My last week of surgery was a little chaotic. I had no desire to study, no desire to
prepare my portfolio and no desire to be anywhere away from my bed. I had a osce on Monday, a project presentation on Tuesday, and urology oral on Wednesday and a practical and portfolio oral on Friday. After a long and hard battle I failed to convince the mazkir to sort out a flight for me to Durban on Friday. I was quite angry and frustrated with him, and told him so. It actually didn’t make much difference and in retrospect was probably for the best.
I packed my bags on Friday evening and caught the 7am flight to Durban. I was collected from the airport by a good and dear friend. We stayed at the Durban bayit until Monday.
I initially felt quite overwhelmed. There were many people there, most of which I did not know. On Saturday afternoon we went to the botanical gardens. Apparently people went absolutely mad when the mazkir suggested this. It was quite an average outing.
My friend and I planned a peula for Sunday afternoon. It was along the lines of the “worst peula ever” peula that was initially run by an Australian and I on Shnat 2003. It ran something like this:
Boring speech at the beginning about how I have not run a peula before and am feeling nervous. We then get them to write the name of their best and worst madrich ever on a piece of paper. We collected the pieces of paper with the names of the bad madrichim on them and placed them in the braai where we tried burn them but spilt water on them. We later read them and laughed.
The madrichim were then split up using huggie bears – huggie bears 12, huggie bears 11 (forcing them to ostracise on of the group members), huggie bears eye colour, huggie bears number of living grand parents. This created 5 groups. There were only 4 stations, so we left the floating group smoke nag. The 4 stations were discussions about what makes a madrich cool (persona, sex-appeal, rule-bending and favouritism). The discussions were poorly timed and facilitated by senior madrichim we put on the spot.
After this section we played bang and another name game as an ice breaker
They then had one of those walk around museums which had really crap quotes and lead down a narrow passage into a toilet.
We ran a meditation during which my friend and I changed into a mad costume – me in a latex mask of adolf hitler and he into a silly bathing costume. We then started making strange noises as the sikkum.
On the first night, while we were planning this peula I had my first laugh in ages. We made a quote which read “become the change you seek” after which I started writing mahatma ghandi, but then crossed it out half-way and wrote hitler. My friend then did a dance around his bead room in his underwear with a knife.
A friend of mine was hooking up with a girl 5 years his junior. I decided to express my feeling that he was being a bad example but going into his room, using a giant jerry can as a drum and telling him that he was sinning. This happened twice.
We discussed the idea of possible putting this one baby back into his mother for a time. We also considered attaching valcro onto her labia to keep the oven closed.
On Monday we went to the the camp site. It was the same camp site we used last year. I was in a chalet with the camp steering committee. In my room were two of my good friends. We set the nag up in the room. The 4m long pipe I used was perfect so that each bed had a nag. It was in this room that I had some of the most fun I have had the entire year.
For the first few nights we were just raucously out of control. People, mostly senior madrichim, came and we entertained them. We were mocking this one madrich, when his x-girlfriend said something very hysterical about him. We realised that one of our room mates looks almost identical to a mop, so we dressed a mop up like him and stuck it in his bed with the nag. We had a little party commemorating the 4 year anniversary of the onset of symptoms from my friend’s brain tumour.
I met some really cool people. One of the Bogrim 1s was just the nicest girl I have ever met. She just loved me! She understood that I was just a puppy dog and gave me love and attention and her boyfriend was ok with that and a really amazing guy. One of my old chanichim was very enjoyable. He used to impersonate his dad being a neurologist “walk for me!” which I just loved. I would impersonate this song one of the madrichim sang. We impersonated some prominent members of the WPZC.
I spent most of my time in bed. There were few kids and very few medical problems. I completed reading the Harry Potter series which I thoroughly enjoyed.
I also had quite a few meaningful experiences.
I finally spoke to that girl that I like. I had emailed her a few weeks previously and was really struggling. I told her how I felt and why. She listened and things seemed ok. After spending 9 days in close living quarters with her I was not coping at all. She was often around and friendly enough, but she wasn’t giving me enough attention which made me feel progressively more anxious. I would keep trying to get her attention by making physical contact with her which she understandably was not feeling comfortable with. She was express her discomfort which would make me more anxious. The last two days were hell.
I met a girl that really understands me and I understand her. I suppose that I knew that she would understand, but it took a while for me to speak to her. Eventually, on the last night, I had a really amazing chat with her about life. We just understood each other. I am not struggling not to be in hectic contact with her. I will not contact her until Sunday.
There was another girl who was just the biggest bitch in the entire world. I eventually head her story which is incredibly rough and then I found the good side of her; well a better side anyway.
I am now back at home. My laundry is done and I’m unpacked and settling down.
Money’s a bit toight. My car’s starter’s not working and I’m struggling to keep busy and sane.
