AmeriCamp journey begins.

Oh ello’ I thought it would be a good start to the AmeriCamp blog series by giving knowledge of the first and most crucial parts of the experience: the application process!

During the application process, AmeriCamp divide it up into 3 stages to make it easy and clear for every single applicant, like it’s superb how simple the process is. Also, it means every single person is placed at the most amazing camps across America to have the summer of a lifetime! 

Okay so to start, Stage 1. For me, I applied before September 1st which made me and AmeriCamp VIP granting me a few extra perks including cheaper fees, a free tshirt, early admission to a Camp Fair and the best part, a free biscuit! Free food is the best food! Anyway, once I signed up to stage one and paid my £40 fee and filled out my application, I was emailed by a lovely girl named Georgia who was appointed as my coordinator. This meant she was my point of call for payments needing to be made and any questions or queries I had about the progress of my application. She then put me in contact with my interviewer, Queen Lauren (okay she’s basically AmeriCamp royalty and one of my favourite people ever, hence queen, plus she has a great name!) Lauren set me up with a Skype interview that lasted around 30 minutes. We talked about all things, camp, skills, biscuits and how we shared the same name and became name twins, united for life! After passing the interview I was onto stage 2, 1 step closer to the dream summer.

honestly a physical representation of me as I was applying through the whole thing

Stage 2 then consisted of a collection of things, obtaining 2 references, paying the next fee and creating a 1-2 minute application video! Try and make your video as fun as possible because it will present you really well to camps who view it, which is a bonus and helps placement! After completing stage 2, my application was sent over to the states to circulate camps which is a now a waiting game! Placement then can either be at a camp fair, where you meet people from a few camps directly and have interviews, or a camp may reach out to you through email and you may be offered a Skype interview and if you’re lucky enough can result in placement! Just one trip, if a camp reach out to you through email or you know which camps are attending the camp fairs, do some research for them as it will show how keen you are to work for them if you know bit about their history and daily life.

Once placed, you pay your final placement fee! (This is the most exciting thing to pay because you are securing the summer of a lifetime in America!) After this fee is paid, everything else will start to feel real and you’ll be able to put a countdown on your phone to the exact day you’ll be at camp, it’s the best feeling, trust me. (I’ll be at camp in 59 days and I’m buzzing!)

Next steps would then be medical forms, camp contracts, visa, flights, orientation and packing prep which I will cover over a few more posts but for now I hope this has gave you an insight into how easy and simple it is to sign up to AmeriCamp because even if you do get a little confused, they will answer every single question along the way, they are true superstars!

Until next time, I’m off to buy some dollarrrrrr


xoxo L

Just a little update…

So I posted a few months back about my experience at the truly unique AmeriCamp Camp Fair in Manchester and I thought I’d give an insight on the whole AmeriCamp experience over the next few posts including the stages and interviewing process, applications, obtaining the crucial visa, orientation and so much more (I’ll make it exciting, promise). The whole application from start to finish may seem stressful and a lot to work through but the AmeriCamp team have worked around the clock to answer every single query, like I swear these guys never sleep and deserve so much praise and recognition for all their hard work. AmeriCamp Team you guys deserve an award, thank you.

So the point of this post, to just let you know what’s gonna happen for the next few posts and hopefully give you an insightful guide to the AmeriCamp experience because in the words of Jake Peralta it is pretty damn TOIT! (For those who don’t know Brooklyn Nine-Nine, you should because it’s a classic)

very appropriate gif so ya’ll understand what I’m talking about

So see ya’ll on the other side with another post soon!

xoxo L

USA! USA! USA!

Oh hi! Me again, I mean obviously because it’s my blog but oh well. By the title you can already guess this particular post will be related to the grand United States of America, which it is, but it’s about my future trip to America which will take place in Summer 2019 and I am BUZZING! I get to go and work at a beautiful summer camp and travel the country after with my best friends, but the question you may be asking is how? Well dear friend let me tell you; AmeriCamp and their wonderful Manchester Camp Fair where my American Dream became a reality, wow I got super deep there. Let’s rewind to November *steals Hermione’s time turner and rewinds time to the best weekend ever*

For those muggles who may not have a clue what I’m talking about.

