Dear Boundless Families:
Gorgeous weather up here, if you like April. Chilly, chilly.
But as the english students shall surely soon know the term “Pathetic Fallacy” – where weather reflects the mood – it is anti pathetic fallacy late this afternoon. Your kids are finding their way. All arrived safely. Spirits are pretty good for a beginning.
This session’s lineup has two cohorts – 12 in Outdoors and 20 in english – the game is afoot for both affable groups.
I’ll break down the line-up briefly.
The outdoors has a grand total of one young lass whose name is Jessica, freshly graduated from grade eight – all 90 lean pounds of her. Surrounded by bruisers, most of whom are a year or two her senior, how she fares may very well be the emotional barometer for the group itself.
She’s a cutie and is a flesh and bones archetype for innocence itself. This brings out the dad in me.
Upon arrival, she was unwinding at our foosball table with two handsome, square and kindly young men. My instincts are these are great boys – the kind you’d want your daughter to marry. But I don’t know this for sure yet, so I bring out my ammunition.
Stern faced, I declare to Jessica, well within earshot of the fellas,
“You know Jesse, I am going to hire a local, who’s an alcoholic, with no front teeth, who shall wield an axe, and who’s going to protect your virtue”.
The boys don’t know me yet so their mouths fall open. Jessica cracks a smile because she gets the quip right away. But the boys aint so sure. That is just the way I want it.
You can thank me later Andrew (Jesse’s dad). I’m partial to whisky.
The outdoor crew took off to the Riv, and as I write, are probably being baptized with a swim in the whitewater itself. We have to prep them for they shall surely dump their canoes a gazillion times in these historic high water levels. More on this in the next update.
The outdoor group seems a little mature for their age – call me an optimist. I may eat those words soon enough – but things seem pretty chill with that brood.
As to the english crew – lots of returnees. Great leadership among them. They are already setting the standard for the new kids, both in how they welcome strangers with warmth, and how they get down to work – a veritable mountain of it in the days to come. Already they had broken up into sub-groups of four, hanging out around picnic tables with paper and pen, doing some God-knows-what exercise. They seemed engaged.
The returning kids remember their first day of their first time here, so can empathize with the newbies. Lauren, a shy gal but I sense with a rock solid core, latched on to Sydney – her third time here – with Syd already opening her heart. Having someone you connect with early makes all the difference. Lots of these connections are being made.
Instead of a novel, Samantha (AKA Sam), their course director, has declared a short story a day. Sort of like an intellectual multi-vitamin.
This is the first of 3 or 4 updates you will receive. One parent said it best this morning at the pick up – no news is good news. If you don’t hear from me, rest assured your child is fitting is well. You can count on me to contact you if otherwise, or if there are any other concerns.
Pray for sunshine.
