I'm back, from outer space...er, Virginia

HELLO!!!!!! I'm back. God, it is good to be home. What a trip. I can hardly think where to begin. Well, I guess I'll begin at the beginning.

The Boy Scout Jamboree, by kosihoho

The plane ride over to Virginia was uneventful. I did see the Washington monument from the plane as we were landing, but never had the time to visit much. I was picked up at the airport by my old friend Bruce, with whom I used to work with. I was wandering around with my stupid Park service ball cap on, hoping someone would see it and think "oh, there is the girl I'm supposed to pick up at the airport." Someone very smart was in charge, and sent the one other jamboree participant who would recognize me. Bruce is a great guy, and it was a lot of fun to work with him again.

As it turned out, the smart someone in charge was a funny lady named Jodi. What is really mindblowing is that she and I look a lot alike. Eerily alike. I'm Kodi, she's Jodi. Both Park Service employees, both Leave no Trace master educators. We're both short with cute little pixie noses, and blue eyes. Same build, same crazy hair (mine is colored blond however), same interests, like the same books and movies. People kept asking us if we were sisters, or would think we were the same person, and be all confused when I didn't know what the hell they were talking about because they had discussed it with Jodi. I finally met my twin in the world. It was very cool, and we became good friends immediately.

I didn't sleep well the first night due to nerves, and got up at 6:00 a.m. the next day (4:00 a.m. my time) a little groggy. We drove to the fort where the jamboree was held and got all of our stuff together and waited for the scouts to arrive. And boy did they arrive. Droves of boy scouts, all eager and cute in their uniforms. I have to say, my opinion of boy scouts has changed a little, after meeting so many eager, happy, well mannered scouts over the week.

When I got back to the hotel the first day of the Jamboree, I turned on the news and saw the story on the 4 scout leaders killed there. It was heartbreaking, and you could see a change in the scouts the next day. They were quieter, sadder, and somewhat somber. My heart really goes out to those poor men who were killed, and the poor boys who watched their fathers or leaders die right in front of them.

During my discussions with the boy scouts, I never really had much of a break throughout the day. When I had to pee, I would signal to someone to come take over my station, then I would have to walk a half a mile to the bathroom. So that's a mile roundtrip to pee, and no time for lunch. I would get back to the hotel ravenous and tired, so then would commence to plowing through a huge dinner and then collapsing on the bed.

Wednesday was my birthday, and we worked until 3:00 p.m. that day. They cut the exhibits short because the President was supposed to be coming. They visitors and boy scouts had to arrive at the open grassy field they called "the arena" 3 hours early and sit in the blazing sun forever, because the prez. wouldn't even leave Washington until everyone was seated. It takes a while to get 75,000 people through security and seated. The consequences of this stupid move on the organizers part was that 300 people dropped from heat exhaustion and had to be airlifted out of the base. For crying out loud, people! Use your goddamned brains for once. It was like 98 degrees and 70% humidity, so the heat index was somewhere around 115 degrees. What could they have possibly been thinking? I was very glad I decided to not go see the president, because I was not used to the humidity and already thought I would melt earlier in the day. A bunch of brainless assholes. And the President didn't even show up, he canceled.

For my birthday, Jodi took me to the movie that night. We saw The Island, with Ewan Mcgreggor. Wish I was on an island with Ewan Mcgreggor.

After an exhausting yet, I feel, a very fulfilling week, I'm finally home. I met Kiri at the Salt Lake airport with my sister in law, and the two of us flew home on a little tiny plane. I feel pretty good this morning, other than I now have a raging head cold and have become, apparently, a snot producing factory. I am now going to call my friend Becca and give her a birthday gift I found in Virginia, and find out why the hell she isn't blogging anymore.

Thank you all for worrying about me while I was gone. I am fine, and happy to be home. I will definitely go again in 2010 for the next jamboree, if they invite me.