Camp was so good! It was AWESOME! This post is when I'm just going to briefly summarize what I did each day, and how i found it (This took me a a week and a bit to type up ><"). And my first two things go of the list I had as I first made this blog! =D (shown here). Here it goes:
8th September, Day 1
Was at the airport at around 5 (got a lift from Nav-nav, and it was awkward in the car with her and her dad ><), went to check-in and then walked around with the bros and girls before we met again at the plane gates. Everyone was so excited as they saw each other, and were jumping up and down! But it was also bad, cause Broseph & Hollands had problems getting on to the plane, because Jetstar stuffed up, and claimed that they weren't booked in *shakes head*. Luckily, Hollands could get on, and Broseph took the next flight, and arrived at the accommodation without much problems =). Hentai's little sister cried and gave him a hug as they left, making everyone go, "aww".
On the plane I was suppose to sit next to Owra Jr & Loud Shorty! ><'' But instead changed seats with OFM to sit next to MT bank. It was fun catching up with MT bank
on the 2 hour flight. She's really bad with planes xD Getting all dizzy and sick as we lifted off and landed. Made a few jokes, caught up, got into a few mini fights, and landed in Gold Coast in one piece =D
After we got off the plane, we waited for our teachers to go get the rented buses and headed towards the Sports Super Centre (our accommodation). The Sports Super Centre is really nice! Looks good, is comfy and best of all, its where im with my friends!! Had a quick worship as we got there, unpacked and was too tired to do anything, so I just hit the bunk.
9th September, Day 2
Waking up in Gold Coast is so much more different to Melbourne. The weather was great! It was warm and the morning at 8am seems like Melbourne's 12pm! We spent today traveling to a place called Currumbin Head to learn how to surf! It's so hard ><" Only like a few people could actually stand up on their boards, to surf properly. Most of us had trouble even trying to kneel on the board! Because the traffic was so bad, we got to Currumbin Head like an hour late, so we had to learn how to surf in a fast 10-20 odd minutes (not enough). After that we had time, so just stayed at the beach, swimming in the water and watching Hentai build a "sandcastle".
We were suppose to go for a rainforest walk after the beach, but instead stopped at a good scenery place (no idea what its called), and stayed there for a while to enjoy the scenery. A good walk down a shopping road was up next. It was a street that sold miscellaneous items, such as lollies and lollipops *nod*.
Our great and first FULL day at the Gold Coast ended with a great game of Volleyball with the guys and girls. It was fun, cause it.. just was *nod*. A good worship with one of Aaron's songs ended the night.
10th September, Day 3
One of the BEST days of the WHOLE camp! Today was the day that we used to spend at Dreamworld! Even though it was a bit sad that we couldn't go on the Tiger Island Tour, it was still great. Been on most of the rides (hardly any queues cause it isn't holiday time), Wipe Out became my favourite cause it was the longest, and amusing to watch my friends scream xD (talking mainly about MT bank). Ran around most of the day (which was the start) with Tuk, Hentai, Broseph, Heolin, JC, Libro, Nav-Nav, Botany, OFM & Mr B. It was actually great fun with them (as shown in pictures below), starting with the ride Cyclone.
After lunch, we pretty much went our separate ways. The guys went off to the Alien Vs Predator Laser Wars zone, while the girls ran around, to the Gold Rush section.
We met up again to go back to the log ride and gold rush section. These were the only two water rides present at Dreamworld, that is not a part of White Water World. The Log Ride was awesome in the sense of getting soaked. But, For some off reason, even though I was in the same log as Hentai (the lightest guy there is), I got soaked AS!! Supposedly, if the heavier person is in the front, the impact with the water makes the splash BIGGER! But the thing is that I was in the back [being heavier than Hentai], but i got soaked like NO TOMORROW!
After that, Broseph, Tuk, Hentai and I went to the Giant Drop to try dry off (surprisingly there wasn't much of a line). Then we all pretty much went our own ways, with Broseph going off with Owra Jr, Tuk going off with Game Lord, Hentai and me just walking around looking for other people. Bumped into Hollands and MT bank, I went on Wipeout with them, while Hentai didn't want to and stood there taking pictures. Came out and bumped into Hentai with Heolin, JC, Libro and Nav-nav, we then went off to the souveniour shops to check stuff out.
