Around The World 3

So last week was my third trip Around The World at the Summer Program, which kicks off with a themed week on traveling.

Pretty traditional. We had a reptile show, where someone came in and we got to look at, and often touch, some pretty interesting creatures including a tarantula, a tortoise, a caman, multiple lizards, several snakes, and a giant toad (we didn't touch the toad).

We've done this routine the previous two years. Many participants and several staff were too uneasy to pet the animals, and most people who did still needed to pluck up their courage to do so. It's funny, I'm afraid of A LOT of things. I'm afraid of heights, small spaces, water where you can't see the bottom, etc. but I don't think any kind of animal, including insects and reptiles has ever bothered me.

This year, after hearing my name, later on the presenter accidentally called me "Phoenix". This was cool because when I first ran the "What's In A Name" icebreaker activity during training, I said that if I had to change my name, I'd just change it to another mythical creature, "such as 'Dragon' or 'Phoenix'". Since then I've been occasionally called "Dragon" by the rest of the staff, and getting called "Phoenix" was a sweet callback to my other proposed alternative name.

It also showed he knew the mythology behind my name, and made the mistake based on that context, instead of a name that sounds similar, such as "Griffith" or suchlike.

Our Friday Day Trip was of course to African Lion Safari, which is beginning to feel like an annual tradition. I'm sure in years past I've spoken on the unfortunate vulture show, where they try to show how fast some slow, cheating vultures are on foot by challenging a bunch of kids to race them. The vultures always cheat by using their wings, the children always win regardless, and the announcer sometimes tries to swing it as a win for the vultures or a tie. This year the announcer properly admitted the vultures lost by a good margin. I really don't know why they've stuck to that routine since I was a kid and got cheated by the vultures myself.

This year Chuck, the smaller elephant, couldn't win a round of soccer against his trainer. First time I ever saw that.

At the I Choose Dignity Rally, somebody who had been to African Lion Safari at the camp two years ago asked me what the name of the brown cows with the horns was. Without thinking, I said "Watuzu Cattle". Several people seemed impressed at how I could pull out a name like that. At the actual safari, turns out the actual name is "Watuzi Cattle" but I was close enough that everyone just assumed I was right and I got credit for it.

Otherwise... My Personality Bingo got another makeover. The first icebreaker activity of the week is like my baby and is improved annually. First year, it was a "Personality Scavenger Hunt" where people had to find characteristics in each other that matched the corresponding questions. First person to fill the list wins. Next year, I put the questions on a grid and called it "Personality Bingo". This gave the added thrill of allowing people to shout "BINGO!", and gave me the freedom to shout new requirements, "ONE LINE!" "TWO LINES!" "FULL CARD!". Personality Bingo also had questions tailored to the theme of the week, so that the game wouldn't become redundant for people coming multiple weeks (although there had still been variety, since the group would always differ somewhat between weeks).

This year, we have graphics for the questions, which helps people who have difficulty reading, and we've got special, larger-than-average paper. Personality Bingo has never looked better!

We had a scavenger hunt where people tried to find matches of paper animal cutouts. We played "Four corners of the world" we invented our own islands.... All good stuff.

We needed a filler activity when things were moving ahead of schedule. I dug up a memory of a game where people were sorted into pairs, had to stand opposite of each other and complete shouted commands, meeting in the centre of the room and returning to their side afterwards. Staff didn't know what I was talking about, but asked me if I'd facilitate it. When I was presenting, I said "This is a super fun game, but I don't remember the name of it, so I'm calling it 'the Gryphon Game'" As I explained the rules, someone said "Oh, Huckle Buckle!"

It was Huckle Buckle. Smash hit.

So far everything has gone so smoothly. Even when things don't go according to plan, things just fall together. Reception has been really good this year. I need more pressure. I need more hardship. The Summer Program is supposed to push my limits and force me to rely on my team members, resulting in bonds that can never be replaced. This year kind of feels like I'm just clocking in, chatting with my coworkers, going out on the field, and just completely owning everything flawlessly.

Bus route is a drag, though. In previous years, our Day Program was held a 50 minute bus ride from student housing. This year, I'm living walking distance from the usual Day Program location, but they changed venues, and are now a 50 minute bus ride from my new place. How tragically poetic.

I have to get up so early, I've no way of having it together to make coffee before rushing out the door, and there's no nearby coffee shops at the location that I go. Thought I was going to be forced to break my caffein addiction. But the school has a keurig. Never used one before. When I asked the rest of the staff if using one was hard, the room was full of suppressed laughter. It's supposed to be easier than a drip coffee maker.

So now I know how to brew a K-Cup and my coffee needs are in place again. Hey, did you guys know that dark roast coffee has less caffeine than traditional? Somebody in our staff team that worked at Tim Horton's ruined Dark Roast for me, and made me revisit the idea that my caffeine addiction might be partly psychological.  I've been able to call out weak roasts in the past, but dark roast always did it for me. Of course it doesn't anymore. Placebo effect has been ruined.