USA: Part 1

July 15, 2018

Hi friends! Summer is here and the weather in England seems to have been tropical since my depart for America so I hope everyone is enjoying the heat! I, for one, have had a blast since arriving here, despite facing a tiiiny (actually pretty big) challenge:

For personal reasons that I can’t discuss, I had to leave the haven that is Camps Kenwood and Evergreen, New Hampshire. For those who don’t know, Camp was the reason I travelled to the US, so having to leave put a small dent in my Summer plans, to say the least. I made incredible friends there and had such a fun couple of weeks. I was heartbroken to leave, but I believe everything happens for a reason, so I took it in my stride, and I’m still making the most of my time here before my visa runs out.

I should still mention a few of the antics that occurred at camp that made my time there so memorable. Besides having to put my back into sorting out my dance studio and choreography before the kids arrived, we activity specialists and camp counsellors still had our fun.

Firstly, I experienced the annual rope burning competition. There was a rope tied between two 10 foot poles, one for Kenwood (boys) and one for Evergreen (girls). The Unit Leaders (those who got to tell the rest of us what to do) of each team had to build a fire between their two poles so it grew high enough to burn the rope in half. The quickest side to snap their rope won, and typically Kenwood wins... but not this year!!! The girls completely erupted! Kenwood 0, Evergreen 1.

We were also taken to a beautiful sight called Profile Falls. Although the water was freezing enough to take your breath away, the waterfall itself was stunning and it was nice to have a day out of camp.

Then, we were treated to a New Hampshire Fisher Cats baseball game one night. Although the game was very, VERY slow, it was still a great evening. AND our camp transport was a big yellow school bus, just like in the films! Although to locals it was an everyday sight, to an outsider it was so cool to travel in one!

Last but not least, I learnt how to make the perfect smore!

I’m already missing everything about Kenwood and Evergreen, especially the amazing people.

By far the most important thing I learnt at camp was that you should always stay true to yourself. In intense environments there are always going to be clashes of personality. There are always ways to keep the peace and figure something out without compromising who you are and how you act.

When I left camp I headed down to Boston with my friend, Zach, where I got in contact with a friend I met in Thailand earlier this year as I knew he lived in the area. He set us up with a place to stay at his mate’s house- an absolute hero! His friend was so lovely and we had a great first few days in the city, checking out the architecture. There wasn’t lots to do in Boston, especially on a budget, but the food was amazing (yet very greasy) and we ventured to the top of Boston Prudential Centre, where there was a 360 view of the city. It was absolutely gorgeous, particularly at sunset. Definitely worth the $20 entrance fee. We made a brief plan to last until my visa expired 30 days later, and booked a couple of flights and some accommodation, then we headed on a bus to Washington DC.

To be brutally honest, although all the tourist sights were insane, Washington DC was nothing special to me. I wouldn’t have been able to spend more than a week there without being bored. But the Washington monument, the US Capitol building, the White House, and the WW2 memorial were great to see, and my personal favourite was the Lincoln Memorial because I got to see my babe, Abe. I felt like I was on the set of Night of the Museum 2! I would have liked to have gone paddle boarding on the Potomac River but it was a hell of a lot more expensive than in Indonesia... We still wandered around Georgetown waterfront which was buzzing due to the number of boat parties going on. Georgetown was clearly the more upper class side of the city- every street lined with designer shops and Lamborghinis parked outside every house. Zach’s Dad’s cousin, who lives in DC, got in touch as well and suggested we stayed with her for a bit in a small town called Alexandria. It was a beautiful, old fashioned area with loads of alfresco restaurants, sports bars and music playing everywhere all the time. Definitely worth a visit.