Authentic Camp-OUT

So this weekend we (UP) went CAMPING! My very first time camping ever. For REAL and it was memorable alright. My family never did over night camping, we always went to lakes and provincial parks but even if we did stay overnight it be at a hotel. To keep it short we weren't the camping sort. So here comes the adventure:

We took two Urban Promise vans and were heading to Alouette Lake where we would do our 24 hour camping trip, and on the way there everything was going all right until we got a call that the Brown van's battery died! So those including me in the Gray van drove to where the brown van had broken down to try to fix it. But no luck at all, the van wouldn't budge. So there we were ten of us on the side of the road watching two UP guys trying to bring the van back to life with every car whom pass by look at us like we were deserted in the middle of nowhere. Long story short, we couldn't find Bruce, the boss of the vans at UP so we all cozy up in the one van with majority of our stuff and headed off. All of us except two (due to only eight seats available) whom would wait for help to come. Fast forward a bit, the two arrived at the campsite about two hours late with the White van (UP has three colored vans) and we found out they desserted the Brown van where it was until Bruce was to be found. So that was an adventure in and out of itself.

After we unpacked and had a late lunch Adoria, Amanda and I did some venturing so we wandered around with no map but with a pretty good sense of direction we decided to trail on a creek with no actual trail. So three girls trudging over sticks and stones, boulders and logs, moss and trees, with soaked runners and socks (except Adoria who wore her dawgs) we arrived at the Alouette beach. So nice, so sunny, so beach-like. Then we headed back to where we started and on the way back all the jumping and lifting must've tired my pants out because they RIPPED. What an adventure eh? Ripped pants, and it wasn't in a good place either. So there I was with ripped pants but my two "friends" were like laughing it off and wouldn't head back. So I put my bag infront of me to cover up and we kept on going. We didn't turn around and head back to our camp until ROBINS attacked us. Apparently we entered their territory and they didn't like us, so they kept flapping their wings and we finally ran away, and on the way back the hole in my pants got even BIGGER due to excess climbing over logs.

Soon it was dinner time, spaghetti mmmm then the tradtitional smores' and campfire. All was well but then my sleep was really hard since we were sleeping on gravel. I need to somehow rejuvinate from my sore body from the 90mins of adventuring and uncomfortable sleep.

Nonetheless I enjoyed my first camping trip and I would do it again. And my pants... they were three years old, so well worn ; well torn.

Here "I AM"

So here I am sitting alone in the UP house living room writing a blog. I am bored in a way although I stayed longer at camp to help the street leaders to finish up. Its nice to be in a quiet setting right now. Alone time. Reflection Time. Me & God.

Two weeks has gone by. Thinking back it seems so blurred.. well not fuzzy blurry but like a crazy mist of fog that hasn't disappeared. Everything seems so long ago: highschool and being a regular student, living at my own house, being in my own room, sleeping on my own bed. I've definitly accepted the fact that I'm in Vancouver and interning. So much seems to have happened- each day is stuffed from 6am to like 11pm. Now its resting time. Time to rejuvinate.

I've been thinking that I forgotten alot of basic things you learn as a kid. I forgotten how to share. Sometimes I like being the leader and being in control of 'my' things. But lately God has taught me or have forced me to share my role, my skills, and even things that are actually mine.
I don't mind it, its skills that I just have to learn all over again. Secondly I've been struggling with patience. Thank God that he anwsered my prayer request and I've received a assistant cooking teacher. But then again, I'm not so happy with whom I received. She is very difficult to cope with majority of the time and I find myself gossipping alot about her rather then aiding her. She's just slow, doesn't clean very well, most of all its all due to LAZINESS. I just need to vent and put that out there. She is lazy lazy lazy. But I know its because of this God put her with me so that she can learn from me and I can be her role model. I hope when I look back on this blog, I will see progress with her.

Well the weekend it is and my first camping trip ever. First authentic camping trip in tents & what people do on camping trips. I guess my past camp retreats living in cabins was definitly a joke! Well I'm excited and hopefully I don't get eaten by a bear.

"CAMP PEACE IS BLUEBERRIES \/"

Happy 142 Can-a-duck!

So yesterday was a pretty awesome day at Granville Island. More then what I expected and populated to the max thanks to this national holiday. Food. Other then Asia I think Granville Island is known for food. Mmmm. Wish you were there eh? Canadians do say 'ey' or 'hey' a lot, now that one of my fellow American interns mention it. I guess they say 'huh' a lot.

Today was the third day of camp and we had another trip day to an outdoor pool. It was fun until we got cold and one of my group's girls was shaking like crazy. But other then that camp has been pretty smooth, lots of responsibility to watch over the kids, but relaxing since we've only had one full day of camp so far due to all these trip days. Tommorrow will be the second full day and I really pray it won't be as rush as the Monday earlier. I hope the kids will work with me more, the younger ones are really great and remember my name! SARAH! They like taking pictures and just doing anything we choose to do. The older kids tend to be in their pre-puberty stage hence their more disobedient, give attitude, talk DIRTY!?!!?? (what has the world come to?-the media is TERRIBLE these days) and are quite rowdy. What can you do, I guess I may have been like that when I was their age but I thought I was a pretty good kid for my leaders, I use to get so attach to my leaders too, it was like so sweet to have someone there for you and do nice things and now its my turn.

I have my eye on a pair of siblings for "Bible Buddies", a part of the day once a week where an intern would choose 2-3 kids to spend more time with after camp for about an hour and usually we can play favorites and pick those whom we see more potential or extra room for growth or even to spread the word. I'm excited for that and I know they'll enjoy the time going to get junk food and chilling. If they know what 'chilling' means. So young, so naive, so little, I can't imagine me being little back then- I always thought I was bigger, oh the mind of a child, but then ironically I was always one of the shortest ones in elemenatary classes although my 'big kid' thoughts.

So tomorrow is Friday, one week since I've arrive Vancouver. One week down? Possibly. It sounds cool to just say that but it really has been fun learning independence. Most of the other interns have had the opportunity to go through dorm life or live with some friends but for Adoria and I its cool to sit back and have a chore, laundry, or cooking schedule and its different. Very different. Were all grown up.


"I'm a BIG kid now."