side!

We dropped our luggage off at a building labeled, "Crosson Hall” and headed over to an open courtyard area by the ocean. We sat in a circle with two camp staff members. The first to introduce himself was a haole (white) man. I didn't catch his full name (I think it was Lulizin) but he said it was too difficult to remember and say so we were to call him, “Luli". He asked us if we came to camp as a grade level or a class. We explained that we were a World History Honors class. They held surprised looks on their faces so I assume it is strange for a history class to go to camp. After all, why would a history class go to camp? We explained that we were here for drama training since we are going to perform a historical play. Intrigued, Luli told us how he did theater and dance back at home.

Luli also asked, "Why all girls? Where are the boys?"

We looked at each other for a while when Ally piped up, "Cause girls are smarter. This is an Honors class so there are more girls than boys."

Luli spoke with a European accent so I did not quite catch what country he was from. He mumbled the name of his country and Ha exclaimed, "Brussels?!"

He looked confused and repeated, "...Brussels?"
Julia asked, "Brussels as in Brussels sprouts?"
"Did you say Brussels???" Ha laughed.
"No, I'm from ******."

I was lost. I think everyone else was confused and the conversation eventually dropped. The other staff member cheerfully introduced herself as Chiemi “Chemmy” from Japan. Nice and simple. We played games such as the Mexican wave (Luli renamed it the Hawaiian wave because it's Hawaii) before going on our orientation around the camp. We split into two groups and I ended up in Luli's group. We got to see the sites and look at some of the stuff we might be doing later on. Despite it being a cloudy day and the expectations for rain (it didn't come), the ocean was a beautiful sight. We walked around and we started talking about the ghosts rumored to haunt the cabins at Camp Erdman. Luli reassured us that he never came across any ghosts throughout the time he stayed at camp.

"There are no ghosts, but there is something special about camp. Let me tell you, there is something magical..."

He continued to talk about this rock he came across. It was a special and magical rock with some connection to the old Hawaiian spirits.

"It's Hawaiian. I speak my old home country language mixed with some Hawaiian, but mostly Albanian and I speak in it and it moves! It never fails, this rock. Whenever I say something, the rock moves a little bit…slides an inch or so."

The famous rock soon came within our sight and everyone grew excited. He drew us into a circle and said we should step back to give the rock space to move. If we were in its way, it would smash our toes.

"Okay, I will say something to the rock, okay?" He whispered.

We huddled closely and listened intently to his instructions. After he speaks to the rock, we were to tap it twice together and step back.

"Okay, ready?"

"WAIT-- let me take a picture of the rock moving!" Ha said.

"No, no, no. The rock moves slowly and carefully. The camera will not catch that. Watch closely and carefully. You will notice a slight movement. Stand back."


Luli speaks to the rock.
He cupped his hands tightly on top of the rock and whispered some inconceivable words, presumably Albanian. When he finished, we hesitantly stepped forward and tapped twice. We jumped back, watched, and waited. Nothing. I searched Luli's face, but it revealed nothing. He started to walk away while taking a sip from his water bottle. We stayed, still watching the rock closely. We were all concentrating on any possible movement that it might make, no matter how small.

Suddenly, Luli turned around and said, "Guys, guys! It's a joke, alright? I did not think you guys would believe me. Now come."

We are such fools. Gosh, I can't believe he managed to trick us into believing something so unbelievable! The story sounded fishy to me, but I think what made everyone listen was because he spoke so seriously. He held a solemn face and spoke with a hushed tone. As I write this, I remembered how he mentioned doing theater work back at home. He is such an actor. I guess a good actor can fool people into believing anything, no matter how ridiculous it may be. I knew some girls were pissed off for having been deceived, but I didn't feel angry. I started laughing.

"I did not think you would believe me. I say to the little ones who come here." He points toward the ocean. "I say the Godzilla come here from there and they believe. They wait for him to come." He pointed further away to something in front of us, nestled between trees.

"There is actually a huge spider here at Camp Erdman. It created this huuuge cobweb. It is the biggest cobweb in the world. It is really big!"

Again, he had me taken in by his talking and almost managed to trick me a second time. The other girls didn't let their guard down this time and called him a liar so I snapped out of it.


