The first week of summer camp for Marcus was a training week which included everything from lifeguard training to building campfires, cooking lessons, health and safety regulations, and learning the songs, dances and games that he´d be doing with the kids during the summer. He also spent a couple of nights on a camping trip away from the summer camp grounds which was a way for all the new staff to get to know each other. After such a fun and busy week, he´d almost forgotten that he had to actually look after some children the following week!

As one of the camp counsellors, it was Marcus´s duty to greet all of the kids as they arrived with their parents, show them their rooms and help them to settle in. When the whole group had arrived, he took them down to the river so they could all mess around and get to know each other. Dinner that evening was a fun barbecue around a campfire.

Each weekend, they´d have a camp carnival which involved body painting, singing, acting and dancing. Normally something that Marcus would be too embarrassed to do, he actually dived straight into it all and found that he really enjoyed it, and he looked forward to the carnival atmosphere each weekend. The weeks were spent boating, horse-riding, hiking, going on treasure hunts, playing archery, camping under the stars, and enjoying meals around the campfire. With so much to do, he still managed to fit in his regular English lessons whilst staying at the summer camp in Los Angeles.

As the summer placement drew to an end, Marcus couldn´t believe all of the new activities he´d tried and all of the great friends he´d made. He´d certainly keep in touch with them and he´d definitely be back to summer camp again in the future!