Manchester with AmeriCamp/Frenchwoods friends ft my impossible life schedule
Sunday, April 16, 2017Hello everyone and Happy Easter,
Hope you are all well and are having a great bank holiday weekend.
I needed to upload this blog post ASAP in between the few hours I have off between my mad schedule!
I am literally working all hours around the clock full time before America. Any "day off" I have is because I have pre-booked it off. I am gallivanting around the country left, right and centre - all of the trips have been booked for a while, however, I think I maybe overestimated the amount of time I do actually have and silly me has left not one day to myself, making it physically impossible to be able to make plans and socialise with friends before I go. I also have an exam in May I need to find time to squeeze in revision for, and find time to pack, ahh! I actually finished first year extremely early on the 8th April hence why I am working so much.
I have six weeks at work before I go to America, plus a planned trip to Newcastle to see Ed Sheeran next week with my best friend Ellie (so excited), a trip back to Manchester next week for the AmeriCamp orientation day, then back to Newcastle for my exam, a day out in London, my leaving party... and then it will be a week to go until New York! I am already so exhausted and run down after the first week!
ANYWAY...
The first trip of the six weeks had been planned for a few months, BEFORE I knew I had to hand in my final first year lab report whilst in Manchester, which was also hectic finishing in between 9 hour shifts.
We decided to have a "flying friends" meet up pre-departure, we are all with AmeriCamp, and all placed at Frenchwoods! This is a different group of friends from whom I went to the Camp Fair and York with (apart from Fran).
Fran will be working within photography and Arts, Amy will be doing the same job role as me whilst working within the fine arts department (hopefully craft jewellery making), Robbie is a general counsellor - so he will be looking after a group of children and interacting within different activities and finally Dan will be working in the sport department doing tennis! A lovely girl named Katy also met with us, this will be her THIRD year at camp! She was telling us all the ins and outs of camp, making us all SO excited! Fran and I are already planning to return next year haha!
After a gruelling 2pm-11pm shift on Wednesday night, I awoke at 8am Thursday morning - I'd like to say refreshed, but I was quite the opposite. Quickly, I packed my case and made my way to Bradford interchange for the coach, managing to leave my phone charger at home, but acquire my Mums fitbit tracker in my bag instead. Manchester is only an hour away which is a blessing, I'm usually travelling on coaches for 2.5-7 hours at a time haha!
Once I arrived in Manchester, I made my way to Piccadilly to meet Fran which was only a 5ish minute walk. We then dropped our bags off at the hotel in Piccadilly Gardens, and went to Weatherspoon's for lunch which was conveniently situated next to the hotel.
After we ate, Fran and I checked into the hotel and just could not stop talking about how excited we were for America and reminiscing getting placed! It's nice to have friends going to the same camp prior to your departure as you can just get giddy together, and shop together for camp things!
Amy then came to our hotel and we started to get ready together for our night out in Manchester! Robbie, Dan and Katy then arrived and we had a "few" drinks (aka I drank almost a whole bottle of Amoretto). We spent a good couple of hours talking about camp, and Katy was telling us everything there is to know.
We then made our way to Manchester's gay village, where there was a drag queen show on which was hilarious! However, I was very jealous at some of their figures haha!!
I think we made it back to the hotel at around 3am. Fran and I awoke with unnecessary banging heads and the room temperature was the equivalent to the tropic, nevertheless, we powered through and got ready, had breakfast and headed out to go camp shopping!
Here are a few pictures from the night, including Katy and her new friend hahah!
Top tip: Primark is AMAZING, for camp shopping, from anoraks, to summery tops, to denim and cotton shorts! I genuinely think Primark has really upped their game and standards of the clothing and accessories! Also, if anything gets ruined its not the end of the world because it's so cheap. I also bought a really good toiletry bag, its waterproof and can hang up on the shower door (there is a picture below) so you don't have to fumble about in the shower. Fran and I were also trying to find something to wear for independence day on July Forth... unfortunately you guys will have to wait until my Forth of July post for that haha.
These are a few things I've bought! I am lucky, as I am in the arts facility, I can wear nice summery clothes! I've also bought some gym wear for when we first arrive as I think it will be a tad chilly! haha.
Two hours later and £65 lighter, we made our way into the Arndale centre and I bought a gorgeous new playsuit for my leaving party. After this, we stopped off for a well deserved sit down and drink, and that's where it all went downhill and our hangovers kicked in. We then decided to get some food and head back to the hotel to sit and contemplate life for half an hour before our train haha.
It's only a short walk to Victoria and Piccadilly train station from Piccadilly Gardens, we couldn't have picked a more central hotel really. I was early for the train, but not to worry because I acquired a little friend rat on the platform. As it was good Friday, there were so many drunken older people on the train which brightened my mood. I had to then change trains at Hebden Bridge back to "wonderful" Bradford, arriving at around 9pm. I was so tired once I got home, I had to be up at 6am for work too! It felt like I only blinked and had to get up!
Overall, it was a really lovely but tiring two days. I honestly cannot express enough how many lovely people I have met through AmeriCamp. Although a few have dropped out and a few are at different camps, every single person I have met are truly going to be friends for life, and we haven't even been to camp yet! I feel like its so abnormal to meet so many people and all get along so well!
I now have work til 11pm and again tomorrow at 12pm. It's all go haha.
Hope you all have a lovely Easter and bank holiday Monday!
Jade x x x
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