The Okkie Jooste Camp

The Okkie Jooste Camp

I remember my lecturer, Mrs Eager telling the class about the camp in the first semester and just like everyone there, okay maybe not everyone but I was quite thrilled and just could wait for August to come so that we can just go. In high school we never really had outings so excuse my enthusiasm. First semester ended and August came and it was camp time. However I wasn’t as enthusiastic, honestly I didn’t want to go. It was spring break so I just wanted to chill and have some me time, not spend FOUR DAYS with my classmates that I practically see every day. Because I’ve already paid for the trip I had to go. Came the 30^th of August, the buses we ready and our-ever-so-energetic lecturer Mrs Eager was there, I wasn’t feeling well that day and the weather wasn’t doing justice, IT WAS HOT! But that didn’t stop Rose from running around and making sure that everyone was inside the bus, I asked myself…”where does this woman get all that energy?”…it was about 9am in the morning and that time im usually lazy in my bed with my eyes closed and not waiting for a bus to take me to a camp that I don’t even wanna go to. We left and arrived at the Okkie Jooster Campsite in the early afternoon, checked in to our rooms and and sort of got comfortable, we tried to get comfortable…it was a campsite after all so one can never be 100% comfortable. My team, the blue team was allocated for kitchen duty for the supper, which was fun, helping the chefs that came with us to make food.

We had different activities like mammal trapping, hiking, star gazing, river ecology, presentation from different doctors and professors who specialise in biodiversity and biology. Personally I enjoyed star gazing and that was actually surprizing to me cause I’ve never seen myself as one who would enjoy and actually rest and learn while looking at stars and listening to different sound of frogs in the river and other organisms.  

On our last night at the camp we had to do presentations and I personally thing that this one thing that almost ruined the whole trip for most people including myself. I do not like presentations, they really make me nervous and very awkward when everyone is quiet and just listen to me. However the presentations turned out to be quite entertaining and informative, listening to students reflect on their experiences at the camp. The talent show however was the REAL entertainment.

I could go on and on about the camp but unfortunately my time is limited in this lab and I have to publish this by 16:30pm and be out. I would however like to thank Mrs Eager and everyone who was involved in preparation for the camp. I HAD A GREAT TIME! AND GIVEN THE TIME TO DO IT AGAIN I DEFINITELY WOULD.