I finally have a few hours to breathe between assignments and so I thought, why not write a new blog post about my top tips and things you need to pack when going to a summer camp. Most of them are food or drink related in all honesty, we do not appreciate our lovely British food and drink!
Those of you whom haven't crossed paths with with my blog posts before and are unsure about the whole AmeriCamp thing - you should go check out my previous blog posts!
So it's not long until my second summer at French Woods begins, and I am so excited. I also have a week's holiday booked in Majorca in May with some friends from my Psychology course. I literally land back in the UK 3 days before I fly back out to America!
I know many of you will be getting prepared for the summer of a lifetime in the states, and I want to attempt to refrain half of you from getting in a mad panic over packing. There were things I wish I knew before going to camp so I really hope that this post will help a lot of you. Now, if you're going to a camp in Florida, South Carolina or California then A) You're SO lucky for starters, and B) Some of my tips may be irrelevant to you.
10) Pack Warm Clothes and Waterproofs
Now I understand this may seem bizarre to some of you, because I mean America is hot right? and I mean, you're going to be spending all your summer in the beaming sun right?
Think again!
New York was lovely and hot when we were strolling around. However, when arriving at camp (in the middle of the Catskill mountains may I add), it was a bit of a shock. I hadn't packed any warm pj's either, so there I was trying to salvage any kind of long/warm item of clothing I could find to sleep in. No word of a lie, the first and last nights of camp were potentially the most coldest night i've ever had to deal with.
Living in a wooden cabin means that through the day, heat is retained, and at night, the heat just escapes and the cabin resembles an igloo. Yes, we received a bedding pack courtesy of camp, but all it had was one blanket and one pillow which meant we all woke up practically blue.
It also rained like we were in the middle of a monsoon for so many days over the summer, resulting in me looking like a drowned rat multiple times. Please buy an umbrella in the states, and even an anorak because you will not regret it.
Moral of the story: pack your thermals, brolly and waterproofs.
9) Coffee and BRITISH TEA
Please for the good of your health pack either, a) instant coffee granules, or b) instant 2in1 or 3in1 coffee sachets. Camp only has decaf coffee (which is AWFUL may I add), and you cannot work almost 24 hour days on decaf coffee!
Coffee is also very expensive to buy in the states, they don't drink the instant stuff like we do, they drink the stuff you have to put in a percolator which frankly looks so similar to instant coffee granules. Do not make the mistake of buying the wrong coffee on your day off, it only ends in sheer disappointment.
TEA! Brits. Need. Tea.
The Americans seem to think Lipton tea is acceptable. The American milk, alongside these disgusting bags of hell create the world worst cup of tea which resembles dish water. Please pack enough British tea bags, the milk is more bearable with British tea bags. My co-counselors amazing twin sister saved my life with PG tips when I had been withdrawn from British tea for the last few weeks (Thank You Kelly!).
So pack your British tea and coffee, and buy a lovely mug from Walmart (because you do not want to drink out of polystyrene cups for 12 weeks).
8) Juice
Okay so on the topic of drinks, you will get insanely bored of water at camp. Americans seem to have dilutable juice in packets, or huge gallon bottles which may as well be pure sugar, and are also very unpractical to keep at camp.
So, I propose that everyone should pack a couple of the little Robinsons concentrated juice's to make sure you do not dehydrate from being so bored of plain water.
7) Mug Shots
Now i'm not talking about the type of "mug shot" you get when being arrested, i'm talking about the pasta type.
The chef's at camp are AMAZING! They work so hard all day, every day and the food they make is great. It varies from breakfast bagels, pancakes, waffles and bacon, to tacos, to Chinese, to BBQ ribs with mac and cheese. Not to forget the chocolate pudding and brownie cupcakes! PLUS, there is a lovely salad bar at every meal which obviously still holds some carbs like bread and crisps in true American fashion. *Side Note* American bread is not like our lovely British bread, their wholemeal bread is literally dyed white bread AGH! Anyway, my co-counselor Steph and I used to introduce our all time childhood favourite of crisp sandwiches, or jam sandwiches when we needed a taste of home - which the children used to turn their noses up at, pfft!!
As lovely as the food at camp is, by the end of camp you will never want to eat again, and if you're travelling mug shots are essential. The restaurants in the outside American world do not offer healthy meals, and you will turn into a burger and fries, and a lethargic ball of American grease if you aren't careful. Hotel rooms in America often have kettles, so grab a mug and your mug shot, and that's your somewhat healthier tea sorted!
