Las Galeras Camp: InThe Books

So, we came down to Las Galeras with few expectations. We had a couple of contacts that we had only conversed with online. And figured that we would be able to work something out once we got here but we’re never really sure if we were going to have any campers until they actually arrived. Given all of that in my view this camp was a huge success. Some thoughts.

* Literacy level of the campers in general is quite low. Lower than in Madre Vieja. Not sure why. We noticed that on Day 1 of the camp and backed off on some of the literacy activities we had planned. We've already talked about doing some intense reading work with some of the students at next year's camp.

* We took all campers who came every day. We even had one new camper on the last day. We figured we needed to allow word to spread to capture as many campers as possible. This inconsistency made it more challenging to connect with the campers on a daily basis. I think next year we need to limit it to those who show up on the first day.

* We played softball once. We need to figure out the logistics to make that part of the daily routine because the campers loved that activity. We just can’t let them traipse clay all over the classrooms after playing. (I’ll keep to myself the drama that resulted. No use burning bridges.)

You know I always wonder if we’re making a difference with these camps. I mean, can a week of literacy, STEM, art, and community development really improve these students’ lives. Then I think about it this way. Seeing all of us come from so far away in our free time (Is there such a thing?) to spend even just a week here I think would make at least some of the campers feel special. And that feeling goes a long way. So, Campamento #7 is now complete. Camp #8 starts Monday in San Cristobal.

Las Galeras Camp: Día 5

We arrived at camp a little before nine and 25 campers were waiting for us!  It took all week but Hora Americana has finally sunk in. Big doings today with a lot of moving parts. Her goes:

* We brought a number of books with us to use at the camp. We wanted to give each camper a book and then the rest we would donate to the school. So, that’s what we did. Tanya had the idea to give each kid three books out of which they could choose one to keep. I was skeptical. I figured this plan
would lead to mayhem, with the campers fighting over books. But that didn’t happen. The campers
were wicked focused (Just threw that Framingham descriptor in for Jen!) on their books and took on the challenge of deciding which book to choose very seriously. Have I mentioned that I probably shouldn’t ever question my wife’s ideas?

* In the midst of the book exchange T, C, C, and S headed into town to deal with the softball equipment donation. We had tried to take care of this on Thursday but ... well, you know how things work here. So Tanya set up a meeting with Ana Reyes and the coach of the local girl’s softball team at the Mayor’s office in town. All worked out great. One of the campers actually plays on this team so she left camp early to be part of the ceremony. She came back beaming with her new softball and sports socks!  So, thanks to Sarah for leading this equipment drive and to all the families in Cheshire who contributed. Your generosity made a difference in these girls’ lives.

* We thought we’d finish off the camp with an ice cream treat for all the campers. While we were waiting for it to arrive I sent the kids off to the basketball court to play. Next thing I knew they had organized a baseball game on the court. We had been very hesitant all week to use the court because there was very little shade. Didn’t seem to bother the campers a bit. The baseball, by the way, was a ball of scotch tape wrapped around a sock. I took some great photos of these events. And when I uploaded them to this blog they all turned out upside down. I don't understand the interweb.

Preparing the Books!

Softball Equipment Donation

Luli handing over the extra books to Dani