Beam Camp: A Review

Things accomplished / happening since arriving at Beam Camp:

• Named my bunk, along with my co-counselor Andrew, “We Live Here” and designed accordingly.

The boys' names are written onto each arrow.

• Realized the importance of reflection (below: the before bunk shot I use for mine, immediately after leading our daily hysteric cabin cleanups).

• Learned the names, histories and interpersonal dynamics of 71 children.
• Hosted the first ever Beamapalooza 2011 along with an inimitable 11-year old camper.

What's brown and sticky? A stick!

• Performed Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory” at the piano at Beamapalooza 2011, dressed as Lady Gaga.

I invited some kids up at the
end to join me on the final choruses.

• Realized how important 9 hours of sleep is.
• Conceptualized a fashion show and hosted as my new alter ego, Hans Werner, a designer with an ambiguous and fluctuating accent.
• Planted 5 tree groves on the campgrounds.

• Welded together about 50 links of chain (with about 1100 to go), in order to construct a ship made entirely out of welded chain.
• Participated in a song parody of Beyoncé's Single Ladies, entitled Singing Chickens. Choice lyrics: "If you liked it then you shoulda laid an egg on it."
• Made exciting discoveries with Cassie, staff director.

• Lead evening activities, including rousing renditions of Salad Bowl, Weird Al Scoop (a song parody activity), and Human Puppetry (writing plays for others to perform). 
• Along with my 10 cabin boys and Andrew, created a composting system for BeamCamp.

• Lead(ing) a course entitled 1-5-6-4 (which is filled to capacity!) on the structure of pop music and how to forge connections between popular music and poetry (including composing pop mash-ups, authoring prose and poetry inspired by those mash-ups, and setting contemporary poetry to music).  It was during the domain presentation (where course leaders describe their courses, or "domains") that I unveiled my mash-up: A Teenage Dream Where You Don't Stop Believing 'til the World Ends and I Love You Just the Way You Are: A Fireworked Bad Romance.
• Bore witness to one of the most beautiful Fourth of July Celebrations: 72 Campers, in absolute silence, setting 72 origami boats afloat on Big Willey, each containing a single tea light, as the sun sank slowly behind the mountains.

• Lead impromptu rain-induced choral concerts at the piano (Rolling in the Deep, Forget You, Someone Like You, Born This Way, Don't Stop Believing, Firework).
• Created unparalled friendships with my fellow co-counselors.

Manda, de Australia.

Bojan, de Providence.

• Basically feeling complete and utterly full in my life.