Hentai got an awesome wallet (chosen by me of course [Heolin gave some advice]); I got lil_thang, MT bank and Libro something each (I owe them stuff xD). I got: Lil_thang a white tiger plush keychain, MT bank a white tiger plush toy that looks like its sleeping and makes noise when you press it, and Libro a Patrick doll with a cowboy suit *thumbs up*.
The day came to an end with an awesome bus trip back. Ron was having a show with his newly bought tiger, that everyone laughed and enjoyed. The night ended as I went with a small group of people to Surfers Paradise for a night walk. It was relaxing and pretty good.
11th September, Day 4
Today was a fast day! We had to pack as we're leaving Gold Coast in the afternoon to head for Newcastle's Avondale College. We went to Helensvale Westfield for some shopping. The place was as small as Melbourne's Watergardens Shopping Centre, so most people were complaining! Then luckily we had a chance to change to a Harbour Town in Gold Coast to shop. After being there for half an hour, I realised that I've been there before xD I shopped around with Libro, Nav-Nav, Hentai and for a period of time, OFM. The funny thing is that it was actually REALLY REALLY FUN! =D Everyone bought something, and everyone was happy!! I got that hat that I always wanted, and a pretty white too =)
The plane trip from Gold Coast to Newcastle was quick, easy and fun! Swapped seats with Broseph so he could sit next to Owra Jr, than traded with OFM so I could sit next to MT bank. I counted how many times I got hit, and it was pretty much 49! The pain ><'' There were at least 4 BEFORE the plane left *rolls eyes* Even though there was much pain, it was fun to see how annoyed she got xD
As we arrived in Newcastle, everyone was REALLY excited!! The bus trip to the Avondale Accommodation was full of shouting and yelling. The reunion at the accommodation was interestingly humorous. Bumped into Mark a few times just to do the, "IT'S YOU!!" then bear hug thing, =D. It was fun. We went to the night chapel right after that. Avondale had a good service that was awesome as! Everyone was so hyped up and loved it, which affected us, as guests, to enjoy it as well. The night ended with the new idea of me sleeping on the floor (which was way comfier than the beds), and so the Avondale Camp's Avondale section begins.
12th September, Day 5
Today was HENTAI'S BDAY!! Woke up in the morning because he jumped from the top bunk onto the floor. Literally EVERYONE woke up because of that, but no one said much because it was his birthday. We spent the day out and about. To a beach! It was pretty much the first day all the year 11's were together at camp, so it was great! Not sure how Hentai felt about it, but I'm sure its one of the best birthdays of his life (mainly cause no one gave him shit that day xD).
As it was a Saturday, the day started off with a church service. The Regen service at Avondale was really good! It was good mainly because of the thought that everyone was hyped up about it. Also cause they served breakfast there which was nice (hash brown, fruit, cereal toast). So yeah, that was great!
The beach was really good! Even though I didn't jump into the water (mainly due to the fact that i cbb), watching everyone else having fun, was fun! If that makes sense to people. On the beach I spent my dad chatting with MT bank, cause everyone else was out in the water. K.Collado was a funny boy! He wanted to jump into the water, but wanted to keep TWO tops on, and he kept running up and down the beach *rolls eyes*. Finally I threatened him that I wasn't going to vs him in bball, and he conformed, changed to just one top, and had the best time of his life (im surprised that the threat wrked).
The only other funny thing that happened today, would be Mark's face. Looked like he was crying, so we bagged him for a while of him being a cry baby, or him crying. I guess that was pretty much the day. Of course ending with an unhappy me, that teachers lied about having bball, as we didnt end up having a chance to play =(
13th September, Day 6
Today was a day of sight seeing. We spent our day going to different bays and sand dunes and beaches, etc. I'm say it wasn't a bad idea, because it was a decently hot day, so staying at the beach was great.
In the start we went to check out sand dunes next to this beach, and everyone thought we were going to stay there for the day for beach time, but were sadly mistaken. We ended up leaving the place after about an hour to go to another bay to check it out. Everyone complained about the other bays/beaches weren't good, so after lunch at some random little town, we headed back to the original (or first) beach. We stayed at that beach for the day, to just stay muck around.
