Chungamunga Girls

[CleverTwenty]

What is your impression of the romance of being a "Chungamunga Girl?

I think the whole innocence and a form of belonging to something greater then what your are is the whole meaning. I feel it brought out emotions from both Cobb and Mary that wouldn't have been present if not for the Chungamunga Girls

What do you make of Wally?

She reminds me of a hearty grandmother. Her word os final yet she is filled with warmth.

[ethel55]

I think anyone who camped even once  with some sort of scout or school group as a kid can see the romance in being a Chungamunga girl.  These girls gain a sense of control over their lives, even if it's only for a short time. 

I really love the way each girl's invitation to the Chungamunga group is individualized.  Whether it's a horse or scripted card, I like that the "foundation" as it were, puts a lot of thought into the girls who get chosen for this adventure of a lifetime.

I've been thinking a lot about being "eternal on the water".   Because of the camp's use of former campmates to hold classes, hikes or be troop leaders, I do think there is a feeling that they will live forever in the minds of the girls yet to come.

I totally think Wally was a bear.  And one of the best, no doubt!

[milkamilka]

What is your impression of the romance of being a "Chungamunga Girl?"

Since Mary told Cobb that being honoured with the invitation was a total suprise and since Chungamunga Girls are something nobody knew about being involved in something like that must be really exciting. Especially to those girls in their condition it must have been something very important. They could feel that they belong somewhere and by following the rules etc. they would be in a place they don't have to make all the decisions but where their voice is heard.

I get this really warm feeling from Chungamunga Girls. So far they are one of my favorite things in the book.

[Zia01]

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dhaupt wrote:

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troubleactingnormal wrote:

I had no problem at all with the wedding in the woods, and I think that the situation there was fitting for the circumstances and the goals of the program. I don't know about everyone else here, but I certainly had fantasies of meeting and marrying my prince long before I thought about the sexual implications of marriage. As somehow who is currently planning a wedding, I think and hope that the symbolism of even our fairly traditional event will not center on our sexuality. Of course that is important and implied, but it is not the focus. I don't think even the most jaded look at a bride in a fairy tale wedding and think, "She's going to get laid" and the fairytale nature of the woodland wedding seems more of an extension of the magic of Chungamunga for these girls: it was really a rather chaste and magical event. What happens on the water is eternal and magical in a significant way, and it is even more of a fairytale, love at first sight, joining of souls and celebrating futures than anything else. Really, to be able to participate in a "wedding" is important to a group of young women who know that they might not live long enough to have one in their future.

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I too thought the wedding by the girls was magical and very fitting to what they represented themselves to be. And never once did the thought of sexuality come to mind when the wedding was performed. 

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I agree. I found the wedding to be very sweet and surreal. I don't think the girls were thinking sex when they performed it. I think they saw 2 people incredibly drawn together and wanted to capture it.

[nbmars]

 l too loved the whole idea of this, and that the girls get a chance to be not only "normal" but special for a reason other than by being sick.  

[nymazz]

What is your impression of the romance of being a "Chungamunga Girl?"

The romance could be that for the first time these girls are experiencing independence and time away from all they have to endure because of their illness, maybe for the only time in their lives 

When Cobb asks Myrtle if she'd like to be a minister, she answers, "I won't live long enough to be anything. Today I am whatever I will be." What is your impression of the level of understanding that these girls have about their own conditions?

I think we don't give children enough credit to understanding serious situations that

affect them.

What is your understanding of what they mean when the girls say "I am eternal on this water?"

I think they feel their spirit will remain forever on the Allagash RIver and will be remembered by the

Chungamunga girls that come after them.

Is it apparent that each of the girls is sick, from what we've read so far? How are the girls "ordinary girl" and how do they seem different?

I don't believe every girls illness is apparent in the chapters I have read (11).  The only way they seem different is they seem to have more focus than kids that age.

What do you make of Wally?

I've just started Chapter 11 so I am not sure if we learn more about Wally, but

maybe Wally did the unexpected and beat her illness, she still has a connection to the girls and the journey they are taking. Her survival is telling the girls never give up anything is possible.