The branches on the tree in the back left are fake.
After a while, he brought us to our cabins located across the road. The little cabins were painted yellow and looked incredibly cute. We stopped by some trees and Luli reached up to grab a handful of leaves that were hanging loosely on the branches. He explained that these were fake and put there by the “Lost” crew to make the bare trees look “prettier” for the set. Of course, he already lost most of the girls' trust (please excuse the pun!) so nobody could tell if he was lying again. Luli insisted that this time he was telling the truth.

"I'm serious. When I lie, I have to tell the truth five minutes after that. Just ask those men. Go ahead. Ask."


Our pretty little cabins (and where they filmed 'Lost'.

He pointed to a bunch of workers busy with building a small fence. Ha made a bet with him that he was lying. The loser had to run from the cabins to the Odyssey III and back. (However, this did not happen because we were in a hurry to leave in the end.) We later found out that they ARE from "Lost"! The cabins that we were to stay in were part of a set the television series had once used. Now that's cool! =)

To to be continued...


The picture above features popular actor Tamasaburo. He is highly popular with the ladies. :O

Camp Erdman (Intro)

My luggage packed on the night before camp.
Okay, I know this post was long overdue, but I think some people wanted to know how camp was. =)

My first camp experience was simply amazing. Although the time spent at Camp Erdman was a mere two days and a half, it seemed like much longer because I gained so much from it. It will be difficult to express exactly what I feel, but I'll try my best. Many things happened so I will have to break it into multiple parts. The next post will be on my arrival at camp and my first day (and night!) there.

To be continued...

EDIT I'm sure you would have noticed this by now, but I switched the commenting system to Blogspot instead of CuteNews. I didn't know how to use Cutenews properly in the first place, and I disliked how messy my archives were. Hopefully, this will be a better change.

Oh my gosh, I would be too scared to bathe with bears - tame or not! o_o;

Off to Camp I Go~

On the early morning of the 10th of this month, I will be found packed in a crowded yellow school bus, on a journey across the island of Oahu to the Leadership/Drama Education Camp at Camp Erdman. From there, I will spend two nights and three days (thus, missing the first half of the first day of school).

This trip to camp was an idea proposed by Ms. Nakamura, my World History Honors teacher. From the very beginning of the school year, she's been very eager to bring our class to camp. However, she needed to make up an excuse a valid reason for us to make this trip since she couldn't have us go for no reason. During the beginning of our second quarter, she came up with something and her idea was for us to participate in a historical play! Going to camp will help prepare us with the skills necessary to act in the play.

At camp, we're going to learn drama and acting through workshops conducted by the Honolulu Theater of Youth. We will also be participating in something new that was recently introduced to the YMCA program by Alpine Towers in January 2006: the Odyssey III!



"This leading edge design can accommodate groups of up to 50 people in an engaging challenge course experience.

Working in pods of 4 to 8 participants move through the entire course together. After climbing an inclined cargo net into the lower level, first treehouse, the group attaches into the overhead belay system and enters the first level of linear course events. Working together, the group completes the challenges on the first level.

After completing the lower level events, the group will ascend to the upper level. treehouse via a tube cargo net. The group will then facilitate their way across the upper elements toward the final exit element Tandem Zip Lines. These automated zip lines allow two participants at a time an exhilarating exit from the course!"

It looks very exciting and Ms. Nakamura was also very eager to try it since this feature wasn't at Camp Erdman the last time she went. I would also need to gather up all the courage I have to try this, despite my slight fear of heights.

I think the Odyssey III is the one of the least of my concerns, though. Camp itself will be a major challenge for me. I haven't realized this until now, but I have never been away from my parents and/or siblings all my life for even one night. Not even for a simple stay-over-a-friend's-house. The thought of being away from my family for two nights and sleeping somewhere other than my own bed is a bit scary. There are 16 girls and 4 boys in our class. All of the girls would share one room while the boys sleep in a separate room. I hear the cabin rooms are quite big so it should be alright. Erica told me that we would probably be kept so busy we don't have time focus on other things other than concentrate on our tasks. I hope she is right. Another nice thought is that the teacher mentioned taking our beds out of the cabin so we can watch and sleep under the stars. I am a 100% city girl and I have never been to the countryside. This would be something I'm looking forward to because I don't have many opportunities to see stars. Camp is not always a scary thought as I sometimes feel very excited myself and I feel like I am Ito and Makoto from W Juliet going off to their summer training drama camp.

I haven't even started looking through the list of things I need to pack for camp and it is less than a week away...oops.

I wish I could see the Sapporo Festival...but I doubt I'd be able to stand the cold. *dies*