On the beach, most people were running around the sealine, but not many actually went into the water and got their whole body wet, most of them were just wetting their feet. I personally stayed back up on the sand to lie down and relax, accompanied by K.Collado's sleeping, and the occasional run up of one of my mates. I asked Tuk to go get me an ice cream, and something for himself as the day progresses. He came back a long time later with a banana Billabong *shivers*, one of the worse ice creams I've ever tasted! I had to go back and buy another one! After a few seconds of biting into the banana ice cream, I went back to the mini store and bought myself a Frosty Fruit, that was so much better than the Billabong!
The trip back to the cabins was humorous. Firstly, we had to stop our bus because the emergency door on the back of the bus made the loud *Beep Beep Beep* noise. That took our teachers about 10 odd minutes to fix it up, and off we go again. Later, on the road back, the boys in the bus continuously waved at the people in the cars that drove past, trying to see whose nice and whose not. Surprisingly, the people in Newcastle were all very nice. The only people who didn't wave back are the ones with tinted windows (which we believe that they didn't wave, because they didn't see us).
As the night progresses, we had our usual dinner and worship. However, tonight was a bit different. The people of the camp prepared a special little birthday celebration with cakes for the people who had their birthdays during camp! So the people who had Happy Birthday sang to them and a few nice cakes were: Hentai, Jesara, Melissa and yours truly. I don't know how the others felt, but I felt.. good. It was nice for them to do that for us, and well, its a part of the things I'll never forget =)
That night, the auditorium was open, YES! So I spent my time at the basketball courts with my bros. Unluckily I had a basketball hitting my face, thanks to Mark, ><>
14th September, Day 7
We spent the day at Avondale. From early in the morning at about 7am till at night 8-9pm, we spent the whole day at AC. The reason to this is that there was an Avondale Program today. This meant that we were going around AC, similarly to an Open Day, and they try to "sell" the college to us (persuade us to go there to study).
I went to the Theology, Visual Arts, and Science & Mathematics "seminars" at Avondale, mainly cause these were the only subjects I was interested compared to like Business, Nursing, etc. There were a fair few people who actually got persuaded into wanting to go to AC; however, my position still stands! I still believe that Avondale, due to being in the middle of no where, is a place I will never go to study. Of course in the end that is JUST my opinion.
After a few hours of the Avondale Program, we ended up having free time, until dinner. During this free time, we played pool and basketball. Due to my leg still hurting from basketball, I didn't play with everyone else, but instead just did some practice shooting and sat down for most of the time.
There was a little competition known as "The Battle" that Ron, Mark, Broseph, Tuk and me were in. This involved Ron and Mark vs-ing against Broseph, Tuk and me in a battle. This battle was to use the song "So Sick" by Ne Yo, and change some of the lyrics to invent a remix to bag the opposing team. This song was based around Broseph, Ron and Owra Jr. It was a fun game that we had. Afterwards, we had night activities, which resulted in the people from my cabin leaving a bit earlier to go back and pack, as we were leaving Avondale the next day.
15th September, Day 8
We left Avondale College today, and headed towards Sydney! In the morning, we packed up quickly and left soon after we had breakfast. Everything we did on 11th September night happened again today, except we bid farewell to each other, instead of saying 'hello'! We had bear hugs and emotional farewells which lasted about 10 minutes.
As we left Avondale College, the other group of year 11's waited a bit longer before heading out to the airport on their way towards Gold Coast. Our group headed from Avondale College towards Sydney. Our first stop was at CCAC. This was a sister school to GC, except its in Sydney (or Central Coast). At this school we met up with our old science teacher, Mr. A! Also known as, the teacher who likes "your mama" jokes xD It was a quick reunion and we surprised him well. The only thing that I really remember from this school, was that MT bank fell off the stairs and landed on her knees! That seemed to have hurt her bad, and it took a while for her to get better.
Arriving in Sydney, there was no one situated at the place of accommodation. So we went to SAH first for a tour. It was funny, because we had a tour of a hospital. The reason to this tour, is because this hospital is in sync with AC, and their nursing program. Other than that, this was also the place where we had a few meals (which surprisingly was good!).
The night ended with (if i remember correctly) one of the best worships taken. The worship done by Ron, our own bro! It was a worship that in a way answered some of my questions to life as a person in sync with Christianity, but thats not the point. I believe that the main point is that it was seen as a good worship, due to the fact that it was done by someone of the same level as us, basically, one of us (a student, a yr 11, a friend).
After worship, many people left on the bus to drive around Sydney and look at its night scenery, while I stayed back with a few people to watch 20 to 1 (such a hilarious show). As we had to share two people per room, I ended up sharing it with Broseph, and we began to dream about how the last few days of camp was going to be like.
