Campers or Counselors, that is the Question.

This week I embarked on a journey of no return. A 14 hour bus ride with about 52 high school students- and no I didn't get to sit in the front in the plush seat with the pull out table like my 9th grade campers did- I did, however, get to separate boys and girls from "purpling" therefore listening to "99 bottles of beer on the wall.." (and now that I'm actually thinking about it in a state of non-deliriousness, that isn't exactly appropriate for a high school church group...but oh well?) and other loud noises.

FYI: purpling: a mix of red (girls) and blue (boys). Otherwise known as "flirting". 

The most difficult part of stopping purpling was the action of "scolding" the students. I get the "HA, yeah right like I'm going to listen to you, you're just some annoying goody goody that's literally younger than me look".

My fellow counselors, Savannah, Madeline and I got the "What grade are you in" question eleven times- and yes, we absolutely tallied the occurrences up in our head over the week. The first day, we understood. We do look young and really are only a couple of years older than the oldest there so it's no surprise that we would be mistaken for maybe like 12th grade. But 10th? Seriously? I even brought another leader some medicine for one of his students passed along from his mom and he asked what grade I was in. I'm sorry, but why on Earth would I have narcotics for another kid if I was in high school? Really? Day 3 became the most questionable day. At that point, there had been 3 leader meetings so there wasn't much of an excuse anymore. We got asked 3 times on day 3. Even students on the ride home asked Savannah if she was her 11th grade brother's younger sister. They weren't joking either. Like I know we don't have makeup on or whatever but does our face really say: "hey look at me I'm 14"?


The bus ride there consisted of about 18 boys doing as they pleased and girls deciding that they would walk to the back and stay back there as long as their hearts so desired. Within the first 10 minutes of the bus ride, a freshman boy looked at me and said, "Ma'am, I broke my tooth." My thoughts: Uhm I'm sorry but, first- how do you know I'm a leader? Second- Uh of all times why does someone know I'm a leader? The kid broke "shattered" his tooth on a skittle. He was fine but really? So began the nicknames- Skittle kid and tape kid. Tape kid was a boy who decided to tape his entire face for the last hour of the ride there just because some kid told him he wouldn't do it. A challenge at its finest.

Meeting the girls for the first time was extremely uncomfortable for me. Maybe I'm exaggerating when I say that it was awkward but I don't think I am. When we finally arrived in Destin, my co-leader, Savannah and I, lost our students. We searched and searched for about 20 minutes until we finally spotting them walking down the street without their luggage. Our girls also were the only ones not informed that an event was postponed therefore showing up and having to be told by other leaders. We definitely should win the MVP counselors award if there is one.

I'm often forgotten. I'm not sure why but literally every time I've met someone this summer they act like they have never met me- even if we did spend 30 minutes talking to one another. Whatever, that's cool- I guess I just have a good memory? Yeah that's it. This happened twice this week. First, I saw a kid I met the first night of college ministry. I decided to say, "hey we met that one time but I'm Bailey by the way." Response: "No actually I've never met you in my life so that's awkward." Okay maybe that's a little dramatic but he might as well have said that. The same guy also didn't remember his leader from a 2 week long mission trip so there's that. The second time this happened was worse. I had literally met this kid a week before camp and we ate across from each other and bowled on the same team. He is a part of the eleven that mistook me for a high schooler. Cool.


This week was so awkward we caught on to a hand sign our new friend Franny showed us.

  

There are many more awkward occurrences that happened throughout the week, but I wouldn't want to bore you or cause yet another awkward occurrence in my life by someone reading the blog that shouldn't be that's in it because uhhhh that's super awk.