Autumn's arrival

So, I've completed three weeks of work now ... I really love the job, and pretty much everything related. I feel like I am now settled in enough to be able to start looking past making sure routine things are getting done and learning about the kids and their behaviour, to look at applying some creativity to the position, and figuring out how to bring in more games and such that will create more unity than we currently have. The kids are really great, generally, and I am finding ways to connect with most of them. I am kind of concerned about some of the stuff going on with a few of the kids, but at the same time I have to remind myself that we are only 3 weeks in and I have many more months to spend working with this little society.
Outside of work I've also been really busy. I've spent about 5 hours each week cleaning, which has been nice, as it's at a nice place in Cadboro Bay where there are 2 lovely dogs that I can snuggle and play with. Here's a picture (they're a lab/daschund cross, and a labradoodle (who is a puppy in this pic)):

Anyway, so that's been good to make some $ to cover groceries. I've also been playing hockey (obviously), biking a lot, and started going to a Bible study on Genesis. I am also going to be playing intramural indoor soccer, which will be fun ... and yeah, my job means I have to get up at around 5:44am every morning, and it's getting late ...

An update, as requested (covering the end of August)

As mentioned in the title, this post is to cover the week at camp (August 24th-30th) ... the 24th was a crazy day as I had to get up quite early to catch a bus, to get to another bus, to get to my First Aid course by 8:15am. It was a good time, though, and I definitely feel I would now be more competent in case of an emergency.
From there, I caught a taxi in order to get to the Greyhound in time, as I needed to get to Chemainus to catch a ferry to Thetis Island, where Pioneer Pacific Camp is located. This are went fairly smoothly, and I was privy to a gorgeous sunset during the ferry ride (sorry, no picture of that one. However, here is a different sunset):The week was really great! Two other young women and I were "in charge" of a group of 23 teenage girls, and it actually went pretty well, I thought. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and there was a wealth of activities available, interspersed with meals and club (sort of an informal chapel). We were all definitely short of sleep by the end of the week, but what's new? :) I got to try a couple of new things, like tubing, wakeboarding, and kayaking (no, I had never kayaked before). Kayaking was probably my highlight, partly because I liked it so much, and partly because I got to see a lot of great wildlife, the cutest being the seals we saw lounging on the rocks. Or the dead jellyfish. Here's a pic of me successfully staying on the tube, while the other guy wiped out:It was really great to see some of the people I had met in Mexico again, and also great to see people I knew from UVic!! It was awesome to finally get to spend some time at a place that has been a big part of the lives of so many ... One more pic, of some mealtime hijinx:

It was a terrific, blessed way to end the summer, although the weather wasn't really summer-like (intermittent rain, and temperatures rarely above 22 Celsius). The kids headed home Saturday morning, and I stayed (with a small group of staff) to help clean up, as waiting around meant I could catch a ride back to Victoria, which was preferable to bussing, definitely. I made it back to Victoria Saturday evening ... and Sunday meant the beginning of packing and cleaning for another move.