2 Months in the making...
Surprise, surprise. I’ve been too busy to update my LJ again. But I’ve found some time now. So summer has been very interesting. June was spent working at Academic Challenge and Academic Competition Camp, teaching Humanities again. Rasaan Walker finally toppled my 9 year sticker-collecting streak…lol. My record was 257 stickers in two weeks and he got 264. Perhaps this is a sign that after 11 years with the both programs, it is my time to move on. I don’t know if I’m going to go back next year. I love working with the kids and the kids love my class. Rasaan asked if I could be his big brother…it was so cute. He’s gonna do something big some day, I can just tell. Joyce says that she won’t teach next year if I don’t come back. That would be a shame. I’ve been working with her for 6 years. She has been such a blessing in my life. She always believed in me when no one else would. She wrote like half my college recommendations, too.
Then I went to VAMPY to be a camp counselor. I enjoyed going back to camp, but it is definitely different being on the other side of the line. I would much rather be a camper, but I’ve yet to decide if I’m coming back next year. There was so much counselor drama as far as people talking about others behind their backs, it irritated me. Nick and I pretty much tried to keep to ourselves to avoid being sucked even further into the mess. Everyone was on a fucking powertrip, too. That got really annoying. Almost all of the first year counselors tried to be the “cool” counselor, and a lot of people became very fake in my opinion. I will admit that I tried to be the “cool” counselor at the beginning, but after a while, I stopped trying. The point of camp wasn’t to be “cool.” It was to show kids to be proud to be themselves.
I got tired of being criticized about my methods, too. And then I got irritated when so much hypocrisy popped up. We had theme dress up days and one of them was Cowboys and Indians Day. People got upset when some girls stuck feathers in their hair because it was “offensive.” I mean seriously, it’s a bunch of kids dressing up. That is the stereotype. I’m not saying that stereotypes are okay, but are you going to pull feathers out of kids hair during Halloween? And what about the Communist Revolution on the 6th floor? I’m part Vietnamese, but no one seemed to consider whether or not that would be offensive to me. It was such a huge joke at camp, but my parents lived through the war. They spent 5 years trying to flee the country. Three of my uncles died in that war who I never got to know. So they get upset about the possibility that someone walking around campus MIGHT find it offensive, but disregard the heritage of someone among the counselors. Granted I was not offended but the revolution at all, because they are a bunch of kids having fun playing dress up and that’s it. I am only upset that they made such a big deal out of something not so serious. Don’t get me wrong. I was one of the first counselors to jump on kids who drew lines on their arms when we did Emo Day. There were a few cutters at camp and I used to date one. That is no laughing matter and can, in no way, be taken lightly.
Anyway, aside from all that, I had a blast. I got to spend 3 weeks with my best friends Becca and especially Nick. Chi Chi and Nick…the Cory Matthews and Shawn Hunter of VAMPY reunited :-). I miss you buddy! Love ya loads!I had the most terrific bunch of kids. Some of them even tried to set a record on how long they could keep me in their rooms at night when I was checking them in. That came to be exhausting though, but it was worth it to get to know the kids better. Even if certain campers were rather annoying at times, I wouldn’t mind having any of them in my group again. I was very lucky to have such a group. I’m not certain that I interacted and got to know as many campers as I had wanted to, but even if I wasn’t considered the “cool” counselor, enough kids liked me and asked me to come back to be their counselor (most kids that weren’t even in my group). It was especially touching when I had so many campers visit me on the last morning, bawling their eyes out telling me how much they loved me and would miss me and how much of an impact I made on them.
I think the most amazing thing was how much mutual respect the kids and I had for one another. When one of my kids would get in trouble, I’d give them early room time, but by me merely stating that I was disappointed in them, I could read on their faces that they felt like shit. That’s respect you can’t buy, no matter how “cool” you are. And to my knowledge, kids didn’t hate me with a passion like a certain other counselor who was under the impression that her kids loved her and would do anything she said because they respected her when they were really afraid of being yelled at and annoyed by her for the rest of camp. A counselor who was probably the biggest walking example of hypocrisy, a certain spoiled brat that showed less maturity than most of the campers…who shall be left unnamed. LOL, sry, I’m still a little bitter from certain actions this person made.
Well now I’m in Venezuela with Chase. I’m doing a leadership conference here. I stole this from their website if you want to know more:
Every few years, tens of thousands of young people from nearly every country in the world gather together under a banner of peace, friendship and international solidarity at the World Festival of Youth and Students. At the Festivals, youth participate in forums and discussions on every issue facing our generation. The Festival is a space to exchange ideas and share experiences of the struggles against war, racism, sexism, privatization, corporate globalization, attacks on workers’ right to organize, and the destruction of our environment. We will assert our right to education and employment, racial, gender and economic equality, land reform, and the independence and self-determination of nations. As a space for dialogue and understanding, the Festival reflects the diversity and richness of the international youth and student movement and its demands.
The festival movement grew out of the ashes of the Second World War, when thousands of youth and students assembled in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1948 to proclaim that the youth would never again allow the horrors of fascism to terrorize the world. Since then, the festival has blossomed into an ongoing forum for progressive youth from all over the world.
