cranedale

Last Sunday I headed off on a Geography camp with the Uppers (Year 7). It was the kind of camp that Anna and Corky would have loved, being the geography nuts that they are (there were lots of rocks and landforms and stuff), but I ended up loving it, which I didn't expect! Obviously I went off to camp with a positive mindset, but it really took me by suprise how much I actually enjoyed it.

Day 1 was spent hiking through the moors. We were crashing through the valley, jumping over fallen trees and sliding down muddy banks. Every so often we would stop and examine something. I would either get really interested and help out the girls with their work (looking at ancient fossils) or completely zone out and focus on a pretty leaf instead (discussing sedimentary rocks...). I completely ruined my 'tough Aussie' persona when Hannah (one of the tutors) was showing the girls a dung beetle and thrust her hand at me and asked me to hold it...I screamed, covered my eyes and nearly fell backwards. I can deal with spiders and snakes but NOT beetles. Argh it was horrible! We spent a couple of hours at a stream where the girls took samples of the organisms in the stream. while the teachers and I lay in the sun (and I went to sleep). I love being a staff member hahaha. We finished off the day hiking up a massive hill, which was hard because I was so over the day by this stage but had to keep a positive face on for the girls

'Miss Peters, I'm tired and want to go back and my feet hurt and I'm hungry'

'Keep going B, we're nearly there! Don't worry, it's still such a great day!' (meanwhile I'm thinking 'killmekillmetakemehome')

Every night after we would return I would hang out with the girls in the common room, playing table tennis and table football and card games. My competitiveness came out in full force, the head of geography and I were playing a very intense game of table football one night and we had half the year level standing around us screaming while N. led a commentary ('Miss Peters has the ball, passes it down,ooooooo nooo intercepted by Ms. C!')

Day 2 was a rivers day, where the girls took the depth, width, velocoity etc of different rivers around the district. It sounds boring, but it means they got to tramp around in rivers wearing wellies and waterproofs. They had a lot of fun, and I had a lovely time 'helping' while appreciating the beautiful English countryside...this is what we were surrounded by...

Real Bronte country. Also, as a side note, the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter movies is the train that regularly goes through the moors that we were in that week.

So, pretty much, I WAS NEAR HOGWARTS!

Day 3 we spent at a typical English beach, rockpooling and...counting limpets. Yeah, it's about as thrilling as it sounds. I loved being at the beach though, I hadn't realised how much I missed it until we got onto the sand and all I could smell was the sea. If it hadn't been about 4 degrees I would have thrown off my 10 layers of clothing and dived into the ocean right then and there. After that we headed to a bird watching sanctuary, which was actually a lot of fun! The birds were amazing, and we saw puffins! Cutest birds ever! They looked like this...

We died of cuteness. Although, the girls spotted these two birds mating. And these birds were really mating, they were going all out, really having a lot of fun...the girls were nearly on the ground in tears they were laughing so much. J. and I had to keep a straight face and discuss how it was mating season blahblahblah. but it was really so funny, I couldn't say 'stop laughing girls' with a straight face. And the birds looked so happy too!

Day 4 was coastal geogaphical landforms. With the fittest tutor going around, Mark with a Newcastle accent. youtube it, it's so cute. I didn't care what he was talking about, as long as he kept talking I could sit there and listen to him talk all day. The girls had the same opinion as me, they swarmed towards him hahaha. We spent a couple of hours in a bay, which was gorgeous, I'll put up photos soon. I listened and learnt heaps...but I'm still not doing geography at uni. There are only so many different types of rock I can take. We played 'Kung-Fu Landforms' before lunch, which was pretty much 'Simon Says'. We would say 'erosion makes...' and put in something like 'stack' or 'wave cut platform', and that had to make the shape with their body. Why didn't we do that in geography?! When we got up the top we all nearly got blown off the cliffs, the wind was 30 miles per hour! We were all leaning into the wind and it kept us up, it was actually insane. Afterwards we went to the most depressing seaside resort ever, and looked at the coastal erosion...one metre PER YEAR. crazy. On the one hour drive back I had a lovely chat with Joe, one of the tutors.

That was pretty much Cranedale! The girls were so much fun, I kicked back with the staff every night, and on the last night we let the girls go a little bit crazy. It was their last night so they were running around screaming, and we really just leant back and said 'they'll run it off eventually'. I got a lovely thankyou on the last day and a little Cranedale teddy, it was very sweet! With regards to A., the girl who was a type 1 diabetic as well, her levels were really good, I made sure she kept them at 5-7. One night she shot up to 17 (I have my suspicions she ate lollies without injecting), so I made sure she set her alarm to keep testing and inject 1/2 units etc. It was such a lot of responsibility but it all turned out well, thank god!

These past couple of days have been relaxing. I unintentionally went for a 2 1/2 hour run today, as I got lost and couldn't find my way back to Godstowe. Was legit near tears until I finally asked someone and found my way back. Nearly kissed the floor. Aisling, Yve and I did some aerobics last night, using an old aerobics video we bought at the opshop for 40p. Best fun ever! Aisling and I have been youtubing aerobics videos, and I have never had so much fun exercising. My favourite so far is a clip with a sassy black guy who told us that we should be 'feeling funky!!' by the end of the exercise. Classic. We've all been playing tennis quite a bit, as the sun is coming out and it's warming up! I'm actually learning to hit the ball Mum! Gap years are the best, must suck to be in uni and writing essays right now.

There's a staff vs. students netball match on Tuesday, which should be really fun! I was planning to sneaky skype chorals but have to work in the boarding house on Wednesday. Shattered :(

GO NEREIDS YOU WILL OWN CHORALS I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT ON YOUTUBE YOU GUYS WILL BE INCREDIBLE I LOVE YOU!!

I'm heading off to Paris on Thursday for a week, to see the Seurins and be part of a family again for a week. I can't wait to see them, they are like my French version of the Corkills. Freaking out about my french though, it's going to be so hard speaking it all the time again, it's become so bad since school ended. They are just amazing, they're taking me to the ballet and letting me stay at their house the whole week!! After France I'm back in England for a couple of days then heading off to Turkey, with some of the other gaps and Kate, a friend from Melbourne :) I'll be there for ANZAC day, I still can't quite believe it. After I get back I'm getting all my medical stuff sorted out, because summer term is crazy and before you know it it'll be summer holidays!!

Promise I'll upload photos to Facebook soon. Miss you guys, can't wait for some of you to come over!!!

PS- tonight at dinner L. told me she had a secret for me. Beofre I could ask what it was she pulled me down and planted a massive kiss on my cheek, and said that was her secret. Cute! Then A. (9 yrs old) grabbed me around the waist and said 'Miss Peters, I have a secret for you too'. I bent down, fully expecting her to say 'bum' or something, and she whispered 'you're the best gap'. Dead. Work in a primary school, you will never feel unloved.