[Sheltiemama]

I love, love, love the Chungamunga Girls! I was in a sorority in college, so I understand the secret bond these girls share, even into adulthood, though these girls are united by something sad, too. Facebook has let me get back in touch with many of my sisters, and it's just wonderful. I love the way the invitations are delivered, pink and pretty and dramatically. How much magic this would add to the girls' lives. The marriage ceremony they created was incredible. Girl power!

I'm a true-life medical show junkie, and children who have serious medical conditions just blow me away. They are wise far beyond their years. I think Mary and Myrtle both live for today, though Myrtle seems to be facing her illness more head-on than Mary. Of course, Myrtle's condition is apparent by looking at her, while Mary's hasn't begun to manifest yet.

"I am eternal on this water." What a beautiful saying! Though their bodies may betray them, they claim their spirits in this place, through this shared experience.

I do love that the girls chatter and giggle just like girls who aren't sick. It's like they're storing up this memory for when they're undergoing medical treatment.

I love Wally. She understands the importance of magic and ritual. And she has a great sense of humor.

[Cyscokitty]

When I read the part about the invitation into the Chungamunga girls, I had three thoughts. First was a memory of a group I joined in high school. There was a surprise ritual for initiation. In my teens, it was very special and made me feel important and accepted - a big thing for someone as shy as I was in high school. I imagine for a pre-teen it would be even more exciting. My second thought was a vision of Harry's invitation or series of invitations to Hogwart's. Finally, I thought back to a a time when I was able to give a friend's daughter a special day all her own. She was about 11 years old and her parents had just gifted her with a new baby sister. While she loved the baby, you could tell she was feeling a little lonely and left out because the baby was absolutely adorable and she was going through an awkward phase.

I found Myrtle's level of maturity a little disturbing. Myrtle seems to have quietly accepted her disease and shortened life while Mary isn't going quietly - if she's going at all (from her point of view, that is.)

[KateBrianIsAwe…]

What is your understanding of what they mean when the girls say "I am eternal on this water?

The girls are eternal on the water because their souls will forever be united with nature and the water.

How is Mary a Chungamunga girl?

Mary is a chumgamunga girl because she has Huntington's disease and all the other chungamunga girls are sick too.

What do you make of Wally?

Wally is quite a character, I like her personality.

[Anna_Louise]

I too thought the wedding by the girls was magical and very fitting to what they represented themselves to be. And never once did the thought of sexuality come to mind when the wedding was performed.

I as well never thought that the girls thought of the sexuality of a wedding.  I wrote this last Fall and I think it applied to the Chungamunga Girls as well.  Enjoy!

"I understand to live life to its fullest and cherish every moment; to be a child of life savoring every breath with innocence, purity, awe and wonder.  Sometimes the world tries to knock it out of you but I believe in fairy tales, princesses and princes, fairies with pixie dust, knights in shining armor, true love and its first kiss, mickey mouse, santa claus and all things magical!"

Anna Louise

[jb70]

One thing I also wondered as a parent was how the parents felt about saying goodbye to their children for a month knowing already that the girls life was expected to be shorter than average.  Would I be selfless enough to give one of my children this experience if I knew it would reduce the amount of time we would have together? 

[Peppermill]

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jb70 wrote:

One thing I also wondered as a parent was how the parents felt about saying goodbye to their children for a month knowing already that the girls life was expected to be shorter than average.  Would I be selfless enough to give one of my children this experience if I knew it would reduce the amount of time we would have together? 

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I would suspect many of these camps are a respite from the drains -- emotional and physical -- of providing continuous care.  While I do know people who would feel as you do and would not choose to use a resource such as this, I suspect for others these offer a chance to give their child a "normal" experience while providing themselves a chance to focus on perhaps other siblings, their significant other, or themselves for a short period.

The video on this site was very insightful to me as to just how rich these resources can be:  Pine Tree Camp.

[dhaupt]

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Sheltiemama wrote:

I love, love, love the Chungamunga Girls! I was in a sorority in college, so I understand the secret bond these girls share, even into adulthood, though these girls are united by something sad, too. Facebook has let me get back in touch with many of my sisters, and it's just wonderful. I love the way the invitations are delivered, pink and pretty and dramatically. How much magic this would add to the girls' lives. The marriage ceremony they created was incredible. Girl power!

