July 1st

Dear Awesome Well Loved Folks,

I have had a fantastic week out in Portsmouth Abbey (Rhode Island) with 12 or so odd teenagers. So here's the scoop.

- The camp had a jam-packed schedule - the goal was to wear these boys out so they sleep at 10pm. Little did we realize as counsellors we would be doing the same things and therefore tiring ourselves out in the process too. Tiring them out was exhausting in itself.

- We had sports EVERYDAY. It was completely gruelling, playing soccer, frisbee, volleyball with all these athletic teens! I was an onsite nurse type person, chasing after this kid obsessed with sports (he's the same as the guy I mention later who builds a skyscraper) - he basically tore his hamstring sprinting against college boys in a race, and had the last two months been bedridden. He still insisted on playing dodgeball (which resulted in Shannon and I giving him an ultimatum of being iced twice a day and banned from sports, except Soccer which he stubbornly refused to give up. he struck a deal that he would miss all sports, except soccer.)

- We played Capture the flag, and I was the jailor and ended up letting all my prisoners slip by me! It was so sad. but the team was amazing (my team) they did not blame me. I was so proud of them. We won the second game (no thanks to me of course, a girl named Mary whom we call Muffin, and I were on "defence", we were so bored we began twirling in the middle of the field just so we had something to do. She did cartwheels and we sang the "We Love You Jailbirds" to the prisoners. It was fantastic fun then!

- Watched the movie "Sophie Scholl" with the kids - I hadn't seen it yet - it is awesome. Just brilliant. Even the kids were bawling at the end.

- So the objective of the camp was to show the kids the culture of life - teaching them the arguments, the latest on bioethical issues (Assisted Reproductive Technologies, the ethical issues surrounding embryonic stem cell research, etc). Of course we questioned every argument and we did UN negotiations - where they tried out the language and semantics, "reproductive rights, reproductive healthcare and services", etc.

- We taught them all about absolute nominalism, statism, utilitarianism and hedonism, by the end we had them pretty well versed! the kids were such brainiacs, I wish I thought like they did when I was that age! They soaked it up like sponges, and asked so many questions.

- We made little model villages and it was HILARIOUS! One of the 16yr olds, a boy, made a sky scraper that contained 3 things: A pizza place, a soccer field, and a church. Another one, named Mike Flanagan (whom we call the Flan Man), made a hotel and named it Hotel A La Flan, and a skating rink named "Rink of Dignity". And the 11 yr old made a football field that had a flying plane above it, with a speech bubble that read "What's Up?". Very current indeed.

- And of course, we had a rocket building session, that was uh, the highlight for the boys. Everybody got kinda wet shooting them up in the field.

- I WENT KAYAKING FOLKS! THAT"S RIGHT! I DID IT! Shannon was at the back of the Kayak vehicle, and I rowed away at the front. She hit me with her oar. I was not amused. But it was awesome! I'd sooooooo totally do it again! We were kayaking in the Atlantic ocean, so the water was salty and there was seaweed and shells and all that fun stuff.

- And then, after Kayaking, because that's the only way to do it - We went to one of the campers' house (we were invited tehee) - Flan Man the founder (Dr Tim Flanagan) invited us all. We got to a hot tub and a swimming pool, it was so fun!

- I read this book "My sister's keeper" by Jodi Poucoult, you should pick it up too! It's about this girl who was conceived with the one reason, to keep her sick sister alive - as soon as she was born, she donated blood, then her bone marrow cells, and finally the parents wanted her to donate her kidney (they never ask her of course, expecting her to always comply). Finally she sues her parents for emancipation of her body. Anyway, it was a good talking point for the kids.

So this week we're doing some networking and monitoring at the UN, for the convention on elimination of discrimination against women - will be spending the next three weeks on that one. hope to have fun stories though!

Those of you going to Australia - I'm totally jealous. And I want the scoop when you get back! Those of you in Toronto, I'm also jealous, go visit Dutch dreams and eat some homemade ice cream for me:) Those of you in HK, I don't even want to speak to you I'm so green with envy! Swim some laps for me. And ride the Star Ferry (Although HA I have the Staten Island Ferry!)

Happy Canada Day, HK Reunification w/ China day, and Fourth of July! What a wild week :P