The pathway to the cabins |
This camp was something else. We marched our belongings to the cabins, four people per building, and were pleasantly surprised by the temporary homes that awaited us. Beautiful log cabins, two bedrooms, a front entryway with a dresser, a decently sized and clean bathroom, and, my personal favorite, the front porch with the wooden picnic table. Yeah. Camping? More like luxury living. I'd move into that.
This is right next to the cabins. This. A flower meadow. A perfect, stunning, flower meadow. |
I'm actually going to make a separate post about all that was taught during these sessions.
Throughout these trainings we had several tea breaks. In the city they never took as much time for tea, so this contrast of a relaxed, non-urgent, and sweet down-time was much appreciated.
Besides tea, snack time included some funky fruit marshmallows, crackers, wafer cookies, and other assorted sweets. |
S'mores also happened, an American camping tradition Azerbaijan style. See, there aren't what Americans would consider "normal marshmallows" there, at least at the camp. Or graham crackers. Or even just generic, traditional chocolate. But the adaptations to the basic recipe of s'mores made it more special.
At certain times during the day, we were given free reign of the camp. There was plenty to explore- areas hidden with vines, a little waterfall and walk way with a bridge, playgrounds that were a bit sketchy but that's what added to the charm, and an overall sensation of serenity made for a constant crave for more free time.
An arch made by overgrown plants- I really like how that works out. |
We hiked up, and I don't know if this was the original intention, but teamwork was displayed so often here. The slope made for a struggle for some to walk up, and the unpacked foliage made for unexpected avalanches of dead leaves and twigs. When one gained solid ground, turning around and helping those having difficulties became an unspoken expectation. Falling down, laughing, and trekking back up was common.
The flowers were gorgeous. |
... Good morning? The view made me speechless as I sleepily stretched the second morning at the camp. I think the word "camp" doesn't properly capture what this was. Not to mention scattered throughout were the orb lights. No matter what time of day, there was always a charming view.
Things I discovered about culture while at this camp: The buddy system is advised. Especially for girls, travelling in packs is safest. We weren't alone at this camp, and walking around as an individual, foreign teenage [girl] is probably not the best option.
People were interested in us, why we were there. Locals tried out their English on us (sometimes obviously parts from English songs, a lot of times inappropriate. There's no saying they understood what they were saying though, so we gave them the benefit of the doubt), and even if all they knew how to say was "Hi!" they became incredibly excited when we responded. My buddy-system partner during this was my friend Stephen, though, and it was interesting seeing how responses to our presence changed with a boy, and with a girl.
While with Stephen, the local boys talked primarily to him. They glanced at me, but never tried to correspond, they only talked to the boy. This wasn't just a "maybe they didn't like something about you" or "maybe they thought you were weird" thing, it was consistent among all the girl/boy American groups. I wonder what the exact reason is.
Also, if you get lost, asking for help may be pointless.
Two days at this camp wasn't enough. This was the perfect vacation time, and we had to leave too soon.
~Days 1 and 2 without shower access~