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Hola Camp Augustians!
My name is Sophie and I am so very excited for this summer! This will be my 4th, yes 4TH, year in the wonderful place that is Camp Augusta. I came here as a counselor when I was still in University, (oh so long ago…..), and have been enticed back by the campfires, crazy canoeing, storytelling, capture the flag, wacky hair days, oatmeal fights, and of course the campers, ever since! Camp has become my second home and it seems to be that each year I have been spending more and more time there. So here I am again! Yeyyyyyy!!!
But what do I do the rest of the time? As some of you may know, I am from a little village called Burley in Wharfedale in the North of England, but in the past 2 years I have spent very little time there, or in England, for that matter! I graduated in 2006 with a Masters in Chemistry from the University of Sheffield, and since then have been taking some time to travel and decide what it will be that I might do with my degree.
For the winter of 2006/07, I worked in the French Alps, and had the opportunity to learn to ski and snowboard, which was incredible. Then, after another fantastic summer at camp last year, I took a one-way flight to Guatemala City and have been exploring Central America ever since.
This trip has taken me all over Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and El Salvador. During this time I have taken Spanish lessons, hiked volcanoes, attempted to surf, escaped from a herd of wild pigs and eaten a lot of frijoles! However, the most significant time of my trip has been meeting the local people. It has been really wonderful to experience different cultures and ways of living and to hear about the history of the places in which I have been traveling first hand.
Whilst down here, I have also spent some time volunteering. In February, I volunteered with groups of school kids from the USA who came to help carry out projects in a small community in Northern Nicaragua. The groups built trash cans to help alleviate the problem of littering in the community and also bus stops, as in Nicaragua they experience very heavy rain for half of the year so needed some kind of shelter. During this time, I lived with a local family where I shared my room with pigs and chickens, helped collect water from a nearby well every morning and bathed outside with a bucket of water. It was a wonderful yet very humbling experience to see how so much of the world lives and I would love to share some of the stories of my time there with any of you.
After Nicaragua, I traveled to El Salvador, where I spent some time working on a housing project with a lady I met at the top of a volcano! I plan to return there after camp to help with a huge project - building 15 houses in a week – that’s a lot of cement mixing!
As you may know already I love to dance. Tap dancing is my favorite, and as always I will have my shoes with me at camp this summer (they rarely leave me), so if you ever want to know what a Suzie Q or a buffalo step is I will be happy to show you. I have also taken a few Salsa classes whilst I have been in Central America, so I hope to have the chance to teach some steps to some of you this summer.
This year, like last, you will more often than not find me either in the office or by the sign up board (shouting ”Go Sign Up!”). My friend Katie will also be doing the same, and we do look very similar, so I will always answer to Katie, or Skatie or Kophie too! If at any point you want to request a clinic, change out of a clinic, have ideas for new activities or just have questions we will be more than happy to help you.
As we speak, I am in my last few days of travels before I embark on the journey back to camp. I cannot wait to see all of you again!
Hasta pronto!
Sophiex
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