Okay, so I travelled from London back up to my hometown, Runcorn, to start the weekend and I was reunited with my dog and I cried; I mean who wouldn’t when you see his little face I’m already feeling sad thinking about him because I miss him way too much☹️

His name is Cody and he is an angel (when he isn’t biting my feet).

After I stopped crying over his little face, I hopped on a train to Manchester to meet my bestest friends (I’d name them but I’m too lazy, soz guys) who met me at the station, what angels right? Greeted by hugs and a few tears we decided to kickstart the Christmas spirit and braved the cold, wet traditional English weather and headed to the Manchester Christmas Markets, YAY! I love the markets, all the amazing food, lights, Christmas spirit and happy atmosphere that everyone is feeling as they drank mulled wine and hot chocolate whilst tucking into the God of all desserts, Hot Cookie Dough and Ice Cream!!! << It deserves 3 exclamation marks it was that good. Myself, Ellie and Holly also decided to be greedy and also bought a hot chocolate brownie with ice cream too, BEAUTIFUL!

We spent the remaining hours of our night in a hotel room telling jokes, eating those various flavoured jelly beans that taste either great or sickening and laughing til our sides hurt and this was all before we had even attended the amazing AmeriCamp Camp Fair. As the morning came around me, Ellie and Holly headed to the HQ at 8am, even though the fair didn’t start until 12pm, we braved the cold and made the hours pass by quickly singing to ABBA, Disney Songs and Wicked; we are strange, I am aware.

We were freezing; but food and sing-alongs made life better.

P.S. The floor was wet and cold, great times right?

Fast forward to a few hours later and the beautiful AmeriCamp staff began to show up at the HQ and the darling Cat got us some beanbags and cushions to sit on, highlight of the day, alongside some hot chocolate and FREE BISCUITS, YAY! Some info about AmeriCamp; they like to give out free biscuits, It is what I live for, no joke. But anyway, as time passed, it was time to enter the sacred HQ that we had heard so much about, I literally bounced through the door, I was too excited to go and speak to my favourite camp at the fair, Camp Chen-A-Wanda, it’s a dream camp (if you wanna look it up, you should but if you are lazy like me, there is photos below for your convenience, you’re welcome).

As the clock struck 12, it was time to run (all I can think about right now is Cinderella running away from Prince Charming at midnight but in this case, I was running to my camp at midday, it’s the same thing shush). I was first through the door to my camp and after a bubbly, happy interview with Brian the director, I was offered a job with them for the summer and I literally jumped up and down in front of him, it was great. After I left the room I hugged my besties and was running around for the rest of the day. Technically after being plACed, I could’ve headed home but I was waiting around for the Free McDonalds that AmeriCamp provide at their Camp Fairs, it was the a top moment for the whole day! I mean who doesn’t love free food? If you don’t, why? It’s FREE and as Jake Peralta says it’s ‘cool cool cool cool cool cool cool’. 

I couldn’t not insert this very appropriate gif.

The whole day was a crazy blur of fun, laughter and happiness as me and all my friends got placed at amazing summer camps across the USA. AmeriCamp really knew how to make the day as fun as possible for everyone there, even though they got rid of the famous ball pit which I am still upset about; please bring it back, I need it in my life. But putting that aside, the day was perfect and a whole load of fun, I even got a siiiick AC Varisty jacket which is the comfiest thing, EVER! So if you want to spend 3 months in America and get paid for it, then see AmeriCamp, they are the best team of people and give you free biscuits so why the hell not, am I right? 

So take that leap of faith and do something different, go on an adventure of a lifetime and you will be rewarded with the most amazing experience where you will meet the most amazing people who become your best friends! Felt like a motivational speaking writing that, new career path I think!

But for now I’m off to dive into the Wizarding World and wish I received a Hogwarts letter when I was 11.

xoxo L

What do I even write? Hi?…

Oh hi! I’m Lauren, the non-typical student who moved from a tiny, little town in the North West of England to the big, blinding city that is our countries capital, Landannn town (its spelt wrong, I’m aware but it’s how me and another northern friend pronounce our new area of residence, strange yes I know). 

So yeah, this is a little hello to my blog and I hope you cry, laugh, smile and most of all relate to everything that I post in the future, I know I’ll be having fun writing it! 

But for now, I will love you and leave you as I’m off to watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine and wish I was a NYC police officer!

xoxo