PhD's in Kayaks

This past week we had some pretty smart people around, the type of smart that makes you feel very much like an inferior human being. This was a group of 23 Phd students from University of Glasgow who had come to Camas for a little getaway.

These people are the kind of people who are literally changing the world. One woman is working on using lasers on spaceships to deflect asteroids away from Earth, (there is one heading in our direction now and could even have the potential to enter our orbit in the next 15-20 years and if it would hit earth we will probably all perish just like the dinosaurs… so her work is kinda important. And also sounds crazy cool.) another is working on a cure for malaria and another on 'sleeping sickness,' and there are a couple using photosynthesis as a model to develop more efficient solar energy devices. So that just gives you a small glimpse into the sort of people I was around.

However brilliant and important these people may be and however inadequate and foolish I felt around them- everything changed the moment we got them in wetsuits and sent them out into the ocean in Kayaks.

They were to fantastically horrible and it made me feel much better about myself. Watching smart people awkwardly fall into the ocean for no reason other than their own lack of balance or try SO hard to paddle in one direction but instead end up heading full speed into the exact opposite direction was one of the most hilarious things I've experienced in awhile. 

My favourite moment of the week though occurred on the group's last evening at Camas. On the last day of a group's stay, we do what we call the "Camas Challenge", which essentially just means that we give the group the opportunity to do the jobs that we as staff organize; cook dinner, set up/decorate the dining room, put together some sort of evening entertainment and do our evening reflection.

Reflections are the Camas version of devotions. We have them twice in the day (morning and evening) and they are a time where we come together and basically reflect on what is going on around us. Reflections can take on many forms from reading out a poem to playing group games to  crafty things. Because our groups and staff come from various backgrounds, to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable these reflections aren’t overtly religious(although in my opinion God is still at the heart of it all despite not being specifically mentioned!)

So, for this Camas Challenge it was the final reflection that just left me in awe. (The whole evening was actually fantastic, but the reflection was by far the best!) It was led primarily by a group of guys from Pakistan, who, naturally, were Muslim.

As we all sat in a large circle in a candlelit room (the room of nets to be exact, but I'll explain more about that room in detail on a later date)one of the guys, Omar, began to explain how in his religion they often use meditation. From the beginning he was sure that everyone no matter their beliefs could be included by stating that one could think of a family member or friend instead of God. And he repeated this a number of times just to make sure everyone understood that!

He then began to lead us into a meditation exercise. First focusing simply on God (or a loved one) sitting beside you and then following that focusing on how much God (or a loved one) loves you and then lastly to "open your heartbook" to Him. (I love that phrase now! So good!)

It was an absolutely beautiful moment.

A room filled with all types of people with a vast difference in backgrounds, interests and beliefs all graciously participating. And that's what Camas is all about. New experiences, welcoming new ideas and perspectives, about sharing a part of yourself with the people around you.

And to me, it was just another confirmation that the God I serve is not limited to one culture or even one religion. I serve a God who is bigger than any human restrictions or constructions. It was a wonderful reminder.  

PS I Love Meat, Specifically Bacon.

Today I had the day off.  
(We get 2 days off every week; usually one full day and two half days)

My primary objective of the day (which was to eat some meat) was fulfilled shortly after noon (by the consumption of a bacon and cheese burger, so my meat tooth has been satisfied at least for a bit. I must admit I didn't even touch the side salad on my plate. I'm not even ashamed of that.) and therefore left a good chunk of the afternoon to explore a bit more of the Isle of Mull.

Walking along the road (yes, I walked the 5ish km from Camas trail head to Bunessan- that is of course NOT including the 2ish km walk from the main road to Camas itself. I have to admit that I did get a lift from a lovely old man who coincidentally was named Robin on the way TO Bunessan. I did have to walk the FULL 7km BACK to Camas though.) I couldn't help but feel that it was very "PS I Love You" esque with narrow roads and stone walls set within the beautiful backdrop of the rocky hills. (And yes, I am fully aware that PS I Love You is set in Ireland and NOT Scotland, but you've got to admit there are some similarities there.)I must confess that I was secretly wishing for a Gerard Butler-esque man to come along and sweep me off my feet. Alas, though such a thing was not to take place. (...yet)

