I know this happened a long time ago.
Almost a year now, in fact.
But I figured, since I have absolutely nothing else to write about currently,
I'd talk about that one time when I lived in the wilderness for five weeks.
'Twas an adventure filled with danger, daring, boys, trees, squirrels, and cooking. Also a friendly woodpecker and some flies.
(Reader is advised to discontinue reading if you are against fly cruelty)
Allow me to explain myself.
Last year, at the young age of 'I just graduated high school,' I sorta kinda applied to be the "Field Camp Cook" for the BYU-Idaho geology department.
Let's just say it included facebook and panic.
A couple days later, I was propelled into a world of driving giant vans and planning meals for 30 people.
Needless to say, I was terrified.
I was in charge of cooking and planning the meals, and purchasing and packing for said meals.
A couple days, four shopping carts filled to the brim, and a giant game of 'food tetris' later, Monday morning had arrived.
I showed up to the school early and disoriented.
After a few hiccups and some awkward introductions later, we were on our way.
I probably felt like I was going to be sick.
I was faced with the prospect of meeting and cooking for a horde of mountain men.
Thankfully, there was one girl there. One. Other. Girl.
That helped some.
For my first meal, I cooked taco soup. I got a standing ovation.
This was likely due to the fact that the group hadn't had a cook their first week out, and had slowly starved to death on the mountain terrain.
Any food is better than no food at all.
The next five weeks were a blur of cooking giant meals and waking up at 4 in the morning.
There was probably some wilderness involved.
Some mice tore apart our garbage.
Some others drowned in our water bucket.
Also, an evil cow stared me down as I came back from a hike once.
I also learned far, far more about men than I had ever hoped to learn... ever.
Sometimes, you can DEFINITELY learn too much.
There was also hilarity.
Turns out geologists are funny.
There were conversations which included quotes such as...
"That noise? Oh, it's just the sun... cooking a dead body."
"Was it as exciting as that time we saw two squirrels having sex?"
"Out of ALL the pokemons in the world, which one would you date?"
"Oh, the Labyrinth? Not to be crude, but there's more than one main actor in that movie... if you know what I mean."
There were also hilarious instances. (You probably had to be there)
-Like that one time when a giantly tall man jumped over me, and then jumped over the giant fire that I was sitting in front of. Without warning me.
-And the time that they screwed a bottle lid onto a bottle really tight and threw it in the fire and it exploded and almost hit me in the face and they all laughed and shouted "let's do it again!" and they did... and it almost hit me in the face freaking again. (thanks guys)
-That time we heated a bunch of pennies and other assorted metals to try to make something cool, and they all just disappeared instead.
-The time we thought someone had thrown a lighter into the fire and we all ran away and ducked for cover and then... nothing happened.
-And the one time that we played that game where you say who you would eat, who you would kill, and who you would marry... so I said I would marry a certain person because his was one of the only names I remembered and also he was cute but I figured "guys don't gossip!" which, of course they do. More than me. Probably more than lonely old women. (thanks again, guys.)
-The time when an army of ground squirrels stared me down while I was trying to make dinner but I was all alone in the forest so I could have died at any moment.
-The dead humor jokes.
-And the time I almost saw the same person naked like three times.
There was croquet tournaments, guitar playing, and floating blow up mattresses on a pond.
Somehow though, that was one of the best month and a halfs that has ever happened.
It was the most stressful, terrifying things ever, but I absolutely loved it.
They became my family,
and in turn, I became that weird girl who cooked for them for the five weeks when they were forced to measure a lot of mountains for homework.
But it was good times, good times.
Almost a year now, in fact.
But I figured, since I have absolutely nothing else to write about currently,
I'd talk about that one time when I lived in the wilderness for five weeks.
'Twas an adventure filled with danger, daring, boys, trees, squirrels, and cooking. Also a friendly woodpecker and some flies.
(Reader is advised to discontinue reading if you are against fly cruelty)
Allow me to explain myself.
Last year, at the young age of 'I just graduated high school,' I sorta kinda applied to be the "Field Camp Cook" for the BYU-Idaho geology department.
Let's just say it included facebook and panic.
A couple days later, I was propelled into a world of driving giant vans and planning meals for 30 people.
Needless to say, I was terrified.
I was in charge of cooking and planning the meals, and purchasing and packing for said meals.
A couple days, four shopping carts filled to the brim, and a giant game of 'food tetris' later, Monday morning had arrived.
I showed up to the school early and disoriented.
After a few hiccups and some awkward introductions later, we were on our way.
I probably felt like I was going to be sick.
I was faced with the prospect of meeting and cooking for a horde of mountain men.
Thankfully, there was one girl there. One. Other. Girl.
That helped some.
For my first meal, I cooked taco soup. I got a standing ovation.
This was likely due to the fact that the group hadn't had a cook their first week out, and had slowly starved to death on the mountain terrain.
Any food is better than no food at all.
The next five weeks were a blur of cooking giant meals and waking up at 4 in the morning.
There was probably some wilderness involved.
Some mice tore apart our garbage.
Some others drowned in our water bucket.
Also, an evil cow stared me down as I came back from a hike once.
I also learned far, far more about men than I had ever hoped to learn... ever.
Sometimes, you can DEFINITELY learn too much.
There was also hilarity.
Turns out geologists are funny.
There were conversations which included quotes such as...
"That noise? Oh, it's just the sun... cooking a dead body."
"Was it as exciting as that time we saw two squirrels having sex?"
"Out of ALL the pokemons in the world, which one would you date?"
"Oh, the Labyrinth? Not to be crude, but there's more than one main actor in that movie... if you know what I mean."
There were also hilarious instances. (You probably had to be there)
-Like that one time when a giantly tall man jumped over me, and then jumped over the giant fire that I was sitting in front of. Without warning me.
-And the time that they screwed a bottle lid onto a bottle really tight and threw it in the fire and it exploded and almost hit me in the face and they all laughed and shouted "let's do it again!" and they did... and it almost hit me in the face freaking again. (thanks guys)
-That time we heated a bunch of pennies and other assorted metals to try to make something cool, and they all just disappeared instead.
-The time we thought someone had thrown a lighter into the fire and we all ran away and ducked for cover and then... nothing happened.
-And the one time that we played that game where you say who you would eat, who you would kill, and who you would marry... so I said I would marry a certain person because his was one of the only names I remembered and also he was cute but I figured "guys don't gossip!" which, of course they do. More than me. Probably more than lonely old women. (thanks again, guys.)
-The time when an army of ground squirrels stared me down while I was trying to make dinner but I was all alone in the forest so I could have died at any moment.
-The dead humor jokes.
-And the time I almost saw the same person naked like three times.
There was croquet tournaments, guitar playing, and floating blow up mattresses on a pond.
Somehow though, that was one of the best month and a halfs that has ever happened.
It was the most stressful, terrifying things ever, but I absolutely loved it.
They became my family,
and in turn, I became that weird girl who cooked for them for the five weeks when they were forced to measure a lot of mountains for homework.
But it was good times, good times.
2 comments:
Ah, thanks for that. That was a good read. I always thought you were awesomely brave to apply -- and to show up when you got the job! Way to go.
Haha thanks! It was a pretty good time.
Post a Comment