Being a lead chaperone is kind of like getting promoted to a job with harder work and more responsibility but you still get paid the same. If you've read my travel blogs in the past, you know that I can get overly caught up in the logistical details of a trip and this can make it hard to relax.
Nonetheless, today was actually pretty relaxing once we got here. The hotel is the kind of place that would not fare well in a TripAdvisor review. The decor is a mix between unattractive and nonexistent (you would not believe the furniture that's in use in my writing this), there's paint and wallpaper peeling here and there, and a hint of antiseptic smell in the air. But it's cheap, right on the beach, and the rooms are large, with refrigerator, microwave and coffeemaker. There's a small ice skating rink in the lobby atrium and a 24 hour supermarket across the street. The rooms like this overlooking the atrium have little balconies with a plush chair and chaise lounge. And the people are nice. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but for a school group it's great. Oh, and they also have a "No Party Tolerance Policy," which I gather is a policy that does not tolerate parties. Except, of course, when the parties are held in a room where the hotel can charge for your parties
First we had lunch, then I made some announcements. This is hard for me because I'm not a linear enough speaker to be sufficiently succinct. People tend to listen to me, I think because they never know what's going to come out of my mouth, but I just can't do announcements straight. Then everyone went to their rooms, got in bathing suits and headed for the beach.
It took me longer than most to get to the beach because I wanted to "organize" some stuff, but once I got out there it was very nice. I often feel slightly uncomfortable dealing with students in this kind of setting because they're here to be with each other, not to hang out with their teachers. Ultimately I ended up sitting with the other chaperones a few hundred feet down the beach.
I went in the ocean, body-surfed a bit, and then went back inside. I was in my room for a bit and then I heard people talking ion the hallway. I poked my head out and asked if they wanted to go ice skating. They said no but that some other people did. This turned out to be true and a few of us went down to skate, a group that eventually grew to around 20 people, ranging from people who were pretty good to people who hadn't skated in years. I've always dissed ice hockey because it's played on a surface that most people would prefer to walk around rather than on if given the choice, but this was actually good fun.
After dinner we went to the boardwalk. One of the big attractions of this place is that it has an actual classic-style boardwalk, with all the sights, sounds and smells that that implies. The kids, who mind you had just finished eating dinner, hit the stands as if it had been months rather than minutes since they'd eaten. I heard reports of deepfried cheesecake and oreos being consumed and I was told it tasted exactly the way you'd think such a "food" would taste. I think my favorite thing, though was just how gleeful they were. It was as if they'd never been anywhere before. "Look t-shirts!" These are kids who, for rthe most part, have traveled pretty extensively, but I guess this is part of what makes a senior trip special.
I held myself to the largest small ice cream cone I've ever eaten. Eventually, the kids gathered near where the bus was supposed to meet us. The main thing going on there was one guy, celebrating his birthday, had a t-shirt that read "FREE HUGS." and a happy half hour was spent trying to convince any an all passers by to indulge. A surprising number, male and female, obliged.
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