At last, it's time to officially welcome all the delegates to our camp! It was a nervous wait for our Leaders and Staff, as the kids were dropped off at the campsite by their host families one by one, with Vietnam becoming the first complete delegation. They were quickly led by their leaders for a little tour around the campsite, to explain the different areas that will be used during the Village.
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| One by one, each delegation arrives complete |
After we got everyone settled into their bedrooms (we had to carry all the suitcases up all those stairs!), we headed back down to the dining hall for our very first activity - making our name tags. Hopefully, though, we wouldn't be needing these after a few days, as everyone eventually gets to know each other better.
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| First activity: making their name tags |
After lunch, the JCs invited all the kids outside to play some running games under the sun. It's always surprising how quickly the kids are able to play and get along with each other despite some language difficulties. It seems like some languages (like football) are really universal.
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| A little fun under the sun after lunch |
Later in the day, the Staff organized even more light activities to help the kids loosen up and get into the camp spirit. Even though we've only been together for a few hours, we can already tell that all the kids are very open and well-behaved. (although it's sometimes boring without a few naughty kids to deal with!)
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| Playing some games to break the ice |
Over dinner, we presented a little birthday suprise for Tawfiq, our Jordanian JC, with a cake and songs from all 13 other countries represented at our camp. According to him, he "felt like a king" with every delegation coming up to greet him one by one. For sure, this will not be the only birthday we will be celebrating this month.
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| A birthday surprise for our JC from Jordan! |
Our night activities included having everyone introduce themselves in front of the entire group, before the Staff shared with the kids all the camp rules (we made sure that these rules are there to make sure that EVERYONE has a great time at our Village). Then we let all the kids finish creating their own placemats, which we will be using at every meal time over the next month.
Finally, we ended the day with our very first lullabies session. Even though the room was a little small, everyone was still able to sing and clap their hands to the music. And apparently, the lullabies room may be a little too comfortable, as we actually had a few kids (and a Leader) doze off. :-) All in all, it was an excellent first day, and we hope that the enthusiasm only goes even higher from here.
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