Halfway Through!?

It occurred to me today that I have not really written anything about how Camp itself is going, and since today marks the halfway point, I figured it’d be a perfect opportunity to write about it. So this post is dedicated to just that.

To be completely honest, I hated Camp the first two weeks. I was under a completely different impression coming here than what reality actually presented itself as. Although I loved working alongside Sydney, the staff was very stand offish, and did not really go out of their way to really talk or get to know me, and the kids themselves seemed to be uncontrollable. Furthermore, camp never really explained that we would be worked as “teachers,” or “leads” at a day care. I guess I just envisioned it being a lot like Guam, which turned out to be completely the opposite.

After about the third week, I finally began to see a change with the staff. Everyone was way more talkative, and actually seemed like they appreciated my company. I think it helped that by that time, we had a general idea of how “camp” worked, and had a designated classroom that we would spend the majority of the time in, which allowed for us to get to know the kids.

As of now, I’m having a great time. I work primarily in Toddler C, or one of the three infant rooms, and although I originally thought I would enjoy working with the preschoolers or kindergarteners, I am SO glad I get to work with the little ones. The two main staff in Toddler C, besides me, is Miss Aisha and Mr. Michael. Miss Aisha is hilarious! Her and I go back and forth just singing and dancing, and both just try and have a good time throughout the day. She’s also my favorite because she doesn’t take any excuses from the kids and holds each one accountable for their actions. I definitely have tremendous respect for her. Mr. Michael is twenty-four, and him and I give each other the hardest time. He’s a really nice guy and is super funny, so I always love working with him. Sydney and I are hoping to hang out with him sometime after our Eurails expire in a few weeks, so I guess we’ll see.

Overall, every day is different- some days are good whereas some days are REALLY bad. You never know what to expect but at least one point during the day, one of the kids will do something really cute, and make your day a little bit better.

I’m definitely going to miss a lot of these kids when it comes time to head home. One little boy has a special place in my heart, and I’m half tempted to put him in my bag and run home. (I would never actually do that, although the thought has crossed my mind a time or two.)

Anyway, to end this post, I thought I would give you an idea of how I spend my Monday through Fridays.

My Daily Schedule:

8.00-9.00: Wash hands, breakfast, clean up, wash hands and faces
9.00-9.30: Circle time: songs, story time, practicing colors, numbers and letters, Diaper changes (The WORST part of the day)
9.30-10.00: Art
10-11.15: Outside play
11.15-11.30: Wash hands, hang up coats, get ready for lunch, diaper changes
11.30-12.00: Lunch
12.00-2.00: NAP TIME! (The BEST part of the day!)
2.00-3.00: Quiet activities, diaper changes
3.00-3.30: Wash hands, snack time, wash hands
3.30-4.00: Diapers, get coats on, clean up the room
4.00-5.00: Outside play
5:00: FREEDOM!
 

…Sounds pretty glorious, huh?