Caroline Furnace
- Feb 28, 2015
- 5 min read
June - August 2013
Summer Camp: Caroline Furnace Lutheran Camp
Location: Virgina United States Of America
Caroline Furnace holds a big spot in my heart. This was my first Summer Camp, the first time I had traveled by myself (HALF WAY ACROSS THE WORLD), the first time I had been away from everyone I knew and loved for a long amount of time and the first time being a Camp Counselor. I was a little scared but at the same time mega excited! This was it, I was fresh out of High school, 18 years old and about to travel the world. I was so nervous on the first day of camp training but after minutes of bonding over the game apples to apples these crazy Americans and one Hungarian were family and Caroline Furnace quickly became my home away from home!
Pastor Wayne said many wise words over summer but my favorite and the one I still remember was “God has put us here because there is a child that needs us. We don’t know it, but they do” I love that very much.
One of my favourite memories from camp is that since I was 1 out of 2 internationals, I would make up big stories about how New Zealanders lives in huts with no internet or indoor plumming. Boy did those campers fall for that! Well, my biggest story was how I rode my pet whale from NZ to USA and that my pet whale was in the lake, and if you were really quiet you might be able to spot him. The campers went crazy for this! Everytime we visited the lake the campers would make sure everyone was quiet just to spot a glimpse, and many say they did - haha. But my favourite sighting story was by one of my 7 year old campers Amelia that told me when she was canoeing she had a chat to my whale and that my whale would like me to dye his hair purple...well 10 points for imagination! I was also gifted a small plastic whale by a camper that returened for a second week of camp. My mini whale came with me on the rest of my trip after camp. I came back a year later to visit for a weekend and the first thing I was told was that campers were still asking if my whale was still in the lake.
A typical day at Caroline furnace:
We start the day at 7am by first singing the campers awake up song that they did not enjoy half as much as I did singing it, but that did not stop me from belting such a tune. We enter the lodge doing crazy actions and singing for access in otherwise, yo aint getting no breakfast. Once our bellies are full, maple syrup through our hair and less zombie like, we head off to morning worship and then cabin time – which I like to call let the campers play hair dressers and doctors on you while you catch up on needed sleep because you stayed up too late the night before writing letters home and talking to the other counselor in your cabin. Lunch is at 12pm with burger buns flying and a lot more chatter than breakfast, which is always finished with praise break WHICH IS MY FAVE I love dancing like an idiot and signing off key – confession when I’m missing camp I Google camp songs and have my own praise break in my bedroom and don’t try to tell me you don’t rock out in your bedroom when no ones watching. Each cabin was called into the camp store where we got to spend all our $$$ on cool camp accessories, I still regret not buying a CFLC jumper but its fine I still have all 3 of my staff shirts. Once they all have their shop goodies, the campers chose which activities they wanted to participate in. The choices were: Lake, arts and crafts, camp games, creek walking, slag hunting (really cool blue and green rocks, I have like 8 in my bedroom. Don’t even care) and whatever else we wanted to teach. Activities were split into two blocks, so counselors taught one block and had the other block off. Your free block was basically shower as fast as you can, so you can get a second nap in.Unless you are Sean who didn’t shower for a week and got poison ivy everywhere and when I say everywhere I mean EVERYWHERE. Dinner would be at 5pm, depending on what day it is depended where you ate dinner; Sundays – Lodge, Mondays – BBQ at the lake, Tuesdays – Lodge, Wednesday – Home in the woods (Cooking your own dinner over the campfire with your campers) and Thursday – Fancy dinner in the lodge. Night schedule was my favorite! Whole camp camp games, where everybody let out there competitive side followed by campfire where I tasted my first EVER smore and dang I am addicted but they don’t taste as good outside of the USA unfortunately. Also more camp songs and skits YAY, which are always so funny even if you have seen it like 20 times. But this doesn’t apply to you if have the older campers in that case you will be offsite canoeing down Shenandoah river, hiking up Duncan’s Knob, white water rafting or mud caving. Pretty cool am I right or am I right!?
On the weekends we would take trips into town, and this is where I found my love for Wal-Mart oh my I love that store so much! Like there was a supermarket inside a store and it was massive AND SO CHEAP, I had to buy 5 of everything. That counts as saving money right? It was pretty sick! All the Americans thought I was crazy but this was love at first sight! We also used the weekends for going on trips to theme parks. Theme parks are my jam and the American theme parks are 1000 times better the Rainbows End in NZ. We also did a day trip to New York, which was really awesome and it gave me better knowledge for when I went there for a week after camp. Like who can just casually just say oh yeah I went to New York for the day UHH ME THAT’S WHO!
Camp was really such an amazing time. I wouldn’t change a single thing, even the time I got absolutely covered in mosquito bites. You got to take the good with the bad. The CFLC staff hold such a big place in my heart they were my first international friends even though they think I’m the international with the weird accent, but its so them! I also can never forget the kids they taught me so much and I still occasionally will get an email from some of them saying they miss me and update me what they are doing. It just feels so good knowing that you have made there summer great. Here is a great video of camp.
Let all that you do be done in love
After camp travels:
-New York
-London
-Holland
Peace out Girl Scout!
-L
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