End of camp, start of a new adventure

My month at summer camp has finally ended.  It feels like I've been there forever, yet at the same time it's gone by in the blink of an eye.

I had an amazing time, even if it was generally exhausting!  I slept on a tarp under the stars...

I made s'mores on a camp-fire...

I rode a yellow school bus...

I got crazy tan-lines...

I walked in a creek...

I ate funnel cake the State Fair...

I was kept up all night by kids who talk in their sleep...I got bitten by bugs...I (repeatedly) tried to get into the wrong side of the car...I learned what 'twerking' is...I got sunburned...I laughed...I cried...and I met some of the most incredible campers, youth leaders, and staff.

Now I'm going on to my next adventure of the summer!  I'm currently in Columbus, Ohio - I arrived an hour or so ago on the Greyhound bus.  I'll be here until Friday, at which point I'll head back to Indy for the afternoon (meeting a friend for lunch), then going to Nashville, Tennessee for a few days before flying home.

My arrival in Columbus wasn't fantastic, I have to admit. I stepped out of the bus station and was immediately accosted by a mentally challenged lady asking for a quarter. I declined, saying I didn't have any change, and she absolutely flipped out. She started yelling and swearing, thankfully not directly at me, but near me. It was a little scary! I decided to ignore her and keep walking to the taxi rank. While I waited for my pre-booked taxi to arrive, I spotted someone I recognised from the bus. I'd helped him get his bag off the overhead storage, so I figured that made it socially acceptable to stand near him in the hopes that the lady would leave me alone!

I chatted away with him about travelling, American health care, and other random topics, and his presence did seem to discourage the woman. She came over and asked us both for a quarter again, but she didn't freak out when we both said no. Big improvement! He laughed when I said she'd flipped when she asked me before, and said he wondered why she'd been yelling.  So, I'd like to say THANK YOU to the friendly young man from Bloomington, who was going to the very Christian (and therefore tee-total) wedding in Columbus! You kept this big wuss from getting too nervous, and it was nice to have someone to talk to while I waited.

My hostel is quite nice, it looks like a normal house from the outside which was a little worrying (my nerves were already a little rattled), but inside it's set up really well. It's an odd mixture of looking run down in places, and really modern in others. My bed is a single bed, but it looks huge compared to camp bunk-beds! The staff are lovely, and they have a small yappy dog, whose bark is worse than its bite. I've not ventured outside just yet, but I've been told that Columbus is a pretty decent place. Despite how I was greeted, I feel optimistic about my couple of days here.

Looking forward to my next adventure :)

Charli