My walk was accompanied by the soothing melodies of Alexi Murdoch and Dan Mangan; along with the inspirational words of Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" and Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" (which was totally going to be my pickup line for Mr. Gerard Butler-esque man should he have had made an appearance); and topped off with the epic  soundtracks of Braveheart (suitable for obvious reasons) and the Lord of the Rings. (suitable because, for starters, it's extremely inspiring on any occasion, but even more incredibly so when one is walking about middle-earth-esque scenery, which was most defiantly the case in my situation. Fun fact: the reason the Scotland/the UK looks so much like middle earth would, is because Tolkien actually meant for middle earth to be a very ancient form of what we now know as the UK. Please don't ask why I know that, because then I will have to admit that I have watched all ten thousand hours of extras on the special extended cut DVDs of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and I must say that even though I am slightly proud of that fact, I am also slightly ashamed of it too.)

Fat Camp

Sometimes I feel like I'm at fat camp.

As I've previously stated, I've been spending the majority of the past week and a half doing various actives from dawn to dusk; kayaking, abseiling, navigating our way through gale force winds (and you may/may not be aware of how FANTASTIC my natural navigation skills are…. That statement is dripping with sarcasm by the way...), socializing (which take a freekish amount of energy- especially when its about a 30 children under the age of 10- which of course feels like hundreds and hundreds- who showed up for our Camas open day on Sunday), raft building, coasteering (which sounds a lot more intense and  complex than it really is, you could just call it "putting on a wetsuit and climbing about on the rocks on an island") and etc etc.

So, when you combine the above with the fact that I'm only eating vegetarian meals here (YES, that's right I said ONLY vegetarian meals… honestly it's not as bad as it sounds. We actually eat pretty darn well here, we have some fantastic cooks amongst us staff. But, I must admit my meat tooth isn't being satisfied. BUT not to worry, I have a day off tomorrow so I'm gonna go and hunt down some meat! - not literally of course, I'm just planning on hunting down a restaurant/café that will serve me pre-hunted meat.) you may begin to understand why I feel like I'm at fat camp sometimes.

I suppose the difference is that I'm not at all going to feel guilty about binging on meat every time I go into civilization. 

Perhaps I should introduce you at least somewhat to these crazy people I'm currently living with.  There are 10 staff at Camas right now (there will be 11). We have 4 full time resident staff; Jon (Camas coordinator), Josef, Becky and Rosie. And we have 7 volunteers for the summer season; Linnea, Charlotte, Becky, Pete, Alice, Hannah (who is gone for the first month) and Myself.

So that’s the crew for the summer! Here are some pics of us vollys in our stylish gear lookin' pretty fine.

Important note: If I'm making Camas sound like a terrible place by describing it as a meatless, fat camp set in the cold 18th century that is not my intent. I'm having a fantastic time and am pretty darn glad to be here. Just saying. (Nor am I calling any of my collegues fat... I should probably clarify that one too.)

Queen Robyn of Maple

Sometimes I feel like I'm living back in the 18th century. This is due to a few things, one main one being that power is limited to only a couple rooms leaving us to use candles as a source of light much of the time.

I mean, at night I'm literally blowing out a candle to go to sleep! Kinda crazy in a way if you think about it. (Or maybe not? Depending if you find that sort of thing interesting.) There is something sort of romantic about it too though. We get a candle lit dinner every evening!

Tawhai napping by the fire in the common room. A cozy place.

It also feels like the 18th century because due to the lack of central heating with the combination of ancient stone buildings and the cool Atlantic sea temperatures… its freekin' cold!! And for some reason I associate that with the 18th century. But the point is that I'm in a old stone building.

The basic lack of average amenities also makes it even moreso like the 18th century. It's fantastic though really, a much simpler way to live. (I've still got my laptop though, pretty sure they didn't have these then… pretty sure. HOW DID THEY LIVE?!!?!?!? Just kidding.)

Back to the candles for a moment though; this  whole candle business also means that I am left to write and read by candlelight (I guess I do have the option if using my headlamp, but it so much more cool to use a candle!.. I'm sure I'll get over that within a couple weeks though…) And seeing as I have to write by candlelight, I have a desire to write letters by candlelight. And more so I have a desire to write them as if I lived back in the 17th and or 18th century England. (I'd say Scotland but I don't even want to try to fake Gaelic.)

So, there is even MORE incentive to send me a letter: I promise to respond in old school high English (or at least try my best). Maybe I'll even create some sort of wax seal. OOOOOO! Be EXCITED!! (I know I am!!)

