Geneva Park

Homesick for a Certain Park


So far I think I have been pretty good with the whole homesickness thing. At the beginning it was tough, but having Dan here has helped a lot. We’ve been here in Korean for almost 10 months now and it finally started to hit me this week.

It is now August and it is one of my most favorite times of the year since I was old enough to remember. On reason is because this is the month of my birthday, of coarse and who doesn’t love a good party? However, why I love this month more than any other is because for two weeks of this summer my family spends at Geneva Park.

When someone asks me, “what is so special about this place”… it is hard to describe. Yes, it may be a little rustic. Having a cottage with no bathroom or shower, that you have to walk a couple of minutes to walk to instead may be a turn off for some. Also, no TV or inerenet (though some of us have cheated and brought it up anyways) has really never mattered to me in any sense.

Feeling homesick this week for Geneva Park and being surrounded by kiddies for 8 hours of the day, I started to describe this place to them. None of them really have cottages, so it was hard for them to understand, but when I described the shire, swim dock and craft shop- they though it was pretty cool. I wish they could experience something like Geneva park one day.

I think the main reason why I love it so much and have this homesick feeling in my stomach at this moment in time is that I have so many memories with friends and families that will last more than a lifetime. I think I have a memory for every inch of that park. What I always loved about and still love about Geneva Park is that even though you see these friends and families for about 2 weeks out of every summer, when you go back, everyone is still the same. Not meaning the exact same, but the relationship you have are the same. You can go a year without really keeping in touch- life gets busy, you say you will stay in touch and you don’t. I always find though, as soon as I return to the park, the friendship is the same as it was left the year before. People, get older, kids get older, but the relationship stays the same.

When I was a teenager, I knew my mother thought that I might get bored, but I really didn’t. It was definitely my friends up there that kept it fun and interesting. It was also a place that was very safe and one of the first places where my parents let me go out and about througout the park on my own or with some friends.

It was also a place where there was a lot of firsts. First place I learned how to swim, first place O learned how to ride a bike, first place a stayed out later that 1am-(as long as I was with a friend), first place I ever drank screwdrivers (vodka supplied by a certain family member and orange juice supplied by the court!), first place I learned how to water ski, first place a I learned how to canoe, first place I skinny dipped (technically not on GP property) first place I got my drivers lisense and could drive and the list goes on….
As I mentioned before, I have so many memories at this park. Here are a few of my favourites. I tried to list then on chronological order:

When I was little..

1) Playing My Little Poney with Katie Burfield behind her cottage. I think we were both under 7 at this time.
2) When lightning hit a huge tree beside our cottage and split a tree in half- my parent were still together at this point and said I slept through the whole thing. My dad kept a chunk of the tree and we still have it today
3) Swimming at the swim dock in freezing cold water on pouring rain days. My swim teacher always dreaded when I came on these days because she would have to get in the freezing cold water with me. It didn’t effect me at all!
4) The Shire: So many memories by themselves in here, but playing on the “vomit commit” was the best! It is sadly not there anymore, but it was the best thing there!
5) Tennis lessons at tennis court was fun- especially when your friends keep their helmets on through the whole thing!
6) When Andrew Westbrook went on a bike ride with me and my dad, hit a pot hole and went head first over his bike, knocking his two front teeth out. Not funny at the time, but I can laugh about now how when I think of his parents walking around with a flashlight at night trying to find the teeth he knocked out.
7) The ski show/learning how to water ski- besides having an awesome instructor to learn how to water ski (and good looking- though I was too young to care at the time) was so much fun and I even got to be in the ski show one year.
8) The Tuck Shop- So many yummy treats- our family use to go almost every night for ice cream, candy and other goodies!
9) Exploring the park with the Netters- these girls were so much fun and we would have great adventures together!
10) Variety night- The princess bride was a fun play I did with my friends and the numerous songs I did onstage with my cousin- sorry to put you all through that!
11) Fishing with my dad. We usually only caught only very small fish, but still fun.

Getting Older…

12) Lying about my age so I could be in “Group” with my cousin and friends who were all older than me. As well as playing pranks on the youngins’. If you are from gp you will know 
13) Jetskiing with my family. Throwing friends off the back of them was fun too!
14) Island swim- though it was early and very cold, I loved swimming it and having my mom cheer me on was the best!
15) Being anywhere with my group of friends and staying out late. This memory is more general, but it was always a good time.
16) Pancake Breakfast-I put it here because even though as I got older, I still loved it, but it was more painful to wake up this early to the yelling of Mr.Westbrook and Mr. Hissa! Oh and thanks for using megaphones and bagpipes now guys!
17) Drinking Slooshies with my most favourite cousin Katie!

My most favourite memories now…

18) Lying on the swim dock. It is the perfect place to tan and relax because there is a breeze and you can easily hop into the water whenever you want.
19) Eating dinner and being with my family. We have the best meals and junk fodd at this time of year, its also nice to spend time with my cousins during this time of year.
20) Go karting- we did not do this a GP, but we would drive down to Barrie and have fun trying not to kill each other in these cars.
21) My Birthday! My birthday was great this year too, but am so use to having it up at Geneva Park, that it felt weird. Also- nothing compares to a Maripoza Score cake! I am craving one so badly right now!
22) Sunset Rock- Love watching the sun set from here.
23) Fallen rock- Also another great place to watch the sun set and swim here too.