Ahoy all yeee fellow camp goers! My name is Alison….or Ali….or Al….or even Nos (try and figure that one out). I’m proud to announce that I’ll be joining the Augusta family for the first time this summer! Wahhhhhoooooooo! And Manzi (with all its joy and splendor and inevitable mosquito infestations) will be my new home! And, if you couldn’t tell already by my abundant use of exclamation marks, I am just brimming full of excitement for you all to join me for all the fun that camp has to offer (I mean just look at that activity list)!!
So, first things first, I’ll give you a tid bit of information about little ol’ moi (that’s ‘me’ in French, a language I love and hope to learn fluently one day). I was born on a cold and blustery December morning in Minnesota (or MinneSNOWta as the locals like to call it). I was meant to have been born right on Christmas Day, but had the good fortune of being extracted from my mother a few days earlier (December 21) so that I could be home in time for the family celebration! FUN FACT: I have a twin….well sort of….when I was born the doctors simultaneously removed my mothers about-to-burst kidney! So, while we’ve never met, I like to think of all the fun me and my kidney sibling could have had together. That brings me to my next little ditty, my family (whom I absolutely love and adore) is incredibly important to me. I have a younger brother, Aaron (27 yrs) , and sister, Haley (24yrs) who I was lucky to have around as I was growing up, along with very loving and “unusual” parents Cindy and Kim. I say unusual because they loved all things cultural (arts, ballet, symphonic music, etc.), natural (camping, canoeing, hiking, animals, etc.), and healthy (self explanatory?). So while the rest of my peers were watching MTV in my suburban neighborhood, I was being forced outside to go rollerblading or cross-country skiing. Maybe you’re parents are weird too? Chances are that they are…a little weird, but equally wonderful! Let’s exchange stories!! I loved to be active growing up and played soccer and volleyball, practiced gymnastics and danced with a dance team. But while sports were fun, my passions lied in the arts, horses and reading….lots and lots of reading! I’m super interested to know what some (if not all) of your favorite things are, so don’t hesitate to pull me aside and just go off on how much your really really adore dolphins that wear pink hats, or anything else you might enjoy!
Ok, so now you know a tad about my childhood, let’s fast forward to semi-grown-up Alison! I moved out of home when I was 18 years old to go live in the Arts dorms on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. That’s right, I went to university and indulged in just about every subject (Marine Biology to Pscyhology to Fine Arts to Environmental Studies), before I decided to take a year off and travel to Australia. I had been overseas twice before, the first on a tour of Europe and the second trip to work with children in Spain, but this was the first time being half-way around the world from my family. I had only thought I would stay a year but ended up living there for 4.5 years! I had fallen in love with Melbourne and decided to study Waldorf Education while I managed a sustainable events company specializing in children’s events (because who doesn’t want to celebrate birthdays every day of the week?!), along with teaching early childhood craft classes and a garden club. After Oz, I headed to Europe once more with the sole purpose of attending my friend’s wedding, and ended up staying a year and a half! I lived in Palermo, Sicily for a majority of that time, where I taught English. My favorite thing about Italy (aside from the food…and the people….and the art…..and the stunning nature….) would’ve been the folk dancing in the piazzas fitted with renaissance-eque fountains in the centers and spiraling cobblestones. Have you ever travelled? Or would you like to? I would love to hear of your experiences, along with your dreams!
I’ve just returned to the USA about 6 months ago and am loving creating a new life here! After the completion of camp this summer I plan to return to Minnesota to teach at a Waldorf school in Minneapolis and attend university (this time for Child Psychology, Social Justice, and Global Studies with a minor in Art). I am anticipating that my time here at Augusta will complement my wishes to get back into a classroom by inspiring me to develop news skills, build new mentalities, and to grow my repertoire of songs and games! But, maybe most importantly, I am here at camp to make new friends and to have LOADSSSSS OF FUNNNNNNN!!!!!
Let the good times roll!!!!!
(….and points to you if you can count how many exclamation marks I used in this little intro!!!!!!!!!! There’s a few more for you.)
