Over the Puddle

Camp ended on the 29th. It was an emotional rollercoaster for most everyone involved. It’s one thing to say goodbye to someone you have only known for three days, quite another to someone you have known for two weeks.

I managed to get the CDs done for the campers. It took all day though. I started working on it at 9am, worked through lunch, until about 2pm, at which time I had everything ripped, and a CD image made.

I started burning around 2pm, and watched the musicals while CDs burned. After the musicals were done, we had a little talent show. Ken and Yurina did a little number. Ken played guitar and accompanied, while Yurina sang. Later, Mizuki played two songs on the piano, and Shanonn sang an Irish lullaby. I still had the MD recorder, so I made sure to record them. Now I just have to rip those tracks to mp3.

We also got to see one of the news spots about the camp. Someone had taped it, and brought it to camp. All of us sat fascinated as we watched ourselves on TV. There’s one more news spot that aired on the 30th. Now hopefully Guy will mail me a copy so I can rip them to digital.

After that, I locked myself away to finish burning CDs. It kind of sucked basically locking myself away all day, because I didn’t really do anything with the camp that day. I finally finished burning CDs at about 2:30am.

As the night grew later, I needed to get out, and headed downstairs. I made up some cup noodles, and talked with the other CLs there, leaving every 12 minutes or so to go change CDs.

When the CDs finally finished, I meant to go to bed, but ran into Misaki and Miyako who couldn’t sleep. Hazim was still up as well, so the four of us talked until about 4am, at which time I headed upstairs to go to bed. Unfortunately, I still had to finish some awards, and so didn’t finally get to bed until 5:30am.

The next morning, we had the awards ceremony, gave out the CDs, had an emotinal farewell, then went through the graduation ceremony put on by the prefecture. When that was all done, we jumped on a bus and went to Sasebo station.

From Sasebo station, we took a train back to Fukuoka. At Fukuoka, I crashed for a while. That night, we decided to head out to the Hard Rock Cafe. I had never been to one, so was more than happy to go.

Hard Rock Cafe was alot of fun. The food was good, and the prices weren’t too bad. We were more than a little amused when they had a 12 minute dance party, and did the YMCA and the Macarena, which were two dances we always did at the dance parties.

The next day we started our trip back. We left from Fukuoka by plane to Haneda in Tokyo. Then we took a bus over to Narita, and finally flew out. We got back an hour early again, which I’m not going to complain about.

I flew American Airlines this time, and they make a big point out of their improved leg room in coach. I must say, it was nice to be able to stretch out. I still couldn’t sleep however, and so was exhausted by the time I finally made it back to my dad’s place, but still had to stay up for another 5 hours.

I came back to Platteville yesterday, and have spent much of the day uploading pictures, editing entries, and trying to get everything organized in general. There’s enough little things to do after two and a half months of being out of the country to keep you busy for a while.

So, I’m back in the States again!

Well, by default, I have been placed in charge of the A/V stuff, and am our acting Tech guy for setting up the computers here, or helping people with problems. I’m used to it, so it doesn’t bother me.

Guy told me about this project he wanted to do: recording messages from all the staff for the campers. It sounds like a nice idea, but we are ill prepared for it. Andy, one of the ALTs, has a recording MD player, which has been really nice. The problem now is getting the tracks off of the MD, and onto a computer!

Andy has a MZ-B10, and it works beautifully for recording, but has no USB out, only headphones. I have a MZ-N505, which doesn’t really have recording capabilities, but does have USB. Logic would dictate record on one, upload from another.

Well, Sony, and copyright protection being what it is, doesn’t really allow me to do that. I can upload from a computer to an MD player just fine, but it doesn’t go the other way. So, to try and get around that, I am trying a work-around which involves me playing each track on the MD player, connecting the MD player to the computer via a mini-stereo to mini-stereo cable, and sound recorder.

Luckily, the audio is saved in standard stereo on the MD, and not compressed, so audio degregation should be minimal. Unfortunately, sound recorder only records 60 seconds at a time, so I have to hit the record button quickly every 60 seconds on the longer tracks.

