It's been a while....

Hello!
It's been quite some time since I've blogged, which is partly my fault and partly not! I did write up quite a lengthy summary but then it disappeared before I could post it and I wanted to go to bed and figured I would have a few days here in LA to blog without too much happening... woops! And then of course the computers in the hostel weren't working, and a lot happened, so now I have to try and get it all in before the money runs out!
Camp was overall a really positive experience, and it was really hard to leave! They had a great sense of community there, and even though all the staff had different backgrounds and were there for different reasons, they were all working to create an amazing week for the campers, and they did! The last week, with middle schoolers was challenging because the majority were boys and it bucketed rain nearly the whole week, but it meant that we had a chance to be creative in coming up with activities that they could do indoors which would keep them entertained. The week did make me miss my small group though- they are a lot less girly and a lot more grounded (and funny!) than the girls that I had in my cabin! They did call me during their small group though, which was very exciting! Overall, really positive, and I'd love to go back to the center some time, and will definately try to keep in touch with many of the staff!
The bus ride back to Boston was quite eventful- I met Santa! The man in front of me started talking to me- he was a proffesional Santa, and he had the beard to go with it. His only complaint was that he had brown eyes not blue- I think he really felt that that had held him back in his career! He was a funny man, and made up poetry for me all the way to Boston, and then showed me where to go when got into the city to find the Subway! Very entertaining man! Told me about how you can 'call santa' and he gets calls all year round- including ones like 'can you stop my dad hitting my mum?' I never really thought about any of that stuff, but it sounded kinda cool!
Boston was once again great, and this time I got to catch up with my friend Eva from when I lived in Boston. I had stayed with her parents last time, but she had been away. We still got on really well and went into Harvard Square for a day and found lots to talk about, which was really good. It's funny- some of my best conversations about God and what I'm doing have happened during times I thought would be a bit of a break for me!
It was also interesting at both the Horton Center and in Boston to notice that a lot of people really shy away from public displays of religion, through things like grace. It's almost like there are 2 kinds of christians that I've come accross- those who are really out there and sharing their faith every chance they get (and what can sometimes be the 'scary christians') and those who have been scared off by those people to the point that they don't want to display things like public graces, even though they work in a church soup kitchen weekly. And then there's a few standing in the middle looking at both sides like their crazy and have really changed what christianity was originally intended to be! (maybe Shane Clairborne?)
It's really interesting the amount of cultural differences that I really have started to notice here, and that have surprised me, given that I'm currently in the worlds superpower. Things like the number of homeless on the street, the condition of the roads, which are far below ours, the amount of panic and discussion that there is about petrol prices, and global warming. It's like they've suddenly hit the point when they've all realised that something needs to change, and it's all they can talk about. Particularly in coming here to LA, I've just notice that it's not that nice. In terms of a lot of the streets and buildings, I feel like I'm in an old country town. It doesn't really seem like I'm in one of the most culturally influential cities in the world!
I am really feeling a lot more confident with my travelling though- coming here I was quite relaxed and felt fine about taking a bus to the Hostel- which is good! Hopefully that will continue to build. The flight here was great- beautiful views the whole way and so I took lots of photos! Really pretty colours in a lot of the land.
Have had some more adventures since getting to LA, but will make you wait in suspense for them- I need some time to get my brain straight! It has been really fun and interesting though, so no need to worry!
Keep the calls and update emails coming, I appreciate them sooo much!
Laura