My Hungarian Adventure
Christian Chorba Washington D.C.
Camper, Counsellor 1999-2010
It's been five months since my plane landed in the sweltering humidity of Budapest and I officially began my year as an English teacher in Hungary. Since then, I've gradually adapted to life in a small town on the Puszta, a huge plain taking up most of eastern portion of the country. I teach eighteen classes a week in a high school associated with the Reformed Church, while at the same time learning about life in Eastern Europe and picking up some Hungarian myself.
Although this is my first year teaching, I feel that Nominingue has really prepared me for the experience of working with students, especially ones who do not speak English very well. My day starts very early, as class begins at 7:20 in this agricultural town, and includes work both in the school and in private lessons after school. To draw the students' attention, I like to emphasize participation and having fun in my lessons and I always include games like jeopardy, hangman, and "mafia".
I've been fortunate to have plenty of time to travel on the weekends both within Hungary and to the many countries that border it. While Hungary's incredible flat landscape doesn't make for many stunning photos, the country is well known for its tradition of horseback riding, hundreds of thermal baths, and its unique cuisine.
Being of Hungarian descent has definitely made the experience of living here even more interesting. Chorba--adapted from "Csorba", its original spelling--is a pretty typical Hungarian name that unfortunately means "chipped, gap-toothed, or malformed". I guess a century in America has somewhat reduced these characteristics in our genetic profile. Although I have yet to meet any others from our clan here, after learning the meaning of our name I'm now expecting the first to look something like Sloth from the "Goonies".
As for the cuisine, it's often been an acquired taste. Hungary is famous for its goulash, but other dishes could take some getting used to. Just as any true Nomininguer begins to crave even TVP on a long canoe trip, my palate now craves delicacies like goose liver, pickle and margarine sandwiches, and pork knuckle.
To those Nominingue alumni considering what their next step in life will be, I strongly encourage you to check out opportunities for teaching abroad. Being a camp counsellor really prepared me for working with kids and exploring new experiences, and I'm sure you'll find that your camp experiences will be just as useful to you.
Report from the OCA Director's Conference
The Ontario Camps Association conference was held from January 25th to 27th in Toronto. The highlight of the conference is often the keynote speakers. On the first evening, Michael Brandwein spoke to the gathered group of camp directors. His topic was "Why Camp is incomparable: Delivering what young people need most in the 21st century." He shared with the group of camp directors his methods for teaching some of the key communication and group leadership skills that we want all of our counsellors to possess. Brandwein's presentation was clear, practical and dynamic. He set the right tone for the conference.  On the second day of the conference, Michael Ungar spoke to the group on the dangers of over-protecting our children - "Too safe for their own good: How risk and responsibility help children and teens thrive." Ungar's main argument is that children and teens need sufficient challenge to ensure that they are exposed to incremental risks which will then enable them to better respond when crisis situations occur in their lives. One of his themes is that youth who are exposed to risk and responsibility have an advantage in life over over-protected children and teens.
The keynote speech on the final day of the conference was by Nick Bontis. His topic was "Information Bombardment: Rising above the digital onslaught." By 2013, the written information available to us will double every 11 minutes! Bontis offered some practical strategies first to cope and then to thrive under this bombardment. The challenges that camps face will continue to change in our fast-paced world and we will need to be flexible and innovative to respond effectively.
The end of the conference brought with it a long drive home, but the ideas we pick up help to energize us as we plan for the 2012 season!
Transportation to Camp Nominingue in the Days of Steam
P.G. Gilbert Camper, Counsellor, Trip Director 1944-1976
Railway Recollections of a Camper Part I
OCA Archives Research Project
In the Beginning
F.M. Van Wagner once told me that for the first few years after the camp opened in 1925, they took the regular passenger train from Montreal to Labelle, at that time the end of the passenger service on the Canadian Pacific Laurentian sub-division. After a long wait on a siding, the camp car was coupled to the freight train for the rest of the journey to the village of Nominingue. An assortment of local vehicles took campers and baggage into camp about 1 ¼ miles by road. Many of the older campers and some of the staff hiked the shorter distance by field and path.
By the Time I was a Camper
Baggage came first because it had to be checked at least two days before departure. By today's standards, we took an enormous amount of "stuff". A typical camper checked a full steamer trunk and a dunnage bag, wore a knapsack and carried one or more of paddle, bow, tennis racket and fishing rod.
On the first Thursday in July, Montreal's Windsor Station was filled with a bedlam of campers and their parents searching for their camp sign among the dozen signs on the concourse. We brought a box-lunch because departure was at 10 am and arrival at camp was around 4 pm. The experienced brought a couple of drinks, knowing that the water cooler would be empty about 30 minutes after departure.
The train cars were the CPR's oldest: wicker seats with flipping backs; toilets that emptied onto the ties below with a roar; kerosene lanterns swaying from the clerestory ceiling; and lift-up windows for sticking one's head out and getting an eye full of cinders. The train was usually pulled by one of the CPRs ancient, coal-burning Pacifics.
It was a long, slow and essentially boring ride, and the counsellors probably had their hands full trying to maintain a semblance of decorum and to keep us amused. The vendor selling peanuts, chocolate bars, yesterday's cheese sandwiches and warm soft drinks from car to car was a welcome diversion. We arrived at camp hot and smokey, with our "city clothes" sooty and wrinkled. We dusted them off and hung them in the rafters of the dining hall until our trip home. Travelling clothes were not casual; school ties and blazers were the norm.
Winter Events - Évènements cet hiver
Although the summer is definitely our busy season, we do keep busy during the winter. These are some of the events where we will be present:
February 12 OCA Camp Fair- Quebec City Québec
February 19 Montreal Families Camp Fair Pointe-Claire
February 20 Selwyn House Camp Fair Montreal, QC
Fdebruary 21 Rockliffe Park Camp Fair Ottawa, ON
February 28 CN Alumni wine & cheese Mexico City
March 9-11 Canoecopia 2012 Madison, WI
If you are interested in any details concerning these events, please contact us at the camp office.
Malgré le fait que l'été est notre haute saison, nous sommes pas mal occupés durant l'hiver aussi. Voici quelques uns des évènements où nous serons présents cet hiver :
12 février Foire de camps OCA à Québec Québec
19 février Foire de camps Montreal Families Pointe-Claire, QC
20 février Foire de camps à Selwyn House Montréal
21 février Foire de camps à Rockliffe Park Ottawa, ON
28 février Vin et fromage pour les anciens du camp Mexico D.F.
9 au 11 mars Canoecopia 2012 Madison, WI
Si vous désirez plus de détails, svp contactez nous au bureau à Les Coteaux.
Tumpline Submissions - Soumissions pour cette lettre de nouvelles
We are looking for submissions for our newsletters from campers, staff and parents... from this summer, as well as from recent and less recent alumni. These submissions may be general memories of camp experiences or specific memories about a canoe trip, about a favourite program or a funny experience. Please send your submissions to grant@nominingue.com. You may submit your stories and memories in English, French or Spanish.
Nous sommes à la recherche de textes de campeurs, parents et de moniteurs de l'été 2011... et de souvenirs de nos anciens campeurs et moniteurs des années récentes et moins récentes. Vos textes peuvent décrire vos expériences en générale ou une excursion de canot, un programme favori ou une expérience drôle. SVP envoyez votre texte par courriel à grant@nominingue.com. Votre texte peut être écrit en français, en anglais ou en espagnol. | 
