Goodbye ITC

Friday was the last full day at ITC and there were signs of this everywhere. Campers like Bennett were exceptionally emotional and people were cleaning like crazy so we could leave as soon as possible on Saturday.

Richard was leaving in the afternoon on Friday so I spent the morning making sure he cleaned up all the messes he made. The biggest area he had to clean was the prop house, where I am sure he tried on over half the clothes and threw them on the ground. I was not about to let Richard get away with this mess, so I watched him like a hawk as he put all the clothes away in the correct place and not stuffed under a shelf, a trick he tried to pull on me several times.

In the evening, we had a family picnic where both camper and counselor families could visit the camp. My whole family came and I was happy that they could meet Calvin along with some of the other campers. I think Calvin made a lasting impression on them because he introduced himself by stealing my brother's cookie.

After my family left I had another task before the picnic was over. For the last two weeks, there has been a slowly growing group called the "Blow horn Bandits." The group started with one person blowing an airhorn in the middle of the night and trying not to get caught. Next, he passed it on to someone else and if that person did it successfully he or she would receive a coveted red and black bracelet along with the knowledge of who else sounded the blow horn.

This time it was my turn to blow the horn and in order to create more hype on the final day of camp, I had to do it right behind the band's stage at the picnic. For my disguise, I had a full-body orange suit. Sadly, the suit was not enough to hide my figure and many people recognized me as I ran past but it was still a thrill and I still received a bracelet so I was satisfied.
After all the campers were in bed, I had a great time reflecting on the summer with other staff members, sharing our best and worst times at camp this year.

Saturday was the last official day of the Seneca Sheepdogs and it was hard to say goodbye to a lot of the campers. When Calvin's parents picked him up, he gave them a big hug and they said he would definitely be coming back some time.

Overall, I had a great second summer at ITC. Although I was extremely tired and my patience was tested over and over again, I have no regrets because there were so many great campers and counselors I got to know this summer. I will miss my time there, and I will hopefully return for holiday camp in December.