Another problem is that I don’t have a burner. Kita loaned me his burner to use for this project, but it is a Japanese burner. I downloaded drivers, but they won’t install on my English version of Windows, and even screwed up my video slightly. Windows XP does have built in drivers, which is good, but now it only burns at 8x. 50 CDs at 8x is going to take a very long time.

I think this work-around is my best option, and I hope everything else goes smoothly. It’s going to take long enough as is.

Camp is almost over, much to my dismay. It never ceases to amaze me at how fast camps generally go. At first you think “how am I going to get through this?”, then it’s “Where did the time go?”.

While I sit here downloading some software, I listen to the sounds of the camp. In the big meeting room next door to this one, I can hear the usual round of people playing the piano. There are a lot of really good piano players here. There is the usual crowd that hangs around the piano too: those people who can play and are waiting their turn, and those who can’t play, but like the music.

Downstairs, I can hear the air hockey table again. The sound of the puck banging against the walls at high velocities carries really well throughout this facility. Usually, the guys can be found nearby the air hockey table, taking turns.

I can also hear people just talking, more than likely trying to get signatures and the like before the end of the camp. Everyone knows that the end is near, but everyone is denying it. I’ve quickly discovered to avoid the topic of after camp with the campers. They don’t want to think about it.

This has been a good camp. With two weeks, we have really gotten to know each other. These campers came from all different schools scattered about Nagasaki prefecture. Despite not really knowing anyone before coming here, they have made friends not only with each other, but with us (the CLs), and all the staff.

Our little world we have at this camp is very familiar. We have been here long enough to develop usual habits, such as Othello and Air Hockey, develop close friendships, develop little groups (such as those who are really into listening to music), and even for relationships to start forming among the campers.

For us CLs, not only do we have the end of camp to start thinking about, but we also return to America on the 30th. Both are drawing very close very fast. I think we all are looking forward to going back, for various reasons, but we also will regret having to leave. It has been a fun summer. A lot of hard work, but I think it was worth it.

I know at least one person is thinking about this program, and others may want to know what I think, so here’s a little food for thought.

The camp, in general, is great. This has been a great program, and is challenging, but fun. Sure, there are serious downpoints, such as the second Souseikan. I think Souseikan was a trial by fire, and those that survived were stronger for it.

I never taught before, so I was worried about how I would do. In general, you play it by ear. Every group, every camper is different, and there is no way that you can be prepared for everything. You have to be willing to set aside any inhabitions you have, and give your all for the campers. In the end, when campers are asking for your photograph, signature, or give you a present, that’s when you know you did a good job. That’s your reward.

Doing a camp can be very hard work. At the end of a day, even if you haven’t been doing physical activities, you can be exhausted both physically, and emotionally. Sometimes you have the problem kids, and they take a lot of patience. They can make your days long, but when they are doing their plays with a smile, or get a good score on their 1-minute drill, you know you made a difference.

I have had my share of favorite camps. I think the Saga camp, and this camp are a close tie for my most favorite. The second Souseikan was by far the worst. You would like to remember all the campers, but as time goes by, they fade from memory. As long as you can remember the feelings you had, you’ll never truly forget them.

Camps can range in duration. The general rule is a three day camp, but I’ve done five day camps as well, and there have been one day camps too. The prefecture camp is a bit special, so it doesn’t really count. I think my favorite was the three day camp, but in a five day camp, you can get to know the campers better.

Obviously, you work with other counsellors, and develop close friendships with them as well. You come to rely on them to help you through the tough times, and vice versa. You also love to share your good times with them. Working with fellow counsellors in an intensive program like this really speeds up the friendship making process. You may only know them for a few weeks, but it seems like you’ve known them for much longer.

Things to keep in mind. Things change. You may have a schedule, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to stay that way. Activites may get dropped, or added, and you have to adapt. Same goes for expectations. Ultimately, its the teachers that really influence how a camp operates. If they want the AC to stay with the kids and make sure they sleep, then that’s what you do. If the teachers want to make sure the kids are sleeping, then you may have some free time.

