Sigh.
I need a date and no one is commenting.
Oy, children this is so sad.
Hope y'all are doing well.
Let me know.
Sigh.
Oy, children this is so sad.
Hope y'all are doing well.
Let me know.
Sigh.
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Still Holy
Camp is so awesome I can't even explain how wonderful it is. Amazingly I am already mourning the end which seems to be creeping up even though it is just less then a month away. My girls are precious and although the staff is really young this summer my co's are great and so sweet. I am learning so much (as I always do) about myself and my campers. I have one camper who is autistic and she is the toughest one I have had in a long time, but I love her and am learning how to break in to her world (even if just for a moment) and I tell you it is powerful. Today I learned that kids with autism pick up on your emotions even if you mask it really well. So tonight I was dealing with a difficult situation right before dinner and I got really tense, she must have picked up on it even though I was talking to her really calmly, so she began acting out. I continued talking quietly and firmly but I forced my body to totally relax draining all the tension out of me and she started to calm down almost immediately. It was so cool. I love what I learn here I feel that it really is preparing me for the rest of my life. Everyone here keeps saying that I will be a great mother and I really hope that the stuff I am picking up here will allow me to prove them right. I wish I could share the magic with you but it is so hard to even give you a glimpse of the smiles and laughter that fill my days or even the struggle and frustration that is mixed with the happiness. I hope you all are having a great summer. Ttyl.
Thursday, July 15, 2004
Short and Sweet
Sorry guys, I know I have been bad about keeping this up but B"H life is busy. I love camp, oy my girls are so zees. They pose a lot of challanges but they are so loveable that at the end of the day the bruises and a bite marks are worth it. I think that this is my most educational summer to date and that is so great being that I am planning on moving in to the field later this year. Gotta run I will try to update soon so check back. Have a great Shabbos. Regards from HASC.
Monday, July 05, 2004
Oh Chani I'm So Tired
Today is my day off from camp, Actually, Wednesday was supposed to be but I had a funeral to attend today in NJ so I skipped out a few days early.
Camp is amazing. My new kids are wonderful and so sweet. We have some difficult behavior that we have to deal with but they are so absolutely adorable at the end of the day after the scratches start to fade and the bruises begin to change color you just want to pull them in to your lap and kiss and cuddle till they begin to giggle. Still at the end of the day all I want to do is crawl in to my bed and sleep for a few days. I think at this point I am running on adrenaline that better not run out with in the next six weeks.
Gosh I love camp, it is hard to explain to a non HASCer (or someone who has never worked in a camp like HASC) what it's magic is all about. I tried to tell my family today about my new campers and the enthusiasm I felt was lost on them, they could not comprehend why I was so excited about new campers who ran me around all day.
When I talk about HASC I get three reactions:
1) You are crazy to spend your entire summer doing slave labor
2) You are the most wonderful person in the world to work in such a camp
3) Enough already if I hear about this place one more time I will kill you.
Now, I doubt I will marry a guy in special ed. (specially not a guy who works at HASC)ok so the possibility exists but it is not a priority by far. Still, I went out with a guy once who had experience in the field and it was so refreshing to meet a guy who knew that I wasn't crazy or amazing or obsessive. He knew why I talked so much about my girls and why I felt the need to work in such a setting. He understood what I got out of the summers I spent in HASC and how I became who I became through my work. It was so wonderful. Sorry for that little tidbit, I just had to mention something about dating just to stay consistent.
Now second order of business. It has come to my attention that in my absence and before his quick disappearance in to the unknown world of Aishel our dear friend by the same name left an interesting message on this wonderful site. Now with out getting in to some crazy explanations that may take a year, I just want to say that you must be careful as to whom you lend a hand (or in this case a bed) to, they may spread amusing rumors about you. Do me a favor never offer to move rooms in a hotel so that a member of the opposite sex can inhabit it for the night (even if he/she was sleeping on the floor for the past two nights and you feel bad). It is not worth it trust me, have him/her continue to sleep on the floor while you keep the room to yourself instead of moving yourself to a room already inhabited by three other people. Oy.
Hope all five of you (or three who are still in the world of cyberspace) have a great summer and keep checking back, I will try to update at least once a week. Have fun reading and keep commenting.
Camp is amazing. My new kids are wonderful and so sweet. We have some difficult behavior that we have to deal with but they are so absolutely adorable at the end of the day after the scratches start to fade and the bruises begin to change color you just want to pull them in to your lap and kiss and cuddle till they begin to giggle. Still at the end of the day all I want to do is crawl in to my bed and sleep for a few days. I think at this point I am running on adrenaline that better not run out with in the next six weeks.
Gosh I love camp, it is hard to explain to a non HASCer (or someone who has never worked in a camp like HASC) what it's magic is all about. I tried to tell my family today about my new campers and the enthusiasm I felt was lost on them, they could not comprehend why I was so excited about new campers who ran me around all day.
When I talk about HASC I get three reactions:
1) You are crazy to spend your entire summer doing slave labor
2) You are the most wonderful person in the world to work in such a camp
3) Enough already if I hear about this place one more time I will kill you.
Now, I doubt I will marry a guy in special ed. (specially not a guy who works at HASC)ok so the possibility exists but it is not a priority by far. Still, I went out with a guy once who had experience in the field and it was so refreshing to meet a guy who knew that I wasn't crazy or amazing or obsessive. He knew why I talked so much about my girls and why I felt the need to work in such a setting. He understood what I got out of the summers I spent in HASC and how I became who I became through my work. It was so wonderful. Sorry for that little tidbit, I just had to mention something about dating just to stay consistent.
Now second order of business. It has come to my attention that in my absence and before his quick disappearance in to the unknown world of Aishel our dear friend by the same name left an interesting message on this wonderful site. Now with out getting in to some crazy explanations that may take a year, I just want to say that you must be careful as to whom you lend a hand (or in this case a bed) to, they may spread amusing rumors about you. Do me a favor never offer to move rooms in a hotel so that a member of the opposite sex can inhabit it for the night (even if he/she was sleeping on the floor for the past two nights and you feel bad). It is not worth it trust me, have him/her continue to sleep on the floor while you keep the room to yourself instead of moving yourself to a room already inhabited by three other people. Oy.
Hope all five of you (or three who are still in the world of cyberspace) have a great summer and keep checking back, I will try to update at least once a week. Have fun reading and keep commenting.
