Letters from Camp Koh Tarutao: The Same Old, Same Old

Dear Mom,

Things here at camp have gotten back to normal, so to speak. I’m not exactly sure that I want to stay when the Chewing Gum tribe anymore. They are getting far too moody and they Sukiyama people--well, Robb is there so why would I even think of going to spend time in the same general area with him? I may just head back to the bunks and camp out with Markie Mark and Jeffy.

Since the whole Ghandia/Ted thing blew up and we had our little “Come to Jesus” meeting, things were supposedly cleared up, but really not after all. It’s really a men versus women thing at Chewing Gum and it’s starting to get on my nerves. I think it’s the whole communication issue that they have that bothered me with the Ogakor tribe when I was camping in Australia not that long ago. They harbor all of this ill will towards each other and then expect to be able to work well together on their challenges.

Case in point is Ghandia, who still hates Ted with a passion. But now her ill will is extending towards the other guys (Clay and Brian) and is starting to have an impact on Jan and Helen. They are picking up on her attitude and in turn clouding their own viewpoints. Ghandia was bitching and moaning that the men weren’t really doing anything in terms of gathering food or water or maintaining the campsite. And for the most part, they are correct. The men really aren’t doing their part (at least from what I have seen). However, the women are choosing to bitch and moan amongst themselves and divide the tribe along gender lines instead of talking to each other and making something positive out of it all.

But no, they sit there and bitch amongst each other about which side of the gender line is doing more or not doing enough as it relates to whatever subject du jour happens to arise. If it’s a physical mission then the women aren’t pulling their weight. If it’s a camp related thing then the men are loafing off. Part of me wants to pull the men off to the side and tell them to back off of the women because they feel they lack the same physicality as the men. They are doing the best that they can given the circumstances and if they have to pull a little more extra weight to get some of the more athletically challenging events accomplished then they had better do it.

Then there’s part of me who wants to pull the women aside and ask them if they have given the men a chance to prove themselves or are they just more apt to do it themselves and then complain about it later. Remember when you had your hysterectomy, Mom, and complained that no one was cleaning the house or taking care of anything and you had to do it all yourself? Remember that moment in our family history? Well the reason we didn’t do anything is because you never gave us the chance to do anything. Before we could turn around and scratch our bums, you had already cleaned the house, done nine loads of laundry, mowed the yard, and painted the living room. And then you bitched and moaned about how the doctor said you weren’t supposed to do it and there you were doing it anyway. Anyway, my point is--the women reminded me a lot of you during that saga.

So with Chewing Gum, we have our little “Women on the Verge” moment going on. Over at Sukiyama. Well it’s boring over there. It’s the same old, same old of we can’t decide on how to do anything as a group so we’re going to allow one person to do all of it for us and then bitch about the fact that we weren’t a part of the process.

Really all that is bothering certain members of Sukiyama is who voted for who and why Shii Ann is still around. Actually it’s just Robb who is obsessing over this, to the point where I want to rip that thing out of his chin and toss it into the ocean so I never have to see it again. He was so sure that he had Shii Ann out of the game that he was just resting on his laurels and now he has to realize that he is in some form of trouble because no one seemed to be on his side.

I think, Mom, the big problem with Sukiyama is the fact that they are just in their little cliques and those who are on the outside of them don’t realize that their days are numbered. Take Stephanie for example. She was pissed that people were too focused on the fire and not on gathering the squid that had washed up on the beach for some homemade calamari. I was working on a nice citrus sauce for both tribes using the fruits I had found on the island.