16th September, Day 9
The day of catching ferries has arrived. We spent the day in Sydney city taking ferries around the place, visiting famous tourist attractions, and just hanging around. Sydney city is very different to Melbourne city. Even though they are both Australian cities, the main difference between the two, is that Sydney city uses ferries as often as Melbourne city uses trams. On top of that, the roads in Sydney are much more narrow and uneven compared to Melbourne roads.
The famous places that we checked out today were: Darling Harbour, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay, and Manly Beach. Other than taking ferries to each of these places, we also did a great deal of walking around. I guess that the only "new" thing I did this time at Sydney, was to walk on the pedestrian path on the Harbour Bridge, take ferries around the place instead of being driven, not be around relatives, and I believe its my first time at Manly Beach.
The day went pretty well, I enjoyed the last few hours of being 16 with my friends at Circular Quay and the Opera House. On the way back to the accommodation, there was a small incident that occurred between Libro and Hentai. It was somewhat a funny thing, that I think will take ages before I forget xD. During this camp, there were a few minor problems between me and my bros & chicks, basically the mob. Luckily, I had a talk with my buddy, and well.. Before the end of the night, everything was solved =) That was a great way to end the year of me being 16th.
17th September, Day 10
MY BIRTHDAY! First person to say Happy Birthday was Jie, at about 12am, waking me up with a text. The day went by with more and more "Happy Birthday Thang!". My first, and I guess last, birthday that I'll ever have on camp, with no relatives, no one, but friends and peers. It was great =D The only thing that I found was a bit... not really what I wanted, was the thought that literally no one from KFC (that doesn't go to GC anymore) actually texted, called or even made contact with me in any way to try say "Happy Birthday" (after I came back, Jarhead & 'step-mum' said that it was cause they ran out of credit, so that was fine. But no one else said anything). The only regret from my 17th birthday...
Other than that, the day was pretty good! Though it was really windy, and all we did today was sight seeing, it was great! We went to the Blue Mountains, Three Sisters today to do some sight seeing. The scenery was nice, but it may be because I've been there a few times before, I didn't find it so interesting. We did have to do a fair bit of walking to do the sight seeing, so I guess that was good exercise *thumbs up*.
The best part of the day would be night time. At night, we went to a Westfield Shopping Centre (forgot where it is). It was enormous and GREAT! The second thing I liked the most about the night, was how I claimed my prize. I was playing on the claw machine, and got a large toy! We called him "A-dil". This is cause Heolin went "a-dil" instead of "a-choo" when sneezing, right after I ask what we should name him.
On top of "a-dil", there was something else that made the night/day AWESOME AS! It was the time when some of the girls (Heolin, JC, Libro, Nav-Nav, Botany) tried to surprise Hentai & me, with something that is like a small surprise party kinda thing. First time someone's done something like this with the intention of trying to celebrate my existence, I found it awesome and a bit emotional xD
Tonight was the last time for Broseph to be with us on camp, as he had to leave and go off with his parents to stay in Sydney a bit longer. I ran around with him as he said bye to everyone, and well... I was chatting with MT bank, and I saw something that I believe I shouldn't have seen. A form of pda that Broseph was displaying to "you know who". My innocence is gone xD. With my room mate leaving, my birthday ended as the camp came to its end...
18th September, Day 11
The day to return back to Melbourne, to go home, has come. We had to wake up early, and leave Sydney at approximately 6am. For some odd reason I sat next to Libro in the start, and well, she had to sleep, so I got bored with no one to talk to ><" As the day went by, we stopped at many destinations for toilet breaks, lunch, casual rests, changing drivers, and filling up on petrol. But there was nothing that could prolong this camp any longer.
As we arrived closer and closer to GC, people shouted and yelled more about how they want to go back to Sydney. We got back to GC, and Ron gave me a lift home. Entering my own home all alone, the first few hours were boring as there was no one around, no one to talk to, no noise. I missed camp already xD.
Ending to camp
This was a camp that may have had some problems, good times, bad times, fun times, scary times, but in the end a great time and experience for everyone. Everyone became closer, got to know each other better, cared more for each other. Bonds were made, others strengthened. This is a camp and time of my life, that I don't want to, and hope will never forget. And may this be the same for everyone else. =)
By: Thangstahh