Travel arrangements can also change, or be bad. Sometimes you arrive late, throwing off your schedule, or the kids do. Alternatively, campers seem to show up early quite often, so you have to be ready to entertain them until you can get the camp started.

Also, be ready with ideas. Anything is fine. Silly ideas, creative ideas, or even dumb ones. When the time comes, you may need that idea to fill in a recreation block, or do a funny skit.

As for teaching, materials are provided so you don’t have to worry about that. The manual says that you will have to come up with teaching plans for the smaller kids, but don’t worry about that. During the orientation, we came up with ideas for ‘recreation blocks’ for the small kids, and I’m sure it will be the same every year.

How much money should you bring? Well, that depends on how active you want to be. I think I spent about $500 dollars here, but I went around quite a bit, and travelled with my host parents. If you live out in the country, and don’t do anything, you could probably get by on a few hundred easily. If you intend to be active, bring more. Also factor in the amount of money you will spend on drinks throughout the day.

Do I like the camp program? Yes. Would I do it again? Yes. Did I have a lot of fun? Yes. Was it always fun? No. Was it hard? At times. What was my favorite activity? Plays. What is the reward for all the time and effort you put in? The tears and smiles of the students at the end when they have to leave.

In the end, teaching English is a secondary part to developing friendships. If we foster friendships with the students, then they will want to learn more English so they can learn more about us. This program is a good learning experience, and you don’t really have to have any experience to join. The most important thing is to be yourself, and put yourself second to the campers.

Hopefully this will give you a little insight into the camp. Feel free to drop me a line with any other questions you may have, and I’ll try to post them.

We managed to sneak in some internet time today. This will probably be the last chance we get before heading back to America, so I thought I would post something.

Camp has been great. The kids are learning a lot, and speaking more and more English everyday. This has been a very intensive learning experience for them, and I’m told this camp is the longest English camp ever in Japan. Two weeks straight!

Activities go well. We had debates last night, which went well. Before that, we’ve had group presentations, My Story, Truth or Lie, and Tounge Twisters. The campers are working dilligently on their musicals as well, and I am curious to see how they are. I haven’t seen any of the musical preparation, so I have no clue what to expect.

We’ve also have two teams of ALT/JETs, a group A, and a group B. Group A started the camp, took three days off, and are here for a few days, but leave before the end, so they won’t see the end of the camp. Group B started 4 days into the camp, are now taking 3 days off, and will be here for the end of the camp.

Each group is really different. Personally, I think I like the A group better, because they seem to be the more fun of the two. Both groups work well with the kids, and the kids are always sad to see any of them go, even for a few days.

Everyday we build on the friendships we’ve already made at this camp. It’s like our own little world here, secluded from the day to day happenings of the outside world. We have a schedule that is usually much the same, so the days pass by fairly quickly.

This has been a long camp, and it has taken its toll. Some campers are becoming sick, either fatigued with headaches and whatever else, or physically ill, such as a cold, or constipation. Food has been so-so, but there has been a serious lack of fruit. Yesterday Guy fixed that problem, and had a large amount of apples, pears, and bananas brought in. Everyone was happy for the change. We’ve also been scheduling in more down-time to help the campers rest.

Even though this is a long camp, we’re beginning to see the end. The CLs are thinking about going home. As our departure dates get closer, everyone gets excited. I think it is a mixed excited for all, because we are going to be going home, but we’ll be leaving all of this behind.

The campers are beginning to think of home too. Some are getting homesick, and some are already going around getting signatures from all the staff. Yesterday, we had them all write postcards to send to family and/or friends to help with the homesickness.

Despite everything, in general the kids don’t want to go home. It is a comfortable life here, and everyone has a lot of friends. It will be rough finally leaving for good, but hopefully we’ll stay in touch.

So, it is the 25th now, and camp ends on the 29th, and depature is the 30th. Time is ticking fairly quickly. It is always the same, you start something, and it seems like a long time, and before you know it, it is time to go. So, we have to cherish the remaining time we have.

One other note: I’m developing a webpage for the camp. Guy asked me to, and wanted something up fast, so I used the web editor provided, so it looks horrible, but it will be fixed when I have more time.

Link to the camp webpage.