La Vida - Week 2

Okay, so I've gone over the basics. Now to talk about this actual week. We only had two units open (or 7 cabins...with staff staying in the eighth) and around 80 campers. I helped out with cabin 3, and wow, are those girls crazy. Most of my time was spent away from the cabin, but when I came back, they would run up to me. Really? I'm gone a majority of the time, but they still get excited to see me?

There was one girl in my cabin, and we've gotten journals to write about a camper each week. And I chose this girl. She was the youngest in the cabin, and it was also her first time at camp. I'm pretty sure that she's one of the most sarcastic 8 year-olds I have ever met (no wonder we connected.)

It was Wednesday when I was finally getting into the swing of things. This girl was quiet & part of the Outdoor Living Skills (OLS) track group. We had had several injuries the night before (including a sprained ankle & one girl getting stepped on), and I looked down during Canteen. E has some gauze and med tape around her knee. I asked what was wrong. She had been bleeding earlier. And they had taken care of it.

Well, we get a rest time (where we usually just sat out on the porch and talked) after Canteen until Bible Study with the girls. E starts bleeding from her knee...and I'm not talking about a little blood...like put a bandaid on it and move on. I mean, dripping down her leg like she's just been punctured with a very sharp knife. And she's just sitting there...

Time to go to the nurse. A bandaid's been put on.

All right, everything should be back to normal. Let's get on with Bible Study. Halfway through the craft, "E's bleeding again!"

So, out comes the first aid kit. And the gauze and the tape. And we put on a new bandage. It continues to soak through. More pressure on the wound. Ok. We're good now.

Two minutes later, "It's still bleeding!" We walkied Morgan, and she comes. We put on a new bandage, and everything's going great.

Towards the end of Bible Study, "It's dripping on the floor!" I can only thank God that none of our kids were squeamish by the sight of blood. So, the three of us take her into the bathroom and start talking over what to do. It's time to go back to the nurse. So, we bandage her up and I head off with a small child in my arms.

There's something about running to the nurse when you don't know what's wrong with the child you have in your arms. You worry, and then you begin to wonder why you're so worried. Why is some kid that you've just met a few days ago and who will be leaving in a few days so important to you? (Sidenote: I am beginning to understand what an agape love looks like.)

Anyways, I get to the nurse with E, and she's already bled through the bandage. My arms are sore, and we rush her into the nurse's room. We start applying the pressure. Why is she bleeding so much? There was nothing about hemophilia on her medical sheet. We were really worried about this and confused because she had been getting bumps and bruises and nothing was wrong.

The wound itself was small. No bigger than a pinprick. Well, they finally came to the conclusion that it had something to do with a blood vessel. It was so cute how they explained it. E told me that like a soap pump every time she bent her knee, blood came out. So, she just had to keep it straight, and it would heal up on its own.

She got to talk to her mom and grandma. It was precious. I won't lie...it was. (Working with kids has softened me somehow). We're pretty sure that her mom asked if she wanted to come home. E was like, "No," in a voice that plainly said, "Are you kidding me? Did you really ask that question? It's just a flesh wound."

And she was off, enjoying the rest of the week (except for that night...but that's a different story. Let's just say I hate cabin sitting on Wednesday nights.)

So, that is one of my many stories.

I have learned several things this week at camp:
-Belay does not mean what the dicitionary says it means. It means "You're responsible for a person's life. So, don't screw up."
- All the staff that can actually sing are Sopranos.
- Hagalina Magalina, Beaver, With My Hand on My Shoulder, Moose, & Form the ______ are all songs that I can now sing in my sleep.
- Canteen comes with entertainment: specifically singing "I'll Make a Man Out of You"
- All the campers know your name, but you don't know any of theres.