Losing Time

Living in camp has advantages. I get to engage in activities that most people pay thousands of dollars for. My living expenses are paid, and life is, in many ways, quite simple. This camp is nice too, because the chef has been very kind to me in preparing lots of vegan meals! She has been making me a vegan breakfast and dinner every day, and seems to plan to continue to do that for her entire hitch. This will slow the loss of my excess weight, but should help with my mood.

As with anything that has advantages, camp life has disadvantages. Disadvantages in camp often correspond closely to the advantages of living in a camp. I do not really "get" to engage in great activities, but rather have to engage in them. I have to go out, and tromp around the bush regardless of weather, and how I feel. My life must be simple, my choices are made for me so I cannot complicate it. My meals are made for me, so I do not even get a choice in my day's meals. The biggest disadvantage of living in a camp for me is losing time.

When I leave this camp, I will have given it two months of my life. For everyone I know, two months of experiences shared with friends, family and the world will have progressed. For me, I will have spent 60 days doing the same thing, with the same people, most of whom, I will never see, or speak to, again. I will have memories from this time, but it will be as if they all happened over the course of one very long day. This day will not even have the sun for me to estimate the time of day, after all, the sun never sets in the Alaskan Summer.