The Random Ramblings of Samm Diep

Highlights from Camp

As I knew I would, I had an amazing time at camp! I was fortunate enough to have the same group of campers as I've had for the past two years. I have essentially been following them since they were sixth graders.

There were over 300 campers this year and each group is sort by grade level from kindergartners to high-schoolers. Each grade level is classified by distinct colors such as, daisy, or tangerine, or electric blue, or my personal favorite - "aloe." What?!?? What color is that?!??? Though we were called the "Chocolate" group, there was a goof at the t-shirt shop and only seven of my campers had chocolate shirts. The rest were in "Caribbean Blue" which looked conspicuously more like a turquoise.

I had 28 "ladies" in my 8th grade group with the help of three other counselors, Viki, Jessica, and Teddy. Here's the slideshow:

I made a conscious effort this year to refer my group as "ladies" instead of "girls." I decided that if I expected them to behave like ladies, the least I could do was refer to them as ladies. They were a truly great group this year!

We heard an inspirational speaker, Leon Quan who shared the powerful story of his brother and his life.

We heard from another speaker about an organization for Chinese Adoptees called Bridging Global Girls (who could've learned a thing or two from Leon about public speaking). Her information was good, but she was bridging me right to sleep.

We learned how to make Hun-Tung in Soup, Shredded Beef with Pepper, and Green Onion Pies (except Mia made mine without the green onions). Mmmm...

I, along with feedback from many of my campers, were a little disappointed that there were not more outdoor activities (e.g. last year's canoeing, archery, or zip-lining), but I still enjoyed seeing my "ladies" and their families again.

Already looking forward to next year!

posted by Samm @ 9/02/2008 11:19:00 PM