The dreams of a Canadian summer came true in 2013, with the amazing staff at NYQUEST helping to bring that dream to reality.
From the first contact to the ongoing support provided throughout my summer, NYQUEST ensured that everything was in place to make sure I had the best summer ever! When my first camp unexpectedly fell through, Jonathan, JC and Camilla were straight on the phone and email making sure I was taken care of. What turned out to be an initial disappointment and feelings of unease, with flights booked and due to leave New Zealand for Canada in 4 weeks and no longer having a camp placement, turned out to be the best camp placement I could have hoped for. My placement was at Camp Northland B’nai Brith on the beautiful shore of Moose Lake in the Haliburton high country of Ontario.
With a whirlwind arrival – delayed flights, bags being put on a later flight than me and having to make sure there was still a bed for me at the hostel when I turned up earlier than expected, was all the beginning of what was going to be the best 4 months of my life so far. I arrived in Toronto very early in the morning – something like 2 am. With a couple of hours sleep – well trying to sleep in the hot sticky dorm room of the Global Village Backpackers – I was up early to go and participate on a Lifesaving course for the weekend. I met some awesome people on the course and had fun navigating Toronto’s underground train system.
Next stop was the camp drop off, with Jonathan providing guidance on the correct train stop, and meeting up with JC for a personal drop off service to the camp head office, and a whirlwind NYQUEST orientation on the drive to the camp head office at the same time!
Having arrived at camps head office, I then meet the people I would be making the 2-hour journey with traveling up to camp. Once we had made the compulsory Timmy’s stop (Tim Hortons – a very well-known Canadian coffee and donut shop – make sure you try the Tim Bits, they are the best!) we traveled through the beautiful Ontario countryside and into the Haliburton High Country and eventually arrived at the amazing Camp Northland! This is where I would spend the next 10 weeks immersed in my first summer camp experience as the Head of Water ski on the spectacular shores of Moose Lake.
Look out for my next post on what it’s like to work at a summer camp!