Blog-O-Rama 7

Culture Camp

A brief hiatus from Blog-O-Rama came as a result of our totally unplugged weekend getaway to Whidbey Island for Chinese Culture Camp at Camp Casey! I wasn't slacking, I was soaking in the beauty of hanging out with 75 or so families with children from China. Here's what culture camp is like: Lots of pasty white parents and their glossy black haired daughters angling for candy at the flashlight hunt; girls of all ages rehearsing and performing a crowd pleasing rendition of "The Empress's New Clothes"; swimming in the heated outdoor pool under a clear blue sky while taking in a spectacular view of mountains and ocean; a very patient speaker/author for the grown-ups on the topic of Learning Chinese through stories and activities presented amid the giggles, squirms and impromptu wanderings of inattentive toddlers; talking, talking and more talking with families that look like ours. And those are just a few of the offerings at the official camp. The unofficial camp was even more fun.

I never went to sleep away summer camp as a kid. The closest thing I got to camp as a kid was a couple of overnight "educational experiences" in fifth and sixth grades involving bunk beds. Later, as a teacher, I faithfully led my own charges into the rustic to camp every spring for 10 years. There, I staked out my own bed in the teachers room where grown-ups were allowed to use blow-dryers, apply make-up and many of the female teachers and chaperons came with earrings that coordinated with each outfit, soft sheets to cover plastic mattresses, and our own tempur-pedic pillows. We also largely avoided the infamous camp food by keeping our cars and vans stocked with delicious snacks (pate, anyone?) and soda, which was banned for the students. So it was with some relief that we received an invitation to forgo the barrack cots to stay in the nearby Fort Casey Inn, the former officer's housing that belonged to the site way back when it was a military training base (from the 1880s - 1950s) but now is run as vacation rentals. The Fort Casey Inn has, for many years, been completely booked up with families in-the-know for Culture Camp. Said families are very mysterious about how and when they make their reservations and trying to sneak in a booking around them is impossible. Believe me, if there had been a way, I'd have found it. I'm crafty, resourceful, and utterly selfish in such matters. But it couldn't be done. Sigh. It took a family backing out and a stroke of amazingly good luck to get us in.

The unofficial camp was held in the yard, living rooms, and porches of Fort Casey Inn. Our two story, 110 year old townhouse style home had two charming bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room and a large eat in kitchen. The ceilings were sooooo high they defied measurement. In spite of rumors of a a very sad and hungry ghost named Morrow having been spotted in our house, there was an air of peacefulness and calm about the place. And, to borrow a phrase from the girl staying next door, the kids got to go "off leash." We shared bottles of wine with kindred families, sat in the grass discussing everything from The Road to Attachment Therapy to the best way to attach a toddler bike to a bike carrier. And herds of girls played, and played, and played.

Ahhh, camp!