And I really should be allowed to have my own personal seal because I've been dubbed "Queen Robyn of Maple" at a lovely dinner we had a number of nights ago. It's what was on my place-card, SO it's legit.

Note: I apologize for the kind of blurry photos which was due to the condensation on my camera which was in turn due to the rain and cold outside and the lack of central heating on the inside. Good times. BUT the point of this is to A: show the lovely candlelit dinner we had, and B: to prove that I am royalty.

A Simple Request

So here is a fun idea: YOU (yes YOU!) should send me some comfort in the "post" (as they call it around here). Whatever you fancy is alright with me; whether it’s a large package of goodies  or a pair a wool socks (it's frickin' COLD here) or just a small handwritten letter or even just a photo of yourself (that I can put up on the extremely bare walls of my room, it's really boring in there right now), I will be eternally grateful and YOU (yes YOU!) will be promoted to the top of my friend list.

And this is the address:

Camas Centre

Ardfenaig

Bunessan

Isle of Mull

PA67 6DX

Scotland

UK

Thanks in advance. YOU (yes YOU!) are a rock star.

Tawhai (the dog)

Camas

After about 28 hours and nearly every possible mode of transportation (and I'm not even exaggerating; car, plane, bus, train, ferry, walking- the only things missing really is a bike and maybe a segway if your into that sort of thing.) I arrived at Camas, my home for the next four months. I was given a petty clear set of directions to get me here, which modes of transportation to take at which times etc. etc. The last set of directions  were a tad confusing however as they literally read "1/2 walk to Camas."

View of Camas from above

A 1/2 WHAT walk?!

I mean that can be interpreted as a number of different things that can change things significantly, it could mean a 1/2 hour walk, a 1/2 minute walk, a 1/2 day walk. I had visions of myself resembling a scene in a movie like the holiday or leap year where you get the high maintenance chick in heals getting dropped off in the middle of nowhere (mind you a middle of nowhere with a freakin' gorgeous view) in a storm and watching them struggle to force their excess luggage through the beautiful landscape (although I defiantly wasn't wearing heals and wouldn't consider myself "high maintenance, but you get the picture). Thankfully, it didn't QUITE happen that way.

I DID get dropped off in the middle of nowhere, and one with a freakin' gorgeous view. And it WAS raining pretty good. (it tends to do that around here). And I WAS wearing slightly unsuitable clothing for the situation (not heals though- don't worry). And it WAS a 1/2 hour walk up the track.   

So it was kinda close (…but not really.)

Anyways, It's been good so far. I missed the first week of staff training (the boring bits about saftey and protection and first aid though) and I got to dive straight into getting familiar with the activities we will be running. Thus, I've been spending my first few days here sailing, kayaking, abseiling, rock climbing and hiking. (And yes, I've been doing ALL those things in the past FOUR days. I've been a bit busy.)

So ya, it's ok here. 

Just a Little "Perspective"

I don't know about you... but I find that things make more sense once you get a bit of "perspective." That is, you take a look at something from a distance. This is helpful in a number of situations in life, but in this case I'm referring to maps. In one of the most practical ways they are great for helping you see where you've been and where you are going.

So here's a bit on where I've been and where I'm going.

First off, here ("here" being the area within the red circle) is where the Solomon Islands are.

 

And these are the places I stayed while there.

 

And now, for my next adventure, I get to stay here. 

Well, more specifically, here.

(Apparently I have a BIT of a thing for islands?)

I'll be spending the majority of my time at the Camas Center, but will be making regular trips over to the Iona Abbey and the center there. And what will I be doing? Well, to put it simply I'll be working at retreat center doing day to day jobs (like cooking, gardening, running actives etc etc.). Kinda like working at summer camp really. There's more to it too, but you're just gonna have to stay posted to learn what that more is.

To learn more about Iona Community, what it's all about and more about what I'll be doing click right HERE to check out their website.


So this has absolutely nothing really to do with anything I've been talking about (unless you count that it it's also found on google maps?) but I think it's awesome and wanted to include it as a fun fact. Because it most certainly is fun. If you are in-tune with any sort of social media there is a good chance you've already seen this gem. If you aren't "in-tune", then you are in luck. Look closely at this and you'll see why its great. If you don't get this then, well, better luck next time. 
Try this for yourself, you just have to make sure you hit "walk" as your mode of transport. 
Hope this brightens your day. I know it did for me.