Back to Life, Back to Reality

As we approach the beginning of Module 2, I wanted to ease myself back into the blogging/learning state of mind. I thought of no better way to do this than by telling you what I've been up to over the summer and the past few months.

The obvious place to start would be to tell you of one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had. I spent my whole summer working as a camp counsellor in the Sierra Nevada Forrest, California. My role was as an activity counsellor running the theatre section of their camp, along with one other counsellor. What I loved about the camp I worked at is the lack of technology, the kids and the adults weren't allowed their phones unless they were on time off (staff). A lot of my previous posts have been centred around the uses of technology in modern day life and being given the opportunity to experience the wonderful world of camp without the worries of technology was something else. So what did I learn by not having my phone? I made a short list:

- Interpersonal relationships developed much quicker and the connections made were much stronger
- I learnt to enjoy the moment and appreciate my surroundings
- I didn't miss my phone or social media
- Experiences are true and not false for the purposes of social media
- I missed the opportunity to take photos and videos as memories
- I wasn't distracted by having my phone to hand, I did more meaningful things with my time (like make a laundry bag because mine broke pretty quickly!).

We slept in tent cabins, on beds with sleeping bags surrounded by nature and all its glorious offerings. Before I left, if you had asked me to go camping outdoors for three months 7000ft up in the mountains I would have looked at you like you were speaking gibberish. But now, I miss the mountain air and waking up to the most amazing surroundings. I've learnt to embrace new challenges and face them with a more positive attitude.

How can I incorporate everything I've learnt over the summer into my own professional practice? Well, my immediate thought is to be more positive about doing the work for my degree. Although the thought of being sat at a laptop typing blogs and reading endless streams of information was shoved to the back of my mind whilst in California, I need to fully embrace getting back to work and begin to research my chosen subject area. Camp truly is its own little world and family. Coming back into real life was a bit of a crash landing and trying to sort everything out has been like finding my feet again but its nice to come back to familiarity, home.

During our training week we had a guest speaker called Christine Carter come and talk to us. As she began her talk, a lot of what she said resonated with the path I would like to take my professional practice research on. The idea of listening to your body and your gut feelings and looking for the subtext - what people are really saying. These are all tools in the basic training that I was taught at drama school, the old 'get up and see what it feels like' trick. She also spoke about the difference between out Social Selves and Essential Selves. While I may not have agreed with all that she said, some points did peak my interest, in particular this quote 'experience stillness to find out what is true for you'. It reminded me of a drama game where you sit in silence until the tutor/leader says go and you say the first thing that comes to mind and goes with your physicality. Thinking before we speak. Thinking before we act. How easy is that to do with thousands of people at our fingertips and opinions flying left, right and centre, goading us to respond. What we see on the surface may not be the truth, both in person and virtually. It's interesting to see how so many of my personal experiences and thoughts cross over and how my community of practice expands but also intertwines.

In my post 'Techno Us' I spoke of how valuable drama is as a subject. This became even more prominent to me while at camp. To be able to help kids of all ages come out of their shells and involve themselves in things they wouldn't necessarily was such a rewarding experience. Giving people a space to be whatever they wanted and do whatever they wanted (safely I'd like to add) was inspiring to be a part of. Individuality should be something we embrace, be who you want to be. Don't always let social convention dictate who you are.

What next? Obviously we all start Module 2 and I'm looking forward to reading everyone's blogs and seeing how all our professional practices develop and change. Panto season is looming and I have a role on stage this year as a crew member so work gets very very busy for me. I'm excited for the new experience and to get back to work with a great team of people.

So that's been my summer, one huge learning curve. From going in completely blind (classic Jess baptism of fire method) to finding a place and people so incredible and making memories that are so special. I've thrown in some pictures because I'm a big fan of visual representations, there's also a link to my Instagram should you wish to see more snaps. Full Send.