I'm a true-life medical show junkie, and children who have serious medical conditions just blow me away. They are wise far beyond their years. I think Mary and Myrtle both live for today, though Myrtle seems to be facing her illness more head-on than Mary. Of course, Myrtle's condition is apparent by looking at her, while Mary's hasn't begun to manifest yet.

"I am eternal on this water." What a beautiful saying! Though their bodies may betray them, they claim their spirits in this place, through this shared experience.

I do love that the girls chatter and giggle just like girls who aren't sick. It's like they're storing up this memory for when they're undergoing medical treatment.

I love Wally. She understands the importance of magic and ritual. And she has a great sense of humor.

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I couldn't agree with you more, a great way to sum up my feelings about the girls as well.

And I wasn't in a sorority, but I felt some of this way when I was a girl scout.

[literature]

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jb70 wrote:

One thing I also wondered as a parent was how the parents felt about saying goodbye to their children for a month knowing already that the girls life was expected to be shorter than average.  Would I be selfless enough to give one of my children this experience if I knew it would reduce the amount of time we would have together? 

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Hi jb70,

Yes, you would let your child go for a month.  Just think of the experience your child would be living through and how happy your child would be upon her return.  She would be bubbling over with excitement and just sharing that with her would have made it all worthwhile.  Of course, this is how I would think but if I were ever faced with it head on, well that might be a different scenario.  Emotionally, I wouldn't want to let go but intellectually I would know that this is about my daughter experiencing something so great.  I would let her go but would probably live through each day as if it were a million years.  Yes, it would be very hard.

[Coffeenut]

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literature wrote:

Hi jb70,

Yes, you would let your child go for a month.  Just think of the experience your child would be living through and how happy your child would be upon her return.  She would be bubbling over with excitement and just sharing that with her would have made it all worthwhile.  Of course, this is how I would think but if I were ever faced with it head on, well that might be a different scenario.  Emotionally, I wouldn't want to let go but intellectually I would know that this is about my daughter experiencing something so great.  I would let her go but would probably live through each day as if it were a million years.  Yes, it would be very hard.

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That's a really good point. We as parents always want the best for our children, but it would be heartwrenching to let them go, knowing your time with them is so limited.

[bookowlie]

The Chungamunga Girls reminded me of being at Girl Scout camp and having a tight knit "family" of friends separate from their own families.  The magical, fairy tale nature of the Chungamunga Girls gives these girls a respite from what they have to face with their illnesses and a feeling of warmth and support from people who are facing the same adversities.

I think when the girls say "I am eternal on this water", it means they are one with nature and their spirit will remain on the River.

[mgmama33]

What is your impression of the romance of being a "Chungamunga Girl?"

 I really liked the Chungamunga girls.  I really felt like when these girls were together it was the only time that they could be "normal" and not think about any of their illnesses, which is what makes it romantic.

How is the singular and mysterious nature of the invitation contrasted with the diagnosis each of the girls has received?

 I love how they are all invited.  Someone takes the time to think of just them and make them feel special.

What is your understanding of what they mean when the girls say "I am eternal on this water?"

I really think that the girls are saying this so that they know that they are always together. This is their connection, no matter how long they live.  For many of them, the time they are camping together is some of the happiest in their lives, so this is a way to keep the good times in their minds and remind them that they are one with each other and nature.

[Kathy-Sagan]

I felt that the girls' time on the water took them out of their everyday lives, with all their cares and worries, and gave them a place to be that was free and free spirited, and in that sense, their spirits were and would always be eternal on that river, on those waters...

[wjbauer]

I entered a number of posts to this list and I don't find any of them!!!!

Wat happened to them/

Wayne

[Peppermill]

Wayne -- did they appear right after you posted them?

The indication under your avatar is that you have made four posts.  You can see what those are by clicking on your pen name to get a list of them.

If you still think something is missing, I suggest you send a PM to Rachel or Paul.

Pepper

(Hope you didn't hit a button that didn't register your posts.  I know I do that sometimes.  Very frustrating.  As you have probably noticed, you should get a message when a posting is successful.)

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wjbauer wrote:

I entered a number of posts to this list and I don't find any of them!!!!

Wat happened to them/

Wayne

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