PORTSEA
(and I'm back, but I don't know for how long)
So, it's been a while huh? Well since then, I finished the project and I received awesome marks! So that happened. Another exciting thing that I did was going on an organized camp by Amaze Victoria to Portsea. For those that don't know, Amaze Victoria used to be known as Autism Victoria. And this camp was for 11-18 year olds who had a sibling on the Autism Spectrum Disorder, whether that be Autism, Asperger's or ADHD. So the camp went from the 18th of October to the 21st of October.
On the midday of Friday, all campers were to meet at Southern Cross Station with Amaze Victoria where there would be two coaches taking us to Portsea Camp. Admittedly I spent the 2-3 hours listening to Coldplay and mostly ignoring the smaller kids around me... which is a great way to make friends. I then started to think that maybe there would be no-one my age on this camp and that would be the biggest bummer. Arriving at the campsite, we had a safety talk before heading off to find our cabins.
After two laps of the campsite, I finally found my cabin where I was sharing with four other girls who were to become some of the best people I have ever met. We then headed down to the Portsea beach was beautiful and spent some time there where I got to know more about the girls I was going to spend a lot of my time with.
Portsea beach
That night, dinner was served and there was a trivia night. Our team 'Yoloswaggers' came 3rd which was disappointing considering we were beaten by the boys team. I'm quite sure they were cheating anyway, googling the answers.
The 2nd day was when the real fun began. It started with a group session with one of the camp leaders where we talked about our siblings and what was similar and different between them. It was a very different environment because these were the people that understood what type of situation I was in and could relate. The group sessions helped us understand ASD with better knowledge. After that was Raft Making which was quite an experience. Franeiss was a former scout girl so she did most of the knot tying. Considering it was 10am the water was quite cold so everyone was hesitant in going to the water. The next activity we did was the giant swing which I believe was 25m high. Everyone had a go which was good and the view from up there was pretty good. The third activity was kayaking in which Franeiss and I partnered up and were quite the pair. We lead from the front and had an awesome day. That night, a movie was on but the older teens left and went to hang out in the cabin (with the boys). We just chatted and had a pretty good time. A few games of UNO were played and I can happily say that I won!
The 3rd day was another day filled with activities. Although today was mostly indoors. Drama, cooking and arts and craft were all completed. I made some pretty nice cookies with Alicia and shared them around with the group. We got to know each other further with hang out session with everyone. Talent search was held that night and some AMAZING performances from Alexia with an improvised contemporary dance piece; Levi and his talented voice and ukulele; and we can't forget Porky (Zac) with his comedy stand up. A disco was held that night and some pretty snazzy dance moves were pulled out that night. The older group huddled into the boys cabin to hang out and sing and we also discovered Samuel was asked to be in the QANTAS choir at the age of 7 with quite the voice.
The feeling of waking up on the last day of camp and knowing so was a pretty bittersweet feeling. On one hand, I had made these amazing group of people that I'll be friends with for life, and on the other, this might be the last time we be at this camp together, with some getting past the age bracket for the camp. That morning, we packed up our stuff, and moved to the movie room where Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was shown. And then the dreaded moment of hoping onto the bus and making the 3 hour bus ride home. Arriving at Southern Cross station, there were tears shed and hugs and goodbyes were said.
The camp was one of the best things I've ever done in my life and I'd like to thank Amaze for putting on the camp and the leaders that were there over the weekend. And more importantly, I'd like to thank the friends that I made there:
Back row (left to right): Alicia, Hannah, Vicky, Jorden, Levi, Cameron, Shannon, Zac
Middle row (left to right): Franiess, random, Samuel, Daniel
Front Row (left to right): Myself, Alexia, Olivia
