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I’m a Brit who went to summer camp in America – it was like living a 1990’s Hollywood film and you can do it too
STICKY hands from melted s’mores, handmade friendship bracelets stacked up your arms and the California heat beating down on your back as you throw an American football.
This was my summer as a Camp Counsellor in the U.S.A.
For generations, thousands of Americans have spent their childhood summer holidays at a traditional summer camp.
Designed to keep kids entertained over the summer vacation (and to give their parents a break) they’ve become a huge part of American culture.
And as a Brit brought up on a diet of American moviews and TV shows, I’ve always longed to be a part of it too.
Thankfully, I could. As summer camps often look for international staff to bring their skills across the pond.
Through companies like Camp America, young people from all over the world can get sponsored to go and work in the U.S.
You get to live the summer camp dream, make friends from all over the world, plus when it’s over you get 30 extra days to travel across the States.
But is it actually like The Parent Trap? Is it all singing, dancing and talent shows like in Camp Rock? To be honest? Yes.
It was everything you see in the movies and more. Campfire songs, telling ghost stories under torchlight and creating dance routines to Cotton Eye Joe.
My days started at 6:30am – going from snoozing my alarm at home, to getting kids’ teeth brushed, boots on and out the door before 7am was quite the change from my routine as a 21 year old back in England.
Each morning we’d gather on the sports field to raise the American flag, a key part of camp culture us Brits soon had to get used to.
After knocking back blueberry pancakes or French toast, and glugging down as much filter coffee as I could manage, the activities for the day began.
The days were filled with everything from archery to animal care, ziplining to basketball.
My group of girls and I would sit under a tree and make friendship bracelets, as they requested song after song by Taylor Swift on my Walmart speaker.
Our lunches were traditionally American: sloppy joes (bolognese in a burger bun with cheese), hot dogs and chicken tacos.
Afternoons were spent cooling off in the pool followed by chill time in our cabins.
Whilst some kids took the time to lay in their bunk and write letters home, others would come and point at my polaroids from home that decorated my bed, asking questions about life in the UK.
The kids were super curious about life outside of the States, but didn’t seem to know all too much.
My Kiwi co-worker convinced our bunk that New Zealand didn’t have wi-fi or technology, and feigned amazement as they explained to her what a mobile phone was.
The kids were always at the ready to jokingly mock my accent. They particularly loved making us British staff say “bottle of water”, as they tried through stifled laughter to mimic “bott-ul” and “wart-ur”.
I’ll also never forget hosting a camp quiz one night, where a group answered “What is the capital of England?” with a confident and unified “Paris!”
The kids would stay for one or two weeks at a time, but the camp environment made you grow close – so saying goodbye to them was always the hardest part.
We’d end the week with a campfire, roasting marshmallows and sharing our favourite memories.
I found myself collecting letters and pictures over the summer, and those handwritten messages and drawings are still posted up on my wall today.
Although saying bye was tough, what came next was worth it.
I’d made friends from all over the world – Australia, New Zealand, Germany as well as with the American staff.
After ten weeks of hard work, I spent my earnings exploring California.
Whilst some hopped over to Hawaii and others jetted off to JFK, my closest friends and I decided to road-trip the Golden State.
We drove from Santa Rosa to Lake Tahoe, and spent a week jet-skiing across deep blue waters.
We then headed down to San Francisco for a night, before catching the night bus to L.A.
After hiking to the Hollywood sign, skating through Venice Beach and visiting Universal Studios, we headed down to sunny San Diego.
We ended our trip meeting sea lions at La Jolla beach and cheering on the San Diego Padres at a home baseball game.
If you’re looking for a summer in the U.S.A., this is definitely the way to do it.
You’ll come home sunburnt, sleep-deprived, and with a head full of campfire songs.
But the summer camp experience is true movie magic, and the chance to tick off your U.S. bucket list afterwards makes it even better.
HOW TO WORK IN A US SUMMER CAMP
If you fancy spending a summer in the states, there are three major companies that can sponsor your trip: Camp America, Camp Leaders and BUNAC.
Once you set up an account with one of these, they handle all of the paperwork, help you get a Visa, and get you matched up with a summer camp in the U.S. If you pay a bit more, they’ll organise your flights too.
You don’t need any previous camp experience – if you’ve led a sports club or drama group at a school, volunteered or worked with kids in some way, they’ll more than likely be able to find you a placement.
Once you’re placed, you’ll spend 8-10 weeks working with kids, and have 30 days left on your Visa to go wherever you want in the USA.
