Hello Mother, Hello Mother

Readers will remember "Pema Has Four Mommies." That joke lasted, and made leaving Santa Barbara particularly sad on move day. ...by way of keeping my move news posted, here's the letter I wrote to Lisa, Tania, Kate and Kara yesterday.

Dear Mommies,
Camp Portland is cool but I miss you. After we got here on Monday night, I met up with my two counselors, Gina and Regina. Funny names, huh? They made a bunk for me that is up some stairs in their house. That’s the way it works here. You stay in your counselor’s house until you get your own cabin. I was kind of sad to leave my new friend who I met on the ride to camp, but he had to stay at his counselor’s house, too. He is 23 and traveled all around Russia and Scandanavia before going to Camp Portland, so he told lots of cool stories. His name is Ted. His brother chases eclipses! They went on a long hike with some other people to find the best place to watch an eclipse in Russia. They rode trains for longer than 24 hours sometimes! Going to some place that used to be called Siberia I guess.

It was really pretty when we got here. It was dark but the lights were twinkling when we drove over the river. It was finally not hot anymore. All day long on our drive we were very hot and all the farms and fields all around us were dry and brown. Oh, and we drove through a forest that was on fire! I probably shouldn’t tell you that ‘cause you’ll worry. But it’s alright, I’m here now.

My favorite part of the drive was when we were almost here. It was nighttime and the windows were down. We couldn’t see where we were because it was dark, but every few minutes we could SMELL what we were driving past. We smelled green onions, and then hay, and then cow poop (yuck), and something else I can’t remember. Then we got to Camp Portland and we smelled flowers.

Since coming to camp I have slept a lot and yesterday we took all my boxes and things out of the moving truck. Then I went around town to find my cabin. It is kind of weird because at other camps they already have a cabin and bunkmates set up when I get there. But “Cabin Hunt” is one of the activities at Camp Portland, and it’s not so bad. I met some interesting campers yesterday who live in a style of cabin called “Old Portland.” I guess they built it in the Olden Days. We went in the basement and it smelled like it. My counselors told me I could stay in my room up the stairs as long as I want and that “Cabin Hunt” is meant to go on during a lot of other activities, too. They said the prize for that activity is the cabin itself. Weird camp. But that’s okay. They said there are other activities I can get a Camp Portland blue ribbon for. Like cooking, and making friends, and picking vegetables from the garden, and good citizenship on rainy days.

I hope you can come visit me at camp soon. I miss you a lot and love you more.

Love,
Pema