I ♥ camping.

I just completed another weekend of camping for the Eastern Welcome Party at nearby Lake Saroma. Over 30 JETs from Eastern Hokkaido showed up at Camp Kimuneppu to fought off mosquito bites for some good times of camping, hiking, drinking and socializing. It was the perfect way to welcome the newbies to Japan, see old friends again, and make new ones.

A few of us showed up early and camped on Friday night, having our own little six-man party (with fire Poi and a dance party) before the real party began. The next morning was pretty chill as we bummed around and ran errands, waiting for everyone to arrive. In the afternoon I led a hike/march up Mt. Horoiwa for a beautiful bird's eye view of the entire Lake Saroma and once we got back to camp, June and I put on a Crazy Olympics event to raise money for HEC (she's the Coordinator and I'm the Camp Coordinator this year). We got everyone involved in events such as Chubby Bunny, Egg & Spoon race, intense Sock Wrestling, the 1L Milk Challenge, and (drunken?) Chariot Races using the campgrounds' carts. As the sun set, Justin provided us with a delicious vegetarian dinner, and then we had a bake sale auction where we raised over $150 selling cookies, deserts and cheesecakes. As the night fell, the sky cleared up and I was able to get some amazing night shots of the stars.

After playing with fireworks, frying up meat, eating smores, and taking pictures of people in an undersized, hot-neon tracksuit, everyone was slowly dropping off one by one so I decided to call it a night. The next morning, everyone at camp groggily ate breakfast and packed their things before slowly making their way home. A few of us stuck around to the very end to help clean up, then went to Caroline's house to watch a movie and pass out.

It was another successful weekend of camping - my 2nd in a row - and I have yet another weekend of camping to look forward to at the Northern Welcome Party this weekend. It's looking to be the biggest one yet!