Inside disgusting house of horrors where Pheobe Bishop ‘lived with her killers’… as even ‘the air tastes dirty’
HARROWING footage has revealed the disgusting conditions teen Pheobe Bishop was living in with her two alleged killer housemates.
Towering piles of rubbish, chains, dog toys and dirty bed sheets can all be seen in the sickening home where Pheobe stayed with James Wood and Tanika Bromley.
Wood, 34, and Bromley, 33, were both formally charged with the 17-year-old’s murder earlier this month.
And just a day later, human remains were discovered on June 6 by police after a major three week search for a body.
As investigations continue into Pheobe’s tragic death, the shocking state of her home in Gin Gin has been uncovered.
Australian news outlet 7News managed to get access to the property and revealed the squalor Pheobe was enduring in the weeks before her passing.
Before entering, the landlord can be heard in the video announcing: “I can’t prepare you enough for this.”
In almost every room the floor was impossible to see due to the mounds of rubbish.
Footage shows mountains of half empty soda bottles, unopened packages and full black bin liners in each room.
The furniture was all out of place across the house with the sofas falling apart and the beds stained yellow.
Even dog poo appeared to be on the floors of the old Queenslander-style home.
Due to the horror conditions and poor cleaning, a major issue with the property was the smell.
The landlord added: “The air tastes dirty… I don’t know how people can be breathing this.”
He also revealed the home was officially leased out by Bromley six months ago but she had been given a notice to leave after a recent inspection.
Pheobe, from Gin Gin north of Brisbane, hadn’t been seen or heard from since Thursday, May 15.
Police first arrested Wood as he was the last person to see the teen as he reportedly took her to the airport.
Cops believe during the drive to the airport, Wood, his girlfriend Bromley, and Pheobe all argued over stopping on the trip.
Pheobe wanted to do her makeup in the car as she was on her way to Perth to visit her “high-school sweetheart” boyfriend, Wood said.
The teen got her way in the end as Wood said he pulled over less than a kilometre away from their destination.
He said: “We wanted to give her five minutes, give her her own space to do what she needed to do.”
Wood and Bromley then said they walked off and were away from the car for around five minutes.
When they returned, Wood said Pheobe and her bag were gone.
This was the last time Pheobe was seen as an intense search operation was launched.
On May 26, cops made a harrowing revelation.
They believed evidence of a potential murder had been moved to cover up what had happened.
On this same day, a new number plate was discovered to have been suspiciously painted and taped over Bromley’s Hyundai car which drove to the airport.
On June 5, police officially charged the couple with murder and two counts of interfering with a corpse.
Cops allege Wood, Bromley and Pheobe were all in the car when it arrived at Airport Drive near Bundaberg Airport.
They believe that the trio never left the car.
Detective Inspector Craig Mansfield said: “Our evidence will outline the fact that three people arrived near to the airport, and three people never exited that vehicle.”
The pair continue to say they had nothing to do with Pheobe’s disappearance or death.
Wood and Bromley will appear in court on August 11.
Pheobe Bishop timeline
May 14: Pheobe Bishop’s last known bank transaction takes place.
May 15: Pheobe is reportedly dropped off near Bundaberg Airport’s terminal by her housemates, James Wood and Tanika Bromley, in order to catch a flight to Brisbane and then to Perth to visit her boyfriend.
May 15, 8:30am: Pheobe makes a final phone call to her boyfriend before her scheduled flight. Her phone is then switched off and has remained inactive since.
May 15, post-8:30am: Pheobe fails to check in for her flight. CCTV footage confirms she did not enter the airport terminal.
May 16: Family and police initiate search efforts. Pheobe’s social media accounts show no activity during this period.
May 21: Police declare Pheobe’s disappearance as suspicious.
May 24: Nine days after disappearing, Pheobe’s distressed mum pleads the public for information. She says she is “absolutely begging anyone with any information to contact the Queensland Police Service”.
May 25: The search effort is widened to cover more area and homicide officers are brought in to help.
June 4: Police call off the “physical search for Pheobe, who has now been missing for three weeks.
June 5: Bromley and Wood are both arrested and charged with one count of murder and two counts of interfering with a corpse
June 6: Police find human remains near the area Pheobe was last seen.
The UK’s newest national museum is more like an Ikea store – and Kate Middleton is already a fan
LONDON’S newest museum has finally opened – and I was one of the first to go down.
V&A East Storehouse is Stratford’s newest attraction, opening at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Joining the original V&A museum along with Young V&A and V&A Dundee, it is certainly a different kind of museum.
The four-floor museum takes up the space of 30 basketball courts.