Each festival offers an opportunity to learn about the history and particular struggles of the host country and region. This summer in Caracas we will have the chance to learn about the achievements and victories of the Venezuelan people, who have stood up to US economic and political attacks and intervention to fight for their social and economic rights. We will have a chance to express our solidarity with the Venezuelan youth and people in their struggle for self determination.
Well I need to prepare for my seminar tomorrow. I will have more updates later. Take care everyone. I love you all (even the counselor I’m bitter towards).
~Chi Chi~
Then I went to VAMPY to be a camp counselor. I enjoyed going back to camp, but it is definitely different being on the other side of the line. I would much rather be a camper, but I’ve yet to decide if I’m coming back next year. There was so much counselor drama as far as people talking about others behind their backs, it irritated me. Nick and I pretty much tried to keep to ourselves to avoid being sucked even further into the mess. Everyone was on a fucking powertrip, too. That got really annoying. Almost all of the first year counselors tried to be the “cool” counselor, and a lot of people became very fake in my opinion. I will admit that I tried to be the “cool” counselor at the beginning, but after a while, I stopped trying. The point of camp wasn’t to be “cool.” It was to show kids to be proud to be themselves.
I got tired of being criticized about my methods, too. And then I got irritated when so much hypocrisy popped up. We had theme dress up days and one of them was Cowboys and Indians Day. People got upset when some girls stuck feathers in their hair because it was “offensive.” I mean seriously, it’s a bunch of kids dressing up. That is the stereotype. I’m not saying that stereotypes are okay, but are you going to pull feathers out of kids hair during Halloween? And what about the Communist Revolution on the 6th floor? I’m part Vietnamese, but no one seemed to consider whether or not that would be offensive to me. It was such a huge joke at camp, but my parents lived through the war. They spent 5 years trying to flee the country. Three of my uncles died in that war who I never got to know. So they get upset about the possibility that someone walking around campus MIGHT find it offensive, but disregard the heritage of someone among the counselors. Granted I was not offended but the revolution at all, because they are a bunch of kids having fun playing dress up and that’s it. I am only upset that they made such a big deal out of something not so serious. Don’t get me wrong. I was one of the first counselors to jump on kids who drew lines on their arms when we did Emo Day. There were a few cutters at camp and I used to date one. That is no laughing matter and can, in no way, be taken lightly.
Anyway, aside from all that, I had a blast. I got to spend 3 weeks with my best friends Becca and especially Nick. Chi Chi and Nick…the Cory Matthews and Shawn Hunter of VAMPY reunited :-). I miss you buddy! Love ya loads!I had the most terrific bunch of kids. Some of them even tried to set a record on how long they could keep me in their rooms at night when I was checking them in. That came to be exhausting though, but it was worth it to get to know the kids better. Even if certain campers were rather annoying at times, I wouldn’t mind having any of them in my group again. I was very lucky to have such a group. I’m not certain that I interacted and got to know as many campers as I had wanted to, but even if I wasn’t considered the “cool” counselor, enough kids liked me and asked me to come back to be their counselor (most kids that weren’t even in my group). It was especially touching when I had so many campers visit me on the last morning, bawling their eyes out telling me how much they loved me and would miss me and how much of an impact I made on them.
I think the most amazing thing was how much mutual respect the kids and I had for one another. When one of my kids would get in trouble, I’d give them early room time, but by me merely stating that I was disappointed in them, I could read on their faces that they felt like shit. That’s respect you can’t buy, no matter how “cool” you are. And to my knowledge, kids didn’t hate me with a passion like a certain other counselor who was under the impression that her kids loved her and would do anything she said because they respected her when they were really afraid of being yelled at and annoyed by her for the rest of camp. A counselor who was probably the biggest walking example of hypocrisy, a certain spoiled brat that showed less maturity than most of the campers…who shall be left unnamed. LOL, sry, I’m still a little bitter from certain actions this person made.
Well now I’m in Venezuela with Chase. I’m doing a leadership conference here. I stole this from their website if you want to know more:
Every few years, tens of thousands of young people from nearly every country in the world gather together under a banner of peace, friendship and international solidarity at the World Festival of Youth and Students. At the Festivals, youth participate in forums and discussions on every issue facing our generation. The Festival is a space to exchange ideas and share experiences of the struggles against war, racism, sexism, privatization, corporate globalization, attacks on workers’ right to organize, and the destruction of our environment. We will assert our right to education and employment, racial, gender and economic equality, land reform, and the independence and self-determination of nations. As a space for dialogue and understanding, the Festival reflects the diversity and richness of the international youth and student movement and its demands.
The festival movement grew out of the ashes of the Second World War, when thousands of youth and students assembled in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1948 to proclaim that the youth would never again allow the horrors of fascism to terrorize the world. Since then, the festival has blossomed into an ongoing forum for progressive youth from all over the world.
Each festival offers an opportunity to learn about the history and particular struggles of the host country and region. This summer in Caracas we will have the chance to learn about the achievements and victories of the Venezuelan people, who have stood up to US economic and political attacks and intervention to fight for their social and economic rights. We will have a chance to express our solidarity with the Venezuelan youth and people in their struggle for self determination.
Well I need to prepare for my seminar tomorrow. I will have more updates later. Take care everyone. I love you all (even the counselor I’m bitter towards).
~Chi Chi~