Leaving Camp Spoilt Weasel.
Most likely no-one will remember my tale of Camp Spoilt Weasel in the US, but after having made it through the first summer there (I still have no idea how - seven days a week, 7 am - midnight, four days off in two months, blatant xenophobia and mild religious bashing, etc) I decided for some inexplicable reason to go back for another dose.
Well, I met a girl on the second day and we got on like a house on fire. by the next week, it was fairly clear to a lot of people that we liked each other, but, as she had a boyfriend back in Blighty, there was nothing happening.
Anyhoo, Conditions that year were pretty tought indeed. In addition to the heat (up to 45 degrees C for a couple of days) and the immensely long hours, the food was terrible. It had been palatable the year before, but this time it was foul. As such, we started losing staff - they were dropping like flies from exhaustion and malnutrition.
The camp realised something was happening, so they decided to send each one of them who passed out home, but told their company that sent them out that they had been sacked for misconduct, etc, anything to stop themselves being blamed.
Now, as much fun as I was having being paid to do archery and paintball, I started to get pretty worried about this girl. She was having trouble getting up in the mornings and would pass out in the evenings. As such, I took her to the on-site medical building and they but her in a bed for the night. The next morning, the camp owner had a word with her and told her if she didn't get herslf sorted, she'd be out. This wouldn't normally sound like a bad thing, but it meant that the company that sent you out there cancelled your flight home, visa and medical insurance.
A few of us took her out and tried to feed her up on stuff that wasn't cooked on the camp and she felt a bit better. The next day, she seemed ok, but they sacked her anyway.
Now, feelings for the girl aside, I really couldn't stand by and watch them dump her in the nearest dead-end town to make her way back to the airport on her own. So I marched up to the camp owner's office, told him where he could put the job and left with her. By this point, she really was no no state to try sort out a new flight home, or anything, really. As a parting shot, the camp told us they had informed the police and as such, we had seven days to leave the country before we would be arrested for visa violations.
We managed to limp into Philedelphia on a Greyhound bus (like playing sardines with unstable people) and holed up in a youth hoste while I tried to sort out a flight home for her. The company that sent her out (Camp America) tutted a lot at me, but eventually let her book one of their spare flights for £200. luckily, I'd organised my own flight and even luckier, I was on BA staff travel as Dad used to work in the cargo section at Heathrow. This meant I could get any BA flight whenever I liked. Just by chance, the flight home they booked her was on BA.
All so far, so good.
Things started to get better after that. We got to the airport and the checkin staff made a fuss of her as she still looked a bit peaky and as it was a very empty flight, we got to sit next to each other, too.
When we got home, she was picked by by her dad and I honestly thought that would be last I saw of her. I don't think I can say how sad that made me feel. I knew she had a boyfriend, so i wasn't really expecting anything, but it didn't make it easier.
As it turns out, we've now been married for nearly four years, have two kids and a house in Switzerland.
I don't think I've ever made as good a decision as to have quit that camp.
( Colonel Boris "...a desperate Buzzfeed imitation...", Sat 24 May 2008, 14:02, 13 replies)

Aww
I was really, really hoping you'd say you married her.

Yay!
(oneltrchardonnay, Sat 24 May 2008, 14:45, closed)

We even managed to hire a Victorian battleship for the wedding.
we're poor as church mice, but we've had a good time of it none-the-less.
( Colonel Boris "...a desperate Buzzfeed imitation...", Sat 24 May 2008, 15:10, closed)

money is nothing compared to happiness
you were a good samaritan and were rewarded with a lovely wife and a happy life. who says karma is fake?
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sat 24 May 2008, 15:15, closed)

Nicely done mate.
*Clicks.*

This has put me off the summer camp work idea to be honest, I was thinking about doing it next year.
(Dok Zombie Cash, gash, pie and mash., Sat 24 May 2008, 15:51, closed)

Oh, I wouldn't give up on it
Most the people I know who went on one said it was hard work, but great fun. It was just this camp, that was all.
In amongst all the crap, you do build up a pretty good set of friends quickly and you get to do a lot of stuff that you wouldn't otherwise.
Go for it, but just don't go to the same camp I did...
( Colonel Boris "...a desperate Buzzfeed imitation...", Sat 24 May 2008, 15:59, closed)

Thank you
for making me smile on a miserable day! It's nice to read a happy ending for once.
(Petite chien is going to do science to it, Sat 24 May 2008, 16:37, closed)

Nice one
Click
(Stevie Ruggling, Sun 25 May 2008, 2:37, closed)

Good man
.
( Moey, Sun 25 May 2008, 14:33, closed)

I met my wife when she was feeling peaky.
'cept she was actually sick on me.

and the sofa.

and someone else.

then she wee-ed on the doormat.

I've said too much.

clicks. runs.
( ExactlyHowLongDoIHaveToBeHere, Sun 25 May 2008, 14:46, closed)

:D
it's nice to see a happy ending amongst all the revenge stories :)

nice one
(panda_sam, Sun 25 May 2008, 16:03, closed)

Thanks, chaps!
I thought the overall soppiness would have got me bummed on here, but you've all been very kind.
Well, as a bit more detail, the future Mrs Boris was ill for a few weeks after getting back and after she dropped her boyfriend (I met him once and he was a bit of a chopper), I helped out to make her feel a bit better. As things happened, she was due to start uni in Winchester and I was already studying in Southampton. We moved in after a year of effectively her living at my place and things just went on from there.
As rough as a day at the office can be, I'm bloody glad I've got the three of them to come home to.
( Colonel Boris "...a desperate Buzzfeed imitation...", Mon 26 May 2008, 21:22, closed)

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
( whenanimalsattackhumans clad in global hypercolour, Wed 28 May 2008, 14:12, closed)

*click*
Yay :) I needed a pick me up QOTW answer!
( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Thu 29 May 2008, 10:39, closed)