The museum’s collection is broken down into three ‘themes’ – items that have a story, items inspired by the V&A and items that show a working museum.
An element I loved was the lack of walls where you can see everything while standing in one spot.
It almost reminded me of an IKEA warehouse with the simple plywood and metal structures and open concept.
But the variation of items (of which there are 250,000) means there is something for everyone.
Kids will be fascinated by the sword displays while I loved the items from important protests throughout history.
Architecture lovers will be taken by the famous Frank Lloyd Right rooms and there is enough art and memorabilia to keep all types occupied, from motorbikes and guitars to magazines and interiors.
Yet I can see how it could be overwhelming for some.
There is no themed areas unlike other museums which often base each room on certain eras or topics.
So you will have to walk the entire building while trying to spot something that interests you.
I don’t think you could spend more than an hour there, unless you are more interested in the concept of a museum rather than a collection itself.
Yet it’s a museum made for the modern day – every piece has a QR code to scan for more information rather than huge signs of text.
I loved this idea, as it also means I never felt awkward having my phone out when taking pictures.
It also meant you could see more of the attractions without being bogged down with text.
Kate Middleton has already visited the new museum, saying: “What a fantastic idea. What an opportunity for everyone to see these historic pieces in first person.”
“It’s so eclectic. And all parts of the process of displaying and curating.”
And there are some new additions coming as well.
Later this year it will open the David Bowie Centre, an archive dedicated to the six decades of the late singer’s career.
And next spring will see the opening of V&A East Museum, a 7,000sqm attraction space with live shows and pop ups.
But until then, V&A East Storehouse is definitely worth a visit while in Stratford – but you won’t need as long as perhaps the other V&A museums to explore.
Make sure to take small bags, as bulky coats and bags have to be put in one of the free lockers.
Food and drink is also banned inside but there is a small on-site cafe selling snacks and drinks for afterwards.
Here’s another £437million attraction opening in London next year.
Willie Mullins snaps up ‘one of the most talented jockeys around’ for £115,000 Royal Ascot rides
WILLIE MULLINS has snapped up ‘one of the most talented jockeys around’ for two blockbuster Royal Ascot rides worth £115,000.
The ink is still drying on Colin Keane’s mega new contract with racing titans Juddmonte.
But the six-time Irish Champion Flat jockey is set to ditch the famous pink, white and green silks for two Mullins runners on day one of the Royal meeting.
Mullins has entered a small army for the Ascot Stakes over 2m4f and the Copper Horse Handicap over 1m6f on Tuesday.
He won the first race three times in four years from 2015 but has been unsuccessful since.
While the Closutton boss claimed the Copper Horse the past two years – with Vauban bolting up before Belloccio last year.
Victory in both races is worth £115,000 combined this year, so it’s a serious money-spinner.
In Wednesday’s entry stage, Keane was down to ride the HOS Syndicate-owned Too Bossy For Us in the Ascot Stakes.
While he was also provisionally down to ride Pappano – owned by the same connections – in the Copper Horse.
Mullins had also moved to secure the services of Godolphin’s No1 rider William Buick.
Charlie Appleby’s main man gets the leg up on freak 100-1 Triumph Hurdle winner Poniros in the Ascot Stakes.
While Buick will look to make it back-to-back in the Copper Horse after he was pencilled in to ride £265,000 purchase Charlus.
Keane, who steered Field Of Gold to Irish 1,000 Guineas success after he was beaten at Newmarket, signed his new Juddmonte contract on Monday.
Willie Mullins Royal Ascot day one entries
Ascot Stakes (2m4f)
Charlus
Pappano
Poniros (Buick)
Reaching High
Too Bossy For Us (Keane)
Copper Horse Handicap (1m6f)
Charlus (Buick)
Pappano (Keane)
Poniros
Reaching High
Too Bossy For Us
The firm’s chief executive, Douglas Erskine Crum, said in a statement: “In the past we have had retained jockey relationships (including with Pat Eddery, Richard Hughes and James Doyle) but in recent years we have preferred to work with the many talented jockeys retained by our various trainers around the world.
“We have decided that the time has now come to revert to the security and consistency which comes from having a single jockey retainer relationship.
“We are delighted that Colin Keane has committed himself to Juddmonte.
“He is one of the most exciting and talented riders of his generation, he shares Juddmonte’s values, we know him well and we warmly welcome him to the Juddmonte team.”
Mullins has been busy giving plenty of big rides to up-and-coming stars at his Irish base.
Anna McGuinness has repaid her boss’ faith with a string of successes – while the son of a late jockey is making a name for himself too.
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