Jarryd talks to IEP about tennis, cheap beer, boisterous kids, V8's, not to mention a small town outside Melbourne called Tahiti.

Counsellor: Jarryd, aged 20.

Camp: Camp Adirondack, New York State- a co-ed general camp founded in 1904 (one of the oldest camps in the US).

Position: Swimming Instructor.

Funniest conversation I've had so far (with a camper's parent yesterday):

Parent: "Oh, so you're from Australia?"
Me: "Yes I'm from down south, near Melbourne."
Parent: "Wonderful ... so what's the weather like in Tahiti?"

The Latest:

"At the moment I'm in a town called Saratoga Springs- one of my friends lives here and has the house to himself so last night about 20 of us counsellors drank here. It's really hot so we've been just lying around in the pool in the sun all day. The week has just flown by mostly because it has been so hot I guess. The line head (in charge of the counsellors) said I was the best new counsellor in the entire camp so that is good to know. The work is unbelievably exhausting, looking after so many crazy pubescent 13yr olds all day. But it's incredibly rewarding and such a good change considering the greedy companies I have worked with in the past."

The Campers:

"The kids really look up to us so it's good to be a role model. I am working closely with a kid who was just adopted from Ethiopia, his English is amazing and he never stops asking about Australia. I play lots of tennis with him - he kicks my ass!

"Yesterday we had parents' weekend at camp (organised chaos!!!) which was a good opportunity to meet all the kids' parents. These kids are filthy rich - when we left for our night off we passed probably 100 cars - most of which were Mercs, Saabs or beamers.

"One of my campers has extreme Asberger's Disorder (a milder variant of Autism) which is very challenging but incredibly satisfying when he makes an achievement. He has only had three outbursts over the two weeks which I've been told is really good compared to home. Another kid I swear has the most extreme case of ADHD in the world so it's tiring calming him down every day. It is fun wrestling with the kids, and my favourite- dragging them out of their bunks if they don't wake up in time!"

The Camp:

"The camp itself is truly amazing. The equipment is top of the range but the facilities are deliberately still rough and ready (I guess to show these spoilt little kids some responsibility!) We are on a peninsular so being surrounded by water is cool. We have two new ski boats which are so fast!! EVERY boat on the lake has a massive V8. Most boats have twin 350 V8 engines. All the cars are V8s too!

"The lake is unbelievably clean- I swim 2 miles every morning at seven. I am teaching advanced swimming which is going well and is a lot of fun. I have made some really good friends including a few Poms I will bunk with when I get to the UK."

The Culture:

"Beer is $10 for 30 cans, although it tastes average... There are no small shops over here. WALMART sells everything humanly possible including over-the-counter shotguns!

"The difference between different states is amazing... in laws, opinions and culture the country is truly diverse.

"Independence Day was celebrated on the 4th of July and was a massive event. We counted 23 American flags within two car lengths!! The fireworks were huge and are still going on (apparently this goes on for the whole week)."