hike and camp and the time to do both

OK, I apologize that this post was drafted in March and sat untouched due to me being busy with work, family, and creating all of my educational content that I post on instagram and Tik Tok.

One of my favorite things about New Zealand is that I get to go on amazing hikes any time I want and I have friends who share my love of having our "dates" doing just that. Less so do we do dinner or a movie than we do awesome walks. We get to chat and catch up while panting for our lives as we ascend up a mountain lol. I never considered myself and outdoor person until I moved to this beautiful country.

Who knew that more time not working, not being in a constant state of existential crisis, coupled with easy access to natural beauty would bring that out of me.

This time, my friend Diana and I did the Ōmanawanui Track in the Waitakere Ranges.

It was a challenging hike, mostly uphill and at an angle that left my thigh and butt and calves crying out. Only a short way in and we were breathing hard. It was such a beautiful hike though and the views were worth the effort.

The one thing I didn't plan well was that this hike was on a Saturday and that Monday, I served for the third time as a Medic at school camp. This time was with my daughter Makayla's Year 8 camp at Camp Bentzon on Kawau Island.

This time, not only was I the medic, but I also helped lead the Confidence Course- a series of 6 activities that challenge the kids both mentally and physically. Some of the kids attacked each course head on and others started by assuming that they weren't up for the task. I pushed all of them to at least try and pretty much every one of them were able to complete them. It is so nice to see the satisfaction on the face of a child that surprised themselves by their ability to overcome their fears and discover their true ability to push past their preconceived limitations.

Kayaking, Sailing, Raft building, Archery, Orienteering, Bivouac building, Confidence Course, Hiking. These kids had a blast. Experiences like these would not have been imaginable much less possible if my kids stayed at their public school in Arizona.

The last time I came to this camp was as camp medic for my eldest son Micah's Year 8 camp three years ago. I also served as camp medic for Makayla's year 6 camp two years ago.

I always feel blessed that I can take a week off from work without putting even a noticeable dent in my allotted annual leave. I always feel happy to know that I have a skill that makes me useful in so many aspects of life. I can be present for my children and their friends while providing a service for all of the students. During Micah's year 8 camp at this same site, one night turned into to a spontaneous women's health, sexual health, Q+A session with a bunch of his female classmates. I answered all kinds of questions about periods, sex, etc and I felt so happy that they felt comfortable asking me questions and that allowed me to debunk some myths and address misconceptions and empower them by making sure they were properly educated about how their bodies worked.

During both camps, while on our hike, students would ask me questions about science, medicine, health, racism and all sorts of topics. These young minds are so inquisitive and smart.

Volunteering to help in school camps gives me a chance to get to know my children in a different way- see how they do with adversity, watch how self sufficient they can be when away from home, and I get to know their friends and classmates better and observe their teachers.

My legs were dead by the end of this camp and I ended up coming down with some sort of cold right afterward, but that's OK.

My youngest son gets to have his first school camp experience next year and he has already made it very clear that I am expected to be there for him too. No problem Kai Kai. Happy to be there!