WOW HELLO! Okay, I am so beyond the moon to be back at camp.
This is my second year immersed in this magical wonderland, even halfway across the world on my recent adventures I couldn’t stay away. This will already be my second time back at camp this year, I worked three weeks of preseason which definitely was not enough to satisfy. So here I am again, back just in time for the last three weeks of main season in my beloved oakie village!
I’m Eive (pronounced Ava, Ay-vaah) it has the funky spelling because I’m Lithuanian.
I mostly grew up in Tucson, AZ. In the desert at the base of Mt Lemmon.
I LOVE to go camping and on backpacking trips, I basically grew up in the outdoors. In fact all of my earliest memories take place there. Either in the forest, crouched in a creek, or lifting old fallen logs to discover what magical critters were hiding beneath.
Creepy crawlies and reptiles are my favorite. I think they’re all adorable.
Some of my previous non human family member include: A ball python named Ellen, countless arachnids (even a goliath bird eating tarantula!), garter snakes, Asian sunbeam snake, armadillo lizard, dumpy tree frogs, kingsnake, green anole lizards, leopard gecko, desert hairy scorpion (the cutie pictured above!), giant prickly stick bug, praying mantis, bunnies, dogs, cats, button quails, budgies, rats, and madagascar hissing cockroaches!
I was also a summer camp kid, but at Camp Whispering Pines in my home town. I was a camper for about 8 years, then graduated to our CIT (counselor in training) program. I was asked to return as a junior counselor and mainly focused on our arts, crafts, and theater programs. Few things are exciting as spreading creativity and curiosity.
I have also worked with other children’s art programs through elementary and middle school, and lead school groups on wildlife walks outside of camp.
So where have I been since camp last year?
Lets see….
First a National Parks themed road trip through the states!
(With more than a few bumps in the road with our sad sick car.)
Next a hop, skip, and a jump to Thailand and Cambodia!
We navigated Bangkok with a compass, drove 1,000 km down the South West coast of Thailand, only to get scratched by monkeys requiring a painful round of rabies vaccines.
Next on the agenda… Project move to Australia!
Plain ticket, check.
Buy a car, check.
Get a job, check.
Get my Working Holiday Visa, ummm, wait…. Not check….
I had some issues with my work visa, so after camping for two months in the Otways Rainforest I had to leave the country (which was the perfect excuse to visit my aunty in Hawaii) for it to finally finish processing. Success!
Back to Australia!
Start working as a zipline and nature walk guide in the Otways Rainforest.
Camp some more.
Now I’ve upgraded from only a hammock and tarp to a real tent though. Slightly more bearable in the rain.
Throw in some road trips and camping adventures~
(and poking holes in search of critters)
Next BACK TO CAMP! Lots of jewelry smithing and blacksmithing, and everything crafty as per usual.
Here’s some airport pickup silliness.
Back to Australia! Oh but first quick detour to Hawaii (:
Okay, fly into Sydney and drive 30 hours up to the next location. Cape Tribulation Queensland to work at another zipline course, and more nature walks! Jungle house, no windows or screens, can’t go swimming in the ocean because of crocs, and 2 hour drive to the nearest grocery store plus a ferry ride thrown in there.
Some exciting Australian animal sighting include: Koalas, kangaroos, swamp wallabies, echidnas, all sorts of cockatoos and other exotic bird life, tree snakes, cassowaries, pademelon, white tip shark, crocodile, tiger snakes, emus, brown snakes, giant huntsman spiders, oh and the ferocious carnivorous black Otway snail, to name a few.
It sure was a challenge at times, and also a blast, but time to go back home… AND TO CAMP!
I’ve grown so much since my last summer, as well as a bit more hair (if you remember me as the blondie with a buzzcut last year). I’ve traveled to countries across the world, met beautiful people from diverse cultures, learned about the unique and complex ecosystems of Australia, and barreled through the struggles (and breathtaking magic) of living in and with the rain forest.
So let’s smith some jewelry and knifes and end this summer with a bang hand in hand!
Wondering what comes after for Eive? Well I’ve nipped my travel bug in the butt (for now), so I’ll be sticking around for postseason. Next home base will be Hilo, Hawaii. Making lots of art, working with kids, and pursuing my career as an art teacher(: