Our team gathered in the dining area, one by one, each gravitating to the same plush chairs we had chosen the day before. I smiled at the server and slowly said, "B-l-a-c-k tea, please." Fetching my trusty muesli and yogurt, I was delighted to see the mug appear with black tea. Unfortunately, we were rather rushed that morning, so I could only swallow down a bit. It was lovely, nonetheless, to have been understood, and to understand.
The events of Tuesday mirrored Monday to a great degree. All 17 kids returned, bright and early; they would consistently do so for the remainder of the week, not once flagging in enthusiasm (or punctuality).
One of the camp features we offered was a series of workshops. On Monday, students chose from a variety of suggested classes, and, based on their interest and our teacher availability, we decided to focus on drums, sports, art, and video. The same students attended the same workshops throughout the week. Once again, it was a joy to watch them learn and grow in confidence, both in their use of English and in their various workshop skills.
Somehow I ended up in the sports workshop. I can't quite recall how this happened, but before I knew it, I was running bases, pulling flags, and hurling a frisbee (trying to ignore that rather in-my-forties feeling that asserted itself regularly in the form of sore knees, ankles and feet . . . ).
The sports workshop was led by one of our students, Andrew. His assistants were Allie, Mike, and Iza (with Brooke, Heidi, and me popping in as we were available). Andrew did an excellent job explaining the rules of various American sports. The challenges were many, for not only were sports such as baseball and ultimate frisbee new concepts to the students, but every sentence Andrew spoke was also to be translated. Each of our student leaders learned -- and learned very well, I might proudly add -- to speak in succinct, easy-to-translate phrases. Andrew had the added challenge of helping define new American words like base, home plate, pitcher and batter to his translator, Iza. At times we resorted to more universal terms, like "safe zone" and "thrower." But no matter the phrase or term used, those kids picked up the games quickly, and we all had a blast.
(Brooke and I had to laugh when we found ourselves face-to-face on the line of scrimmage one day. "Never thought we'd be doing this together!" she laughed. I chided, "Oh, it's on, Brooke," knowing full well she could whoop me at flag football . . . or any sport under the sun, for that matter. Avery kindly documented our postgame glow.)
Hailey taught the art class, and was joined by a helper (Bethie) and two translators (Neli and Tjaša). The students enjoyed a number of painting and drawing activities. When I was catching my breath from baseball or football (sometimes I pulled the mom card and stepped out to be photographer), it was a delight to visit their class and see how much fun they were having.
Drew felt right at home in the drum workshop (with assistants/translators Doroteja and Blaž), where he creatively used one drum kit to keep six students ("student" numbers also included assistants and translators, each of whom participated in all classroom activities) engaged and learning. They, too, grew in confidence throughout the week, and by Friday, they were ready to perform in the talent show. But I'll save that for another day.
Jamie and Urh eagerly took on the video workshop. Their students learned about perspective, lighting, storytelling and more, and worked throughout the week to script and shoot a mini movie, also to be presented at the talent show. We often saw the crew wandering the church grounds, experimenting with unique camera angles and mysterious sound effects. We couldn't wait to see what they were creating.
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| PC: Workshop Student |
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| P.C.: Workshop Student |
I would be remiss if I didn't also tip my hat to the food workshop. While it wasn't an actual workshop, Gwynne and Avery were a dynamic duo in the kitchen, daily preparing snacks for the whole crew. These girls are birds of a feather, and their imitation of Mel and Sue is spot on. Baaaake!
We were also provided with catered lunch throughout the week, and it was quite a treat to share in traditional Slovene meals. As we experienced at The Chestnut Place, each lunch started with a light soup and was followed by a hearty dish, such as potatoes and fish or fried gnocci and salad.
Tuesday's theme was "pirate," so naturally we played pirate bunco while wearing eye patches for our late afternoon activity. Winners were showered with lots and lots of candy (see: 50 lb. suitcases as described in Camp Preparation).
And at this point in the day's journey, my mind becomes an absolute blank. I imagine we had dinner that night (my children say we ate sandwiches), and made our way back to the hostel where we prepped for the next day. It's also quite possible this was the night the girls slipped away for a gander about Celje. Because, how prosaic would it be, merely to fall asleep at the end of the day, whilst in Europe?
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