I really love it here.
The weather's great -- tops out between 85 and 90 in the afternoons but you hardly notice from all the shade -- it never rains -- the mornings are nice and cool. My first day here was a little chilly but everything is so beautiful I really honestly don't mind. Plus there's free coffee all day at the cafeteria, so if I'm feeling tired or cold I just go grab another cup.
The trees!!! This is going to sound obvious but... they're so tall... it's like living in a great big child-filled pine-needle smelling outdoor cathedral. If you stand and look up at the tops of the trees you feel like you're being lifted up off your feet. I've noticed how relaxed I feel, and I think it's because of the trees.
Of course, the people out here help as well. Whoever did my tentmate assignment hit the nail on the head -- her name is Sarah and she's as extroverted as I am, plus she's really nice and super hilarious. We spent last night up late talking, which I'm sure drove the people around us nuts. The other piano instructor is so kind and incredibly talented -- her name is Meagan, and I think we work really well as a team. All of the other instructors and counselors are just fun, relaxed, happy people, which creates a great atmosphere for getting work done and having a great time while doing it. Even our bosses know how to push people around with smiles on their faces.
The kids have knocked my socks off, man oh man. We have ten campers aged 11 to almost 14, and you would not believe the level of musicality and intelligence they have displayed in the three days we've been working with them. We've got our first concert on Sunday, and we're currently working up a bunch of duets to perform with them. Next week's concert will be on Saturday, and hopefully for that we'll throw in a little variety -- some solos, some chamber music, and maybe even some jazz piano. And man, talk about an abundance of personality! From happy little "look-at-me" Katie to chilled-out jazzer Jack to Roman, our philosopher, we've pretty much got all the bases covered.
As far as accommodations go, it's definitely "rustic", as I was warned. We sleep on elevated wooden platforms with wooden tent-like frames which are covered with canvas, creating a little tent. I have a cot with a sleeping bag and a pillow, and nails to hang my clothes and towel on. There's a shower cabin nearby with a washer and dryer, running water, electricity, etc, and then there's also the lodge and cafeteria, which have floors and a roof and walls, although the staff always eat outside on the back deck of the lodge. I have two rooms full of electric pianos to teach on, and outside a few keyboards are also on the deck attached to those rooms. The whole camp is arranged alongside a shallow brook (they call it a river but it's not) that runs with clear, freezing cold water. On the other side of the river, which you can access by walking across a very rickety bridge, you find a really nice little bakery with pizza, bread, pastries, sandwiches, coffee, Italian soda, and beer (and wi-fi!), but it's only open on certain days of the week.
I was really worried about feeling cabin fever without a car, but thankfully all the faculty and staff like to get off campus as much as possible. Last night I went into Santa Rosa to run some errands and grab a beer, and tonight we're driving to the beach to go cliff-walking. I'll bring my camera and post some pictures as soon as I can.
So yeah, like I said. Pretty great.
