Gatlinburg TN
Today, we finally met our neighbors across the way. Fran works part time here at the campground. She used to be the activities director at a campground in Arizona. She taught us a new game called Pegs and Jokers (http://pegsandjokers.net/rules.htm). Kelly says it’s based on a game called Aggravation, but I’d never seen anything like it. We played it several times and I won once. I’m pretty sure they let me have the win.
Some full-timers, like Fran and Paul, are called “workers.” While the arrangement varies from one campground to another, in most cases workers sign on for a season. They’ll stay at a campground for that region’s season and work part-time in exchange for some combination of free camp space, free laundry, and/or money. When Fran was an activities director, she probably had a budget for supplies in addition to the camping arrangement. Workers have a variety of job titles and responsibilities. They clean, handle reservations and check-ins, handle security, greet new campers, help folks set up their sites when necessary, and so forth.
Getting to know fellow full-timers is always a tentative process for me. It’s that age-old question of how much to reveal and still maintain safety and privacy. Since we’re all in the same campground for a while, and in fairly close quarters, you want to be friendly, but you can’t be in other peoples’ business.
It seems that full-timers build bonds more quickly than “house” neighbors do. At the KOA in northern Florida, I found myself in a serious discussion with a mother about whether or not to home-school her children. The conversation ended with her having more information than she’d expected and me having a better understanding of the decisions inherent to a family travelling full-time. Here, Fran, a very social person, was faced with a nearly empty campground and a manager with no interest in setting up activities. Kelly’s love of games gave us something in common.
Fran and Paul are Sabbath Keepers. They are Christians who observe Sabbath from sundown Friday through sundown Saturday. They follow various Jewish customs regarding food and clothing, but with a decidedly Christian spin. They seem to be very conservative about religious ideology, but lean to the liberal or even radical on politics. I am fascinated by religion and love an opportunity to learn about peoples’ beliefs, but am wary of putting ourselves in an uncomfortable position.
This campground is far away from stores. When we run errands, we’ve begun to ask all our neighbors whether they want us to pick anything up for them, and they do likewise. When someone stops by around meal or snack time, it’s normal to ask that person to join us. Over time, these small interactions open up dialog on all kinds of topics.
I haven’t figured this out yet. I haven’t found the balance between privacy and being social. It’s hard to “see” only one familiar face every day. It’s hard to talk only with strangers every day. Even I, the eternal anti-social introvert, need some human contact. I’ll keep telling you stories as we go along and maybe there will be a conclusion to the analysis at some future date.
Today, we finally met our neighbors across the way. Fran works part time here at the campground. She used to be the activities director at a campground in Arizona. She taught us a new game called Pegs and Jokers (http://pegsandjokers.net/rules.htm). Kelly says it’s based on a game called Aggravation, but I’d never seen anything like it. We played it several times and I won once. I’m pretty sure they let me have the win.
Some full-timers, like Fran and Paul, are called “workers.” While the arrangement varies from one campground to another, in most cases workers sign on for a season. They’ll stay at a campground for that region’s season and work part-time in exchange for some combination of free camp space, free laundry, and/or money. When Fran was an activities director, she probably had a budget for supplies in addition to the camping arrangement. Workers have a variety of job titles and responsibilities. They clean, handle reservations and check-ins, handle security, greet new campers, help folks set up their sites when necessary, and so forth.
Getting to know fellow full-timers is always a tentative process for me. It’s that age-old question of how much to reveal and still maintain safety and privacy. Since we’re all in the same campground for a while, and in fairly close quarters, you want to be friendly, but you can’t be in other peoples’ business.
It seems that full-timers build bonds more quickly than “house” neighbors do. At the KOA in northern Florida, I found myself in a serious discussion with a mother about whether or not to home-school her children. The conversation ended with her having more information than she’d expected and me having a better understanding of the decisions inherent to a family travelling full-time. Here, Fran, a very social person, was faced with a nearly empty campground and a manager with no interest in setting up activities. Kelly’s love of games gave us something in common.
Fran and Paul are Sabbath Keepers. They are Christians who observe Sabbath from sundown Friday through sundown Saturday. They follow various Jewish customs regarding food and clothing, but with a decidedly Christian spin. They seem to be very conservative about religious ideology, but lean to the liberal or even radical on politics. I am fascinated by religion and love an opportunity to learn about peoples’ beliefs, but am wary of putting ourselves in an uncomfortable position.
This campground is far away from stores. When we run errands, we’ve begun to ask all our neighbors whether they want us to pick anything up for them, and they do likewise. When someone stops by around meal or snack time, it’s normal to ask that person to join us. Over time, these small interactions open up dialog on all kinds of topics.
I haven’t figured this out yet. I haven’t found the balance between privacy and being social. It’s hard to “see” only one familiar face every day. It’s hard to talk only with strangers every day. Even I, the eternal anti-social introvert, need some human contact. I’ll keep telling you stories as we go along and maybe there will be a conclusion to the analysis at some future date.
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