Overnight campers at last

I will have been here for a full two weeks on Tuesday, but it seems like so much longer. So far I'm loving it here, and so far the addition of overnight campers (finally) has been a good thing. It's a short session right now, only three days, for our youngest campers. I have a group of ten seven and eight year olds, which I share with one other counselor. So far, we seem to make a good team. She's better at laying down the law than I am, and I think I'm able to connect with the kids maybe easier than she can, so we balance each other out.

I'm particularly fond of one painfully shy eight year old. She's pretty much glued to my side and only likes to talk to me. My goal is to get her relating to and playing with other kids before she leaves, but it might not be possible with such a short session. I very much want to reach her, though, and be able to leave some kind of lasting imprint on her life. She's already shy, and it doesn't help that she has a very conspicuous piece of dental work in her mouth-it looks like it's perhaps a palate widener. It makes it difficult for her to speak clearly as well. And other kids notice the device and ask all kinds of blunt questions about it, because they're seven and don't understand how much it sucks to be different at that age. She barely speaks because it turns into a barrage of questions that she's ashamed to answer. She also is very worried about bed-wetting, and came to camp with pull-ups. It's insulting to pity her, but she does tug at my heartstrings and makes me want to give her an amazing time here.

Kirby was going to try and come out for my five day break over the fourth of July, but it looks like we might not be able to afford it. So instead, I was invited to backpack through Denali with some of the other counselors, which sounds incredibly amazing. Camp is such a tiny little corner of Alaska, I feel like I'm missing out on the full experience, so this opportunity sounds amazing.

My favorite thing about being here is sleeping outside. I love that the air is cold but I am warm and cozy in my sleeping bag; I love listening to the wildlife as I fall asleep; and I love that when it rains, the sound of the drops on the roof of the tent is like music.

I'm attaching a picture of our opening campfire, and also the new campsite we're at. The pictures were taken at 11pm, by the way-- I'm even beginning to like the sun that never sets.