6) Nice clothes
If you pack nice clothes, then you won't have to wear a bed sheet toga like Robbie and I haha.
I over packed on pairs of shorts, strappy tops, and clothes I didn't mind getting ruined. But honestly, I did not ruin 1 pair of clothes despite doing art, nor did I pack enough nice clothes. I did not expect to need nicer clothes, but on my days off I really struggled picking an outfit as everything I owned was just very basic for camp. Bare in mind, on days off when you leave the mountains it is like the bubble of coldness evaporates, and you are hit square in the face with humid weather in the likes of NYC, Niagara Falls and Philadelphia (so I guess 3 pairs of my shorts came in a tad handy there).
We were also very lucky to be able to go bowling on a night time if we were off duty, and it was a prime chance to make new friends and put on a nicer outfit than being in sports gear. This however led to a frantic shop in forever 21 on our NYC trip, knowing at home I had some nicer tops I could have worn, agh.
5) Toiletries
Please do NOT take 9-12 weeks worth of toiletries! You will get chance to buy some more in the states. Buy shower gel, shampoo, conditioner etc in the states, only bring enough for your first week or so. Use the extra KG's in your case wisely... like bringing more nice tops and more shoes.
Unless you're on waterfront or a general counselor, I advise that you will not need more than 1 bottle of sun cream. If you do need more, just buy more on one of your days off. I barely touched one bottle of sun cream, and came home with a full bottle of after sun which possibly weighed a total of 2kg's (which is a lot in suitcase terms when packing for 3 or 4 months away).
4) Face Masks
Face masks are a must. My skin was disgusting at camp from all the salty and sugary foods etc. Grab yourself some from superdrug before you go! Then when you're on bunk duty and all your kids are asleep have a lovely pamper and do a face mask. I was desperate for a detox mask almost every week!
3) British Chocolate and Sweets
I was far too excited to have an endless supply of twizzlers, m&m's and Hershey's cookies and Crème for 4 months. I think it was the third week of camp that we went to Niagara Falls, and they actually import European Cadbury's! It was a bit more expensive, but of course I bought some.
I know camps have a no food policy, but please savour Cadbury's and British sweets. Please take your much loved chocolate and sweets and savour it.
Fun Fact: My mum brought me a bar of galaxy after 3 months of not eating it, and on their second day in the states (and my 14th week), I came back from rescuing my GoPro from the helicopter company I accidently left it on. The chocolate was gone. Thanks Mum and Aunty Di, never forgiven x x
2) Packing Cubes
At camp, we literally had wooden cubby's to put our clothes in. These cubby's are occupied with god know what kind of critters for the majority of the year. I bought some plastic drawers from Walmart for $9.99 which were a saint, as the campers are the main priority so if they need more cubby space, they get more cubby space.
However, packing cubes enable you to sort your clothes into tops, shorts, jeans, underwear. I can vouch for Steph that she packed so efficiently when leaving. Whereas my suitcase was bursting at the seam, and when travelling it was a living nightmare to try and find certain items of clothes.
1) Bring things that represent you!
Bring things from home! Campers love looking at pictures of you and your friends and family. It's also nice to decorate your bunk with pictures, and make it as nice and homely for yourself as possible. It's also proof to your campers that you don't always look like a tired zombie, and you can actually look half decent and apply makeup adequately.
You could also bring your home flag. Whether you're from Australia, New Zealand, England or Ireland etc! It brightens up the bunk and is a great way to bring some culture to the bunk. The kids will also be so interested about where you're from. If you're from the UK, it brings the children to light that London is not the only place on the map in the UK! If you're from the North of England the children will be bewildered with your accent. I had children guessing I was from Scotland, Sweden and Australia... not many guessed England!
Just bring things that are sentimental to you, from a lucky charm to your childhood teddy. Not to mention, you can also buy things like fairy lights and cute fluffy blankets or teddy's etc to spruce up your bunk!
So these are my top 10 things you should pack to camp which you probably wouldn't have thought of. I had to learn the hard way, and I would not like anyone to go through the summer thinking "oh I wish I'd have brought that"!
I am going for my embassy appointment on the 4th April with my friend and house mate Amy which will be a long day. Luckily, this year I don't have to travel from Newcastle as I am home for Easter (with many deadlines ahead of me)! I will be blogging about my 2nd Visa day, and right the way through summer again which I hope you will all be happy about!
I am beyond excited to get back to French Woods!
Jade x x
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