First week of camp over. Feels SO good to be home again, home with my computer and my friends and the cat. At the same time I miss it there already, the beautiful ancient forest and the lake. Oh, and the people! I love them.

This year is already better than the last one, socially speaking. I know some people since before and I recognize most of the faces there. And since I have a firm basis of acquaintances, I feel more secure and confident when making contact with others. I also feel like I've just clicked right back into place at Barnens By (The Children's Village) in Hästveda, Sweden.

It's still a bit early to tell, but I think last year was better when it comes to my workplace. I met great people there, and I was never isolated or exploited, being the newbie and all. This year I'm working in a different house/cottage/whatever and it doesn't feel quite as good as the old one. BUT it's still way too early to be sure. This week I've been forced into the lives of these 22 children, trying to substitute for the guy that worked there before me. I don't think I was quite accepted as one of the "real" camp leaders. They must have realized that I'm just a wannabe, and naturally, that affected theirbehaviorr and attitude towards me. Not that they were The Kids From Hell (at least not most of them), they just sensed my insecurity and used it the way children do. I hope things will clear up later next week, when I'll meer a new busload of children who are petrified of me and all of the other new things at camp. Mwahahaha.

Speaking of my new workplace, the camp leaders of my house ("Sjöstugan") are really great. I'vconnecteded with most of them, and you can tell that they make a great team. The supervising leader, M1, appeared to be this deaf bitch with an attitude problem. Now I know she's a funny, pregnant deaf bitch with an attitude problem and excellent leading skills. I'm beginning to like her. Oh! Don't tell anyone she's pregnant. It's a huge secret, and also the reason for her leaving the Village. That means there'll be an open spot next year for a female leader with some experience. Harr harr. Anyway, I hope I'll learn to love these people just like I learned to love the Chef, P, R, F, L, H and N last year. The Chef is so funny. Note to self: hang out more with the Chef.

I need to tell you about the hunks of the Village! (Sounds like I'm telling you about the gay HQ of New York City... But I'm not.) First and foremost, we have G, one of the male leaders of my house. He never wears a shirt. He is a triathlon master. He has a big star tattooed on one of his boobies. He is MANCANDY. Haven't quite learnt to love him yet, I think I'm intimidated by his general hotness. (Not a joke.)

There are so many cuties there, and everyone is serious husband material. WhyBecauseue they're all great with kids. Ylva told me that it's a biological thing, that women find men who can take care of children attractive, just the way men like women with wide hips because they can give birth to many widdle juniors. Anyway... This Monday, after work, I decided to go to the leader's cabin (aha! CABIN!), The Block, to make phone callll. As I came in, this guy is playing a HUGELY OVERSIZED violin. Looks bizarre and if I had the energy to google it, I'd tell you what the instrument is called in English. But I think you can picture it. Only, he's not playing it the way you play a violin, he's kind of doing it guitar-style. Since it's about as big as he is or bigger, he doesn't put it in his lap (ouch), but lets it stand on the floor with the fat part down, playing it just like that jazz guy played Carrie in that episode of Sex and the City. YES, I do realize that the TV-guy was impersonating somebody who plays the badaboom-violin. ANYWAY. He asks me if I'm going to call someone, and since I am, he offers to stop playing. I tell him it's okay, and he says he can just plaquieterer if I ask him to. I'm like, WTF dude, I said it's okay, don't be so sucky-uppy! But I smile (because he's cute) and make my stupid phoncall.

Right now you're probably wondering why I'm giving you such a detailed description of my encounter with pling-plong man, and the answer is basicallybecausese he'll never read this and I'm bored.

So, as I start putting my shoes back on, I decide to take a chance take a chance take a chan-chan-chance and ask him how long he's been playing. He says he's been playing it for a long time, but not a lot recently. The problem was, apparently, that you have to play it often and much in order to build up a thick layer of skin on your fingers. He had a gig next Friday, (i.e. this Friday) and had to prepare. I took another chan-chan-chance and asked him to play something. He started improvising a little. It sounded very nice and very jazzy, from what I could hear besides the Whitney Houston power ballad played at the Mölle cabin's outdoors disco. I shook his hand and left. AWESOME DUDE. His ""name is AG. A is for his real name and G is for Gränsen, his cabin (should I forget).

A few days later I had to go to his cabin and borrow some ice berg salad (encounter No 2). Me and my girls also saw him playing beachvolley one night (in his TRUNKS). That was fun. Then I saw him when I went to hide candy in his cabin, for our kids to find, and I tried to be funny and said "I'm becoming a regular guest here now, *insert nervous laughter here*" and OMGZ LOL!!111!! he said "Good". GOOD! HE LOVES ME! HE WANTS TO KISS ME! HE HAGIRLFRIENDREND. Never mind, what happens at camp stays at camp. Okay.

Last night, a "before-party" was held at the Block. Some of the leaders were going to Hässleholm (a tiny town), to the closest night club. It's called Upper Deck, orGeek'sGeeky. Anyway, my previous mentor-leader-guy, DJ Fred, was deejaying (shocking), and AG and NB were going to play their instruments (badaboom-violin and saxomophone-ah). Me and my girls got thete too late to hear any of the live music, but the party was rocking when we sat down outside. Talked a lot to Hugo (last year's PE teacher) and his friend. There's this murder game with water guns going on between the leaders, so everyone wears a small gun, shooting at random people. Hilarious. Didn't see much of AG, just when he smiled and nodded at me rather early ineveningneing, and then when my fellow wannabe-leader shot him with her gun. Funny. Most of the people were a bit tipsy, so things were quite interesting. However, me and the chicas decided to retire at about 12:40. After chilling at our place for a while, Ylva left for her own room and me and Lecille started getting ready for the night, changing to our PJ's and packing the last stuff.

Here comes to fun part :D:D:D :
There's a paper attached to our door, a kind of tag board. Very popular and very interesting. It's also fun to scare people as they are writing, since the door opens inwards, and me and Ell can hear everything outside it. Anyway, we heard someone writing on the tagboard with the attached pen (Ell is very organized) so I opened the door, just in time to see AG and his friend Albin-o leaving the Office and giggling their way back to the Block. When I checked the tag board, I could only see a tag saying "Albin-o + Ung i sommar". Ung i sommar is the program allowing us newbies to be wannabe leaders for a month, and thus also our common nickname. Can get a bit confusing, since there's 11 of us. I thought it was cute but boring, as are most tags left by drunken chefs. However, this morning, Ell brought my attention to another tag! It said "AG + Ung i sommar" and was surrounded by a heart! Oh! I'm assuming AG is referring to me, since his cabin doesn't have a wannabe of their own. My teenage heart is going crazy right now! Oh! Oh!

Right.

People who know me well know I'